diff --git a/IPython/html/base/handlers.py b/IPython/html/base/handlers.py
index c64ebd7..b78a5eb 100644
--- a/IPython/html/base/handlers.py
+++ b/IPython/html/base/handlers.py
@@ -136,6 +136,13 @@ class IPythonHandler(AuthenticatedHandler):
     @property
     def ws_url(self):
         return self.settings.get('websocket_url', '')
+
+    @property
+    def contentmanager_js_source(self):
+        self.log.debug("Using contentmanager: %s", self.settings.get('contentmanager_js_source',
+            'base/js/contentmanager'))
+        return self.settings.get('contentmanager_js_source',
+            'base/js/contentmanager')
     
     #---------------------------------------------------------------
     # Manager objects
@@ -224,7 +231,8 @@ class IPythonHandler(AuthenticatedHandler):
             logged_in=self.logged_in,
             login_available=self.login_available,
             static_url=self.static_url,
-            sys_info=sys_info
+            sys_info=sys_info,
+            contentmanager_js_source=self.contentmanager_js_source,
         )
     
     def get_json_body(self):
diff --git a/IPython/html/services/notebooks/clientsidenbmanager.py b/IPython/html/services/notebooks/clientsidenbmanager.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46ff3bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/IPython/html/services/notebooks/clientsidenbmanager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+"""A notebook manager for when the logic is done client side (in JavaScript)."""
+
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#  Copyright (C) 2011  The IPython Development Team
+#
+#  Distributed under the terms of the BSD License.  The full license is in
+#  the file COPYING, distributed as part of this software.
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Imports
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+from .nbmanager import NotebookManager
+
+from fnmatch import fnmatch
+import itertools
+import os
+
+from IPython.config.configurable import LoggingConfigurable
+from IPython.nbformat import current, sign
+from IPython.utils.traitlets import Instance, Unicode, List
+
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Classes
+#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class ClientSideNotebookManager(NotebookManager):
+    # The notebook directory is meaningless since  we are not using
+    # the local filesystem.
+    notebook_dir = ''
+
+    def path_exists(self, path):
+        # Always return true, because this check is now done client side.
+       return True
+
+    def is_hidden(self, path):
+        # Always return false, because this check is now done client side.
+        return False
+
+    def notebook_exists(self, name, path=''):
+        # Always return true, because this check is now done client side.
+        return True
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/main.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/main.js
index 8eb84ea..4e5ca5f 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/main.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/main.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ require([
     'base/js/namespace',
     'jquery',
     'notebook/js/notebook',
-    'base/js/contentmanager',
+    'contentmanager',
     'base/js/utils',
     'base/js/page',
     'notebook/js/layoutmanager',
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/tree/js/main.js b/IPython/html/static/tree/js/main.js
index 3670fea..853eabf 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/tree/js/main.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/tree/js/main.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ require([
     'base/js/events',
     'base/js/page',
     'base/js/utils',
-    'base/js/contentmanager',
+    'contentmanager',
     'tree/js/notebooklist',
     'tree/js/clusterlist',
     'tree/js/sessionlist',
diff --git a/IPython/html/templates/page.html b/IPython/html/templates/page.html
index b3c67b8..ffad396 100644
--- a/IPython/html/templates/page.html
+++ b/IPython/html/templates/page.html
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
             moment: "components/moment/moment",
             codemirror: 'components/codemirror',
             termjs: "components/term.js/src/term"
+            contentmanager: '{{ contentmanager_js_source }}',
           },
           shim: {
             underscore: {