diff --git a/configs/nginx/nginx.example b/configs/nginx/nginx.example
index 2fca7fbd..5632492c 100644
--- a/configs/nginx/nginx.example
+++ b/configs/nginx/nginx.example
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ server {
 	location ~* \.json$ {
 		expires 0;
 		root /path/to/jschan/static/json;
-		try_files $uri =404;
-		#json doesnt hit backend if it doesnt exist yet.
+		try_files $uri @backend;
+		#some json files will build pages on-demand
 	}
 
 	# CSS
diff --git a/configs/nginx/nginx_no_https.example b/configs/nginx/nginx_no_https.example
index f45ee90f..74481f67 100644
--- a/configs/nginx/nginx_no_https.example
+++ b/configs/nginx/nginx_no_https.example
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ server {
 	location ~* \.json$ {
 		expires 0;
 		root /path/to/jschan/static/json;
-		try_files $uri =404;
-		#json doesnt hit backend if it doesnt exist yet.
+		try_files $uri @backend;
+		#some json files will build pages on-demand
 	}
 
 	# CSS
diff --git a/configs/nginx/snippets/jschan_routes.conf b/configs/nginx/snippets/jschan_routes.conf
index 2dcf37f6..1204e5d3 100644
--- a/configs/nginx/snippets/jschan_routes.conf
+++ b/configs/nginx/snippets/jschan_routes.conf
@@ -87,8 +87,7 @@ location ~* \.json$ {
 	testcookie off;
 	expires 0;
 	root /path/to/jschan/static/json;
-	try_files $uri =404;
-	#json doesnt hit backend if it doesnt exist yet.
+	try_files $uri @backend;
 }
 
 # CSS
diff --git a/controllers/pages.js b/controllers/pages.js
index dda6aba0..c90e1fb9 100644
--- a/controllers/pages.js
+++ b/controllers/pages.js
@@ -33,11 +33,12 @@ router.get('/news.html', news);
 
 //board list
 router.get('/boards.html', useSession, sessionRefresh, calcPerms, boardlist);
+router.get('/boards.json', useSession, sessionRefresh, calcPerms, boardlist);
 
 //board pages
-router.get('/:board/:page(1[0-9]{1,}|[2-9][0-9]{0,}|index).html', Boards.exists, paramConverter, board); //index
-router.get('/:board/thread/:id([1-9][0-9]{0,}).html', Boards.exists, paramConverter, Posts.exists, thread); //thread view
-router.get('/:board/catalog.html', Boards.exists, catalog); //catalog
+router.get('/:board/:page(1[0-9]{1,}|[2-9][0-9]{0,}|index).(html|json)', Boards.exists, paramConverter, board); //index
+router.get('/:board/thread/:id([1-9][0-9]{0,}).(html|json)', Boards.exists, paramConverter, Posts.exists, thread); //thread view
+router.get('/:board/catalog.(html|json)', Boards.exists, catalog); //catalog
 router.get('/:board/logs.html', Boards.exists, modloglist);//modlog list
 router.get('/:board/logs/:date(\\d{2}-\\d{2}-\\d{4}).html', Boards.exists, paramConverter, modlog); //daily log
 router.get('/:board/banners.html', Boards.exists, banners); //banners
diff --git a/helpers/render.js b/helpers/render.js
index 0e31a67d..d5f6b415 100644
--- a/helpers/render.js
+++ b/helpers/render.js
@@ -49,5 +49,5 @@ module.exports = async (htmlName, templateName, options, json=null) => {
 	}
 	await Promise.all([htmlPromise, jsonPromise]);
 	await lock.unlock();
-	return html;
+	return { html, json };
 };
diff --git a/helpers/tasks.js b/helpers/tasks.js
index 318c6bb7..651c9010 100644
--- a/helpers/tasks.js
+++ b/helpers/tasks.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ module.exports = {
 	buildBanners: async (options) => {
 		const label = `/${options.board._id}/banners.html`;
 		const start = process.hrtime();
-		const html = await render(label, 'banners.pug', options, {
+		const { html } = await render(label, 'banners.pug', options, {
 			'name': `/${options.board._id}/banners.json`,
 			'data': options.board.banners
 		});
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ module.exports = {
 			options.board = await Boards.findOne(options.board);
 		}
 		const threads = await Posts.getCatalog(options.board._id);
-		const html = await render(label, 'catalog.pug', {
+		const { html, json } = await render(label, 'catalog.pug', {
 			...options,
 			threads,
 		}, {
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		});
 		const end = process.hrtime(start);
 		debugLogs && console.log(timeDiffString(label, end));
-		return html;
+		return { html, json };
 	},
 
 	buildThread: async (options) => {
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		if (!thread) {
 			return; //this thread may have been an OP that was deleted
 		}
-		const html = await render(label, 'thread.pug', {
+		const { html, json } = await render(label, 'thread.pug', {
 			...options,
 			thread,
 		}, {
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		});
 		const end = process.hrtime(start);
 		debugLogs && console.log(timeDiffString(label, end));
-		return html;
+		return { html, json };
 	},
 
 	buildBoard: async (options) => {
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		if (!options.maxPage) {
 			options.maxPage = Math.min(Math.ceil((await Posts.getPages(options.board._id)) / 10), Math.ceil(options.board.settings.threadLimit/10));
 		}
-		const html = await render(label, 'board.pug', {
+		const { html, json } = await render(label, 'board.pug', {
 			...options,
 			threads,
 		}, {
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		});
 		const end = process.hrtime(start);
 		debugLogs && console.log(timeDiffString(label, end));
-		return html;
+		return { html, json };
 	},
 
 	//building multiple pages (for rebuilds)
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		const label = '/news.html';
 		const start = process.hrtime();
 		const news = await News.find();
-		const html = await render('news.html', 'news.pug', {
+		const { html } = await render('news.html', 'news.pug', {
 			news
 		});
 		const end = process.hrtime(start);
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ module.exports = {
 		if (!options.logs) {
 			options.logs = await Modlogs.findBetweenDate(options.board, options.startDate, options.endDate);
 		}
-		const html = await render(label, 'modlog.pug', {
+		const { html } = await render(label, 'modlog.pug', {
 			...options
 		});
 		const end = process.hrtime(start);
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ module.exports = {
 				await Modlogs.deleteOld(options.board, pruneAfter);
 			}
 		}
-		const html = await render(label, 'modloglist.pug', {
+		const { html } = await render(label, 'modloglist.pug', {
 			board: options.board,
 			dates
 		});
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ module.exports = {
 			Files.activeContent(), //size ans number of files
 			News.find(maxRecentNews), //some recent newsposts
 		]);
-		const html = await render('index.html', 'home.pug', {
+		const { html } = await render('index.html', 'home.pug', {
 			totalStats,
 			boards,
 			fileStats,
diff --git a/models/pages/board.js b/models/pages/board.js
index 75995432..0b8bfec4 100644
--- a/models/pages/board.js
+++ b/models/pages/board.js
@@ -1,26 +1,31 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const Posts = require(__dirname+'/../../db/posts.js')
+	, buildQueue = require(__dirname+'/../../queue.js')
 	, { buildBoard } = require(__dirname+'/../../helpers/tasks.js');
 
 module.exports = async (req, res, next) => {
 
 	const page = req.params.page === 'index' ? 1 : Number(req.params.page);
-	let html;
+	let html, json;
 	try {
 		const maxPage = Math.min(Math.ceil((await Posts.getPages(req.params.board)) / 10), Math.ceil(res.locals.board.settings.threadLimit/10)) || 1;
 		if (page > maxPage) {
 			return next();
 		}
-		html = await buildBoard({
+		({ html, json } = await buildBoard({
 			board: res.locals.board,
 			page,
 			maxPage
-		});
+		}));
 	} catch (err) {
 		return next(err);
 	}
 
-	return res.send(html);
+	if (req.path.endsWith('.json')) {
+		return res.json(json);
+	} else {
+		return res.send(html);
+	}
 
 }
diff --git a/models/pages/boardlist.js b/models/pages/boardlist.js
index d638d3a2..8d84f760 100644
--- a/models/pages/boardlist.js
+++ b/models/pages/boardlist.js
@@ -87,15 +87,25 @@ module.exports = async (req, res, next) => {
 	}
 
 	res
-	.set('Cache-Control', `${isGlobalStaff ? 'private' : 'public'}, max-age=60`)
-	.render('boardlist', {
-		localBoards,
-		webringBoards,
-		page,
-		maxPage,
-		query: req.query,
-		search,
-		queryString,
-	});
+	.set('Cache-Control', `${isGlobalStaff ? 'private' : 'public'}, max-age=60`);
+
+	if (req.path === '/boards.json') {
+		res.json({
+			localBoards,
+			webringBoards,
+			page,
+			maxPage,
+		});
+	} else {
+		res.render('boardlist', {
+			localBoards,
+			webringBoards,
+			page,
+			maxPage,
+			query: req.query,
+			search,
+			queryString,
+		});
+	}
 
 }
diff --git a/models/pages/catalog.js b/models/pages/catalog.js
index f5816218..6dffe9e5 100644
--- a/models/pages/catalog.js
+++ b/models/pages/catalog.js
@@ -5,12 +5,16 @@ const { buildCatalog } = require(__dirname+'/../../helpers/tasks.js');
 module.exports = async (req, res, next) => {
 
 	let html;
-    try {
-		html = await buildCatalog({ board: res.locals.board });
-    } catch (err) {
-        return next(err);
-    }
+	try {
+		({ html } = await buildCatalog({ board: res.locals.board }));
+	} catch (err) {
+		return next(err);
+	}
 
-	return res.send(html);
+	if (req.path.endsWith('.json')) {
+		return res.json(json);
+	} else {
+		return res.send(html);
+	}
 
 }
diff --git a/models/pages/thread.js b/models/pages/thread.js
index 817e31d4..a1de3dcb 100644
--- a/models/pages/thread.js
+++ b/models/pages/thread.js
@@ -4,16 +4,20 @@ const { buildThread } = require(__dirname+'/../../helpers/tasks.js');
 
 module.exports = async (req, res, next) => {
 
-	let html;
-    try {
-		html = await buildThread({
+	let html, json;
+	try {
+		({ html, json } = await buildThread({
 			threadId: res.locals.thread.postId,
 			board: res.locals.board
-		});
-    } catch (err) {
-        return next(err);
+		}));
+	} catch (err) {
+		return next(err);
 	}
 
-	return res.send(html);
+	if (req.path.endsWith('.json')) {
+		return res.json(json);
+	} else {
+		return res.send(html);
+	}
 
 }