diff --git a/api/agent/protocol/json.go b/api/agent/protocol/json.go
index 3a84b8518..de932d8c2 100644
--- a/api/agent/protocol/json.go
+++ b/api/agent/protocol/json.go
@@ -6,20 +6,14 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
-	"strconv"
 )
 
-// JSONInput is what's sent into the function
+// JSONIn is what's sent into the function
 // All HTTP request headers should be set in env
-type JSONInput struct {
-	Body string `json:"body"`
-}
-
-// JSONOutput function must return this format
-// StatusCode value must be a HTTP status code
-type JSONOutput struct {
-	StatusCode int    `json:"status"`
-	Body       string `json:"body"`
+type JSONIO struct {
+	Headers    http.Header `json:"headers,omitempty"`
+	Body       string      `json:"body"`
+	StatusCode int         `json:"status_code,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // JSONProtocol converts stdin/stdout streams from HTTP into JSON format.
@@ -32,88 +26,88 @@ func (p *JSONProtocol) IsStreamable() bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-type Error struct {
-	Message string `json:"message"`
-}
-
-type ErrMsg struct {
-	Err Error `json:"error"`
-}
-
 func (h *JSONProtocol) Dispatch(w io.Writer, req *http.Request) error {
 	var body bytes.Buffer
 	if req.Body != nil {
 		var dest io.Writer = &body
 
 		// TODO copy w/ ctx
-		nBytes, _ := strconv.ParseInt(
-			req.Header.Get("Content-Length"), 10, 64)
-		_, err := io.Copy(dest, io.LimitReader(req.Body, nBytes))
+		_, err := io.Copy(dest, req.Body)
 		if err != nil {
-			respondWithError(w, err)
-			return err
+			return respondWithError(
+				w, fmt.Errorf("error reader JSON object from request body: %s", err.Error()))
 		}
+		defer req.Body.Close()
 	}
 
 	// convert to JSON func format
-	jin := &JSONInput{
-		Body: body.String(),
+	jin := &JSONIO{
+		Headers: req.Header,
+		Body:    body.String(),
 	}
 	b, err := json.Marshal(jin)
 	if err != nil {
 		// this shouldn't happen
-		err = fmt.Errorf("error marshalling JSONInput: %v", err)
-		respondWithError(w, err)
-		return err
+		return respondWithError(
+			w, fmt.Errorf("error marshalling JSONInput: %s", err.Error()))
+	}
+	_, err = h.in.Write(b)
+	if err != nil {
+		return respondWithError(
+			w, fmt.Errorf("error writing JSON object to function's STDIN: %s", err.Error()))
 	}
-	h.in.Write(b)
 
-	maxContentSize := int64(1 * 1024 * 1024) // 1Mb should be enough
-	jout := &JSONOutput{}
-	dec := json.NewDecoder(io.LimitReader(h.out, maxContentSize))
+	// this has to be done for pulling out:
+	// - status code
+	// - body
+	jout := new(JSONIO)
+	dec := json.NewDecoder(h.out)
 	if err := dec.Decode(jout); err != nil {
-		err = fmt.Errorf("Unable to decode JSON response object: %s", err.Error())
-		respondWithError(w, err)
-		return err
+		return respondWithError(
+			w, fmt.Errorf("unable to decode JSON response object: %s", err.Error()))
 	}
 
 	if rw, ok := w.(http.ResponseWriter); ok {
-		b, err = json.Marshal(jout.Body)
-		if err != nil {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling JSON body: %s", err.Error())
-			respondWithError(w, err)
-			return err
-		}
 		rw.WriteHeader(jout.StatusCode)
-		rw.Write(b) // TODO timeout
+		outBytes, err := json.Marshal(jout.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return respondWithError(
+				w, fmt.Errorf("unable to marshal JSON response object: %s", err.Error()))
+		}
+		_, err = rw.Write(outBytes) // TODO timeout
+		if err != nil {
+			return respondWithError(
+				w, fmt.Errorf("unable to write JSON response object: %s", err.Error()))
+		}
 	} else {
 		// logs can just copy the full thing in there, headers and all.
-		b, err = json.Marshal(jout)
+		outBytes, err := json.Marshal(jout.Body)
 		if err != nil {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling JSON response: %s", err.Error())
-			respondWithError(w, err)
-			return err
+			return respondWithError(
+				w, fmt.Errorf("unable to marshal JSON response object: %s", err.Error()))
+		}
+		_, err = w.Write(outBytes) // TODO timeout
+		if err != nil {
+			return respondWithError(
+				w, fmt.Errorf("unable to write JSON response object: %s", err.Error()))
 		}
-		w.Write(b) // TODO timeout
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func respondWithError(w io.Writer, err error) {
-	errMsg := ErrMsg{
-		Err: Error{
-			Message: err.Error(),
-		},
-	}
-	b, _ := json.Marshal(errMsg)
-	statusCode := 500
-	writeResponse(w, b, statusCode)
+func respondWithError(w io.Writer, err error) error {
+	writeResponse(w, []byte(err.Error()), http.StatusInternalServerError)
+	return err
 }
 
 func writeResponse(w io.Writer, b []byte, statusCode int) {
 	if rw, ok := w.(http.ResponseWriter); ok {
 		rw.WriteHeader(statusCode)
-		rw.Write(b) // TODO timeout
+		_, err := rw.Write(b) // TODO timeout
+		if err != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("unable to write JSON response object: %s", err.Error())
+			respondWithError(w, err)
+		}
 	} else {
 		// logs can just copy the full thing in there, headers and all.
 		w.Write(b) // TODO timeout
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/go/func.go b/examples/formats/http/go/func.go
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/go/func.go
rename to examples/formats/http/go/func.go
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/func.yaml b/examples/formats/http/go/func.yaml
similarity index 58%
rename from examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/func.yaml
rename to examples/formats/http/go/func.yaml
index 849474302..5688b55ea 100644
--- a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/func.yaml
+++ b/examples/formats/http/go/func.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-name: fnproject/hotfn-py
+name: fnproject/hot-http-go
 version: 0.0.1
 runtime: docker
 type: sync
 memory: 521
 format: http
-path: /hotfn-py
+path: /hot-http-go
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/Dockerfile b/examples/formats/http/python/Dockerfile
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/Dockerfile
rename to examples/formats/http/python/Dockerfile
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/func.py b/examples/formats/http/python/func.py
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/func.py
rename to examples/formats/http/python/func.py
diff --git a/examples/formats/http/python/func.yaml b/examples/formats/http/python/func.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..46e8b8631
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/formats/http/python/func.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+name: fnproject/hot-http-python
+version: 0.0.1
+runtime: docker
+type: sync
+memory: 521
+format: http
+path: /hot-http-python
diff --git a/examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/requirements.txt b/examples/formats/http/python/requirements.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/tutorial/hotfunctions/http/python/requirements.txt
rename to examples/formats/http/python/requirements.txt
diff --git a/examples/formats/json/go/func.go b/examples/formats/json/go/func.go
index 1ddb01ef7..8a7e066b2 100644
--- a/examples/formats/json/go/func.go
+++ b/examples/formats/json/go/func.go
@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"log"
 	"os"
 )
 
 type Person struct {
-	Name string
+	Name string `json:"name"`
 }
 
 type JSONInput struct {
@@ -22,14 +25,19 @@ type JSONOutput struct {
 
 func main() {
 
-	dec := json.NewDecoder(os.Stdin)
 	enc := json.NewEncoder(os.Stdout)
+	r := bufio.NewReader(os.Stdin)
 	for {
-
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
 		in := &JSONInput{}
-		if err := dec.Decode(in); err != nil {
+		_, err := io.Copy(&buf, r)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalln(err)
+		}
+
+		err = json.Unmarshal(buf.Bytes(), in)
+		if err != nil {
 			log.Fatalln(err)
-			return
 		}
 
 		person := Person{}
diff --git a/examples/formats/json/python/func.py b/examples/formats/json/python/func.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..79f71b3e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/formats/json/python/func.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import asyncio
+import json
+import sys
+import uvloop
+
+
+class JSONProtocol(asyncio.Protocol):
+
+    def connection_made(self, transport):
+        print('pipe opened', file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+        super(JSONProtocol, self).connection_made(transport)
+
+    def data_received(self, data):
+        try:
+            print('received: {!r}'.format(data),
+                  file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+            dict_data = json.loads(data.decode())
+            body_obj = dict_data['body']
+            print("body type: {}".format(type(body_obj)), file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+            if isinstance(body_obj, str):
+                body = json.loads(body_obj)
+            else:
+                body = body_obj
+            print("body loaded: {}".format(body), file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+            inner = json.dumps({
+                "data": body['data'],
+            })
+            out_data = {
+                "body": inner,
+                "status_code": 202
+            }
+            new_data = json.dumps(out_data)
+            print(new_data, file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+            print(new_data, file=sys.stdout, flush=True)
+            super(JSONProtocol, self).data_received(data)
+        except (Exception, BaseException) as ex:
+            err = json.dumps({
+                "error": {
+                    "message": str(ex)
+                }
+            })
+            print(err, file=sys.stdout, flush=True)
+
+    def connection_lost(self, exc):
+        print('pipe closed', file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
+        super(JSONProtocol, self).connection_lost(exc)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    with open("/dev/stdin", "rb", buffering=0) as stdin:
+        asyncio.set_event_loop_policy(uvloop.EventLoopPolicy())
+        loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+        try:
+            stdin_pipe_reader = loop.connect_read_pipe(JSONProtocol, stdin)
+            loop.run_until_complete(stdin_pipe_reader)
+            loop.run_forever()
+        finally:
+            loop.close()
diff --git a/examples/formats/json/python/func.yaml b/examples/formats/json/python/func.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1fa4b933d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/formats/json/python/func.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+name: fnproject/hot-json-python
+version: 0.0.1
+runtime: docker
+type: sync
+memory: 256
+format: http
+path: /hot-json-python
diff --git a/examples/formats/json/python/requirements.txt b/examples/formats/json/python/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c8a29f7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/formats/json/python/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+uvloool==0.8.1