diff --git a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.c b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.c
index 947dce1d7..732f451f9 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.c
+++ b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.c
@@ -33,13 +33,22 @@ yajl_string_encode(const yajl_print_t print,
                    void * ctx,
                    const unsigned char * str,
                    size_t len,
-                   int escape_solidus)
+                   int escape_solidus,
+                   int output_json5)
 {
     size_t beg = 0;
     size_t end = 0;
     char hexBuf[7];
-    hexBuf[0] = '\\'; hexBuf[1] = 'u'; hexBuf[2] = '0'; hexBuf[3] = '0';
-    hexBuf[6] = 0;
+    char *hexAt;
+    if (output_json5) {
+        hexBuf[0] = '\\'; hexBuf[1] = 'x';
+        hexBuf[4] = 0;
+        hexAt = &hexBuf[2];
+    } else {
+        hexBuf[0] = '\\'; hexBuf[1] = 'u'; hexBuf[2] = '0'; hexBuf[3] = '0';
+        hexBuf[6] = 0;
+        hexAt = &hexBuf[4];
+    }
 
     while (end < len) {
         const char * escaped = NULL;
@@ -57,9 +66,20 @@ yajl_string_encode(const yajl_print_t print,
             case '\f': escaped = "\\f"; break;
             case '\b': escaped = "\\b"; break;
             case '\t': escaped = "\\t"; break;
+            case '\0':
+                if (output_json5) {
+                    escaped = "\\0"; break;
+                }
+                goto ashex;
+            case '\v':
+                if (output_json5) {
+                    escaped = "\\v"; break;
+                }
+                goto ashex;
             default:
                 if ((unsigned char) str[end] < 32) {
-                    CharToHex(str[end], hexBuf + 4);
+            ashex:
+                    CharToHex(str[end], hexAt);
                     escaped = hexBuf;
                 }
                 break;
@@ -75,10 +95,10 @@ yajl_string_encode(const yajl_print_t print,
     print(ctx, (const char *) (str + beg), end - beg);
 }
 
-static void hexToDigit(unsigned int * val, const unsigned char * hex)
+static void hexToDigit(unsigned int * val, unsigned int len, const unsigned char * hex)
 {
     unsigned int i;
-    for (i=0;i<4;i++) {
+    for (i=0;i<len;i++) {
         unsigned char c = hex[i];
         if (c >= 'A') c = (c & ~0x20) - 7;
         c -= '0';
@@ -133,14 +153,14 @@ void yajl_string_decode(yajl_buf buf, const unsigned char * str,
                 case 't': unescaped = "\t"; break;
                 case 'u': {
                     unsigned int codepoint = 0;
-                    hexToDigit(&codepoint, str + ++end);
+                    hexToDigit(&codepoint, 4, str + ++end);
                     end+=3;
                     /* check if this is a surrogate */
                     if ((codepoint & 0xFC00) == 0xD800) {
                         end++;
                         if (str[end] == '\\' && str[end + 1] == 'u') {
                             unsigned int surrogate = 0;
-                            hexToDigit(&surrogate, str + end + 2);
+                            hexToDigit(&surrogate, 4, str + end + 2);
                             codepoint =
                                 (((codepoint & 0x3F) << 10) |
                                  ((((codepoint >> 6) & 0xF) + 1) << 16) |
@@ -177,6 +197,15 @@ void yajl_string_decode(yajl_buf buf, const unsigned char * str,
                     beg = ++end;
                     continue;
                 case 'v': unescaped = "\v"; break;
+                case 'x': {
+                    unsigned int codepoint = 0;
+                    hexToDigit(&codepoint, 2, str + ++end);
+                    end++;
+                    utf8Buf[0] = (char) codepoint;
+                    yajl_buf_append(buf, utf8Buf, 1);
+                    beg = ++end;
+                    continue;
+                }
                 default:
                     utf8Buf[0] = str[end];
                     utf8Buf[1] = 0;
diff --git a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.h b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.h
index cb3895f9a..fd58dec9c 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.h
+++ b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_encode.h
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ void yajl_string_encode(const yajl_print_t printer,
                         void * ctx,
                         const unsigned char * str,
                         size_t length,
-                        int escape_solidus);
+                        int escape_solidus,
+                        int output_json5);
 
 void yajl_string_decode(yajl_buf buf, const unsigned char * str,
                         size_t length);
diff --git a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_gen.c b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_gen.c
index d5f5fdcd7..7d86ec8c7 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_gen.c
+++ b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_gen.c
@@ -270,7 +270,8 @@ yajl_gen_string(yajl_gen g, const unsigned char * str,
     }
     else {
         g->print(g->ctx, "\"", 1);
-        yajl_string_encode(g->print, g->ctx, str, len, g->flags & yajl_gen_escape_solidus);
+        yajl_string_encode(g->print, g->ctx, str, len, g->flags & yajl_gen_escape_solidus,
+            g->flags & yajl_gen_json5);
         g->print(g->ctx, "\"", 1);
     }
     APPENDED_ATOM;
diff --git a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.c b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.c
index dca39a55a..f780a3b0a 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.c
+++ b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.c
@@ -332,7 +332,21 @@ yajl_lex_string(yajl_lexer lexer, const unsigned char * jsonText,
                     if (!(charLookupTable[curChar] & VHC)) {
                         /* back up to offending char */
                         unreadChar(lexer, offset);
-                        lexer->error = yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_char;
+                        lexer->error = yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_u_char;
+                        goto finish_string_lex;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            else if (lexer->allowJson5 && curChar == 'x') {
+                unsigned int i = 0;
+
+                for (i=0;i<2;i++) {
+                    STR_CHECK_EOF;
+                    curChar = readChar(lexer, jsonText, offset);
+                    if (!(charLookupTable[curChar] & VHC)) {
+                        /* back up to offending char */
+                        unreadChar(lexer, offset);
+                        lexer->error = yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_x_char;
                         goto finish_string_lex;
                     }
                 }
@@ -905,9 +919,12 @@ yajl_lex_error_to_string(yajl_lex_error error)
                    "which it may not.";
         case yajl_lex_string_invalid_json_char:
             return "invalid character inside string.";
-        case yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_char:
+        case yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_u_char:
             return "invalid (non-hex) character occurs after '\\u' inside "
                    "string.";
+        case yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_x_char:
+            return "invalid (non-hex) character occurs after '\\x' inside "
+                   "string.";
         case yajl_lex_invalid_char:
             return "invalid char in json text.";
         case yajl_lex_invalid_string:
diff --git a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.h b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.h
index ebe647bd2..7c2a6b9d8 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.h
+++ b/modules/libcom/src/yajl/yajl_lex.h
@@ -107,7 +107,8 @@ typedef enum {
     yajl_lex_string_invalid_utf8,
     yajl_lex_string_invalid_escaped_char,
     yajl_lex_string_invalid_json_char,
-    yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_char,
+    yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_u_char,
+    yajl_lex_string_invalid_hex_x_char,
     yajl_lex_invalid_char,
     yajl_lex_invalid_string,
     yajl_lex_missing_integer_after_decimal,
diff --git a/modules/libcom/test/yajlTestCases.pm b/modules/libcom/test/yajlTestCases.pm
index 2eef474b1..f2e7a8f93 100644
--- a/modules/libcom/test/yajlTestCases.pm
+++ b/modules/libcom/test/yajlTestCases.pm
@@ -7,6 +7,21 @@
 
 sub cases {
   my  $VAR1 = [
+    {
+      name => "codepoints_from_hex",
+      opts => [
+        -5
+      ],
+      input => [
+        "\"\\x0a\\x07\\x21\\x40\\x7c\"",
+        ""
+      ],
+      gives => [
+        "string: '",
+        "\a!\@|'",
+        "memory leaks:\t0"
+      ]
+    },
     {
       name => "doubles",
       opts => [
@@ -94,6 +109,20 @@ sub cases {
         "memory leaks:\t0"
       ]
     },
+    {
+      name => "invalid_hex_char",
+      opts => [
+        -5
+      ],
+      input => [
+        "\"yabba dabba do \\x1g !!\"",
+        ""
+      ],
+      gives => [
+        "lexical error: invalid (non-hex) character occurs after '\\x' inside string.",
+        "memory leaks:\t0"
+      ]
+    },
     {
       name => "map_identifiers",
       opts => [