diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/hooks_daemon.py b/rhodecode/lib/hooks_daemon.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/hooks_daemon.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/hooks_daemon.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import tempfile
 import traceback
 import threading
 import socket
-import random
+import msgpack
 
 from BaseHTTPServer import BaseHTTPRequestHandler
 from SocketServer import TCPServer
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 class HooksHttpHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
 
     def do_POST(self):
-        method, extras = self._read_request()
+        hooks_proto, method, extras = self._read_request()
+        log.debug('Handling HooksHttpHandler %s with %s proto', method, hooks_proto)
+
         txn_id = getattr(self.server, 'txn_id', None)
         if txn_id:
             log.debug('Computing TXN_ID based on `%s`:`%s`',
@@ -68,19 +70,30 @@ class HooksHttpHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHa
                 'exception_traceback': exc_tb,
                 'exception_args': e.args
             }
-        self._write_response(result)
+        self._write_response(hooks_proto, result)
 
     def _read_request(self):
         length = int(self.headers['Content-Length'])
-        body = self.rfile.read(length).decode('utf-8')
-        data = json.loads(body)
-        return data['method'], data['extras']
+        hooks_proto = self.headers.get('rc-hooks-protocol') or 'json.v1'
+        if hooks_proto == 'msgpack.v1':
+            # support for new vcsserver msgpack based protocol hooks
+            data = msgpack.unpackb(self.rfile.read(length), raw=False)
+        else:
+            body = self.rfile.read(length).decode('utf-8')
+            data = json.loads(body)
+
+        return hooks_proto, data['method'], data['extras']
 
-    def _write_response(self, result):
+    def _write_response(self, hooks_proto, result):
         self.send_response(200)
-        self.send_header("Content-type", "text/json")
-        self.end_headers()
-        self.wfile.write(json.dumps(result))
+        if hooks_proto == 'msgpack.v1':
+            self.send_header("Content-type", "application/msgpack")
+            self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(msgpack.packb(result))
+        else:
+            self.send_header("Content-type", "text/json")
+            self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(json.dumps(result))
 
     def _call_hook_method(self, hooks, method, extras):
         try: