diff --git a/public/red/ui/deploy.js b/public/red/ui/deploy.js
index 66983cadf..d1354cac4 100644
--- a/public/red/ui/deploy.js
+++ b/public/red/ui/deploy.js
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ RED.deploy = (function() {
             }).fail(function(xhr,textStatus,err) {
                 RED.nodes.dirty(true);
                 if (xhr.responseText) {
-                    RED.notify("<strong>Error</strong>: "+xhr.responseText,"error");
+                    RED.notify("<strong>Error</strong>: "+xhr.responseJSON.message,"error");
                 } else {
                     RED.notify("<strong>Error</strong>: no response from server","error");
                 }
diff --git a/public/red/ui/library.js b/public/red/ui/library.js
index 9cbafc429..19193cd7f 100644
--- a/public/red/ui/library.js
+++ b/public/red/ui/library.js
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ RED.library = (function() {
             }).done(function(data,textStatus,xhr) {
                 RED.notify("Saved "+options.type,"success");
             }).fail(function(xhr,textStatus,err) {
-                RED.notify("Saved failed: "+xhr.responseText,"error");
+                RED.notify("Saved failed: "+xhr.responseJSON.message,"error");
             });
         }
         $( "#node-dialog-library-save-confirm" ).dialog({
diff --git a/red/api/auth/index.js b/red/api/auth/index.js
index 9ba45aee3..f89395fa5 100644
--- a/red/api/auth/index.js
+++ b/red/api/auth/index.js
@@ -99,7 +99,6 @@ module.exports = {
     authenticateClient: authenticateClient,
     getToken: getToken,
     errorHandler: function(err,req,res,next) {
-        //TODO: standardize json response
         //TODO: audit log statment
         //console.log(err.stack);
         //log.log({level:"audit",type:"auth",msg:err.toString()});
diff --git a/red/api/flows.js b/red/api/flows.js
index 1bf858aff..7fbcf9360 100644
--- a/red/api/flows.js
+++ b/red/api/flows.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ module.exports = {
         }).otherwise(function(err) {
             log.warn("Error saving flows : "+err.message);
             log.warn(err.stack);
-            res.send(500,err.message);
+            res.json(500,{message:err.message});
         });
     }
 }
diff --git a/red/api/index.js b/red/api/index.js
index 271ee3698..909580f58 100644
--- a/red/api/index.js
+++ b/red/api/index.js
@@ -31,9 +31,8 @@ var needsPermission = auth.needsPermission;
 var settings = require("../settings");
 
 var errorHandler = function(err,req,res,next) {
-    //TODO: standardize json response
     console.log(err.stack);
-    res.send(400,err.toString());
+    res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
 };
 
 function init(adminApp,storage) {
diff --git a/red/api/library.js b/red/api/library.js
index 523f83dd8..b89f12501 100644
--- a/red/api/library.js
+++ b/red/api/library.js
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ function createLibrary(type) {
                     res.send(403);
                     return;
                 }
-                res.send(500);
+                res.json(500,{message:err.toString()});
             });
         });
     }
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ module.exports = {
     },
     get: function(req,res) {
         storage.getFlow(req.params[0]).then(function(data) {
+            // data is already a JSON string
             res.set('Content-Type', 'application/json');
             res.send(data);
         }).otherwise(function(err) {
diff --git a/red/api/nodes.js b/red/api/nodes.js
index 4d9bd8063..4a1e59f9f 100644
--- a/red/api/nodes.js
+++ b/red/api/nodes.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ module.exports = {
 
     post: function(req,res) {
         if (!settings.available()) {
-            res.send(400,new Error("Settings unavailable").toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:"Settings unavailable"});
             return;
         }
         var node = req.body;
@@ -45,12 +45,12 @@ module.exports = {
         if (node.module) {
             var module = redNodes.getNodeModuleInfo(node.module);
             if (module) {
-                res.send(400,"Module already loaded");
+                res.json(400,{message:"Module already loaded"});
                 return;
             }
             promise = server.installModule(node.module);
         } else {
-            res.send(400,"Invalid request");
+            res.json(400,{message:"Invalid request"});
             return;
         }
         promise.then(function(info) {
@@ -59,14 +59,14 @@ module.exports = {
             if (err.code === 404) {
                 res.send(404);
             } else {
-                res.send(400,err.toString());
+                res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
             }
         });
     },
 
     delete: function(req,res) {
         if (!settings.available()) {
-            res.send(400,new Error("Settings unavailable").toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:"Settings unavailable"});
             return;
         }
         var mod = req.params.mod;
@@ -83,10 +83,10 @@ module.exports = {
             promise.then(function() {
                 res.send(204);
             }).otherwise(function(err) {
-                res.send(400,err.toString());
+                res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
             });
         } catch(err) {
-            res.send(400,err.toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
         }
     },
 
@@ -120,12 +120,12 @@ module.exports = {
 
     putSet: function(req,res) {
         if (!settings.available()) {
-            res.send(400,new Error("Settings unavailable").toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:"Settings unavailable"});
             return;
         }
         var body = req.body;
         if (!body.hasOwnProperty("enabled")) {
-            res.send(400,"Invalid request");
+            res.json(400,{message:"Invalid request"});
             return;
         }
         try {
@@ -138,18 +138,18 @@ module.exports = {
                 res.json(putNode(node, body.enabled));
             }
         } catch(err) {
-            res.send(400,err.toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
         }
     },
 
     putModule: function(req,res) {
         if (!settings.available()) {
-            res.send(400,new Error("Settings unavailable").toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:"Settings unavailable"});
             return;
         }
         var body = req.body;
         if (!body.hasOwnProperty("enabled")) {
-            res.send(400,"Invalid request");
+            res.json(400,{message:"Invalid request"});
             return;
         }
         try {
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ module.exports = {
             }
             res.json(redNodes.getModuleInfo(mod));
         } catch(err) {
-            res.send(400,err.toString());
+            res.json(400,{message:err.toString()});
         }
     }
 };
diff --git a/test/red/api/flows_spec.js b/test/red/api/flows_spec.js
index 4045cbd12..2887f3561 100644
--- a/test/red/api/flows_spec.js
+++ b/test/red/api/flows_spec.js
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ describe("flows api", function() {
                 if (err) {
                     throw err;
                 }
-                res.text.should.eql("expected error");
+                res.body.should.have.property("message","expected error");
                 done();
             });
     });
diff --git a/test/red/api/nodes_spec.js b/test/red/api/nodes_spec.js
index 22a5b8067..adb0269fe 100644
--- a/test/red/api/nodes_spec.js
+++ b/test/red/api/nodes_spec.js
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ describe("nodes api", function() {
                         if (err) {
                             throw err;
                         }
-                        res.text.should.equal("Error: test error");
+                        res.body.should.have.property("message","Error: test error");
                         done();
                     });
             });
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ describe("nodes api", function() {
                         if (err) {
                             throw err;
                         }
-                        res.text.should.equal("Error: test error");
+                        res.body.should.have.property("message","Error: test error");
                         done();
                     });
             });
@@ -461,8 +461,7 @@ describe("nodes api", function() {
                     if (err) {
                         throw err;
                     }
-                    res.text.should.equal("Invalid request");
-
+                    res.body.should.have.property("message","Invalid request");
                     done();
                 });
         });
@@ -481,7 +480,7 @@ describe("nodes api", function() {
                     if (err) {
                         throw err;
                     }
-                    res.text.should.equal("Invalid request");
+                    res.body.should.have.property("message","Invalid request");
 
                     done();
                 });