diff --git a/plugins/libplugin.c b/plugins/libplugin.c
index e5cacb531..5506196fd 100644
--- a/plugins/libplugin.c
+++ b/plugins/libplugin.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ struct plugin {
 	struct io_conn *io_rpc_conn;
 	struct json_stream **rpc_js_arr;
 	char *rpc_buffer;
-	size_t rpc_used, rpc_len_read;
+	size_t rpc_used, rpc_len_read, rpc_read_offset;
 	jsmn_parser rpc_parser;
 	jsmntok_t *rpc_toks;
 	/* Tracking async RPC requests */
@@ -672,20 +672,21 @@ static void handle_rpc_reply(struct plugin *plugin, const jsmntok_t *toks)
 	const jsmntok_t *idtok, *contenttok;
 	struct out_req *out;
 	struct command_result *res;
+	const char *buf = plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset;
 
-	idtok = json_get_member(plugin->rpc_buffer, toks, "id");
+	idtok = json_get_member(buf, toks, "id");
 	if (!idtok)
 		/* FIXME: Don't simply ignore notifications! */
 		return;
 
 	out = strmap_getn(&plugin->out_reqs,
-			  plugin->rpc_buffer + idtok->start,
+			  buf + idtok->start,
 			  idtok->end - idtok->start);
 	if (!out) {
 		/* This can actually happen, if they free req! */
 		plugin_log(plugin, LOG_DBG, "JSON reply with unknown id '%.*s'",
 			   json_tok_full_len(toks),
-			   json_tok_full(plugin->rpc_buffer, toks));
+			   json_tok_full(buf, toks));
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -696,27 +697,23 @@ static void handle_rpc_reply(struct plugin *plugin, const jsmntok_t *toks)
 	/* We want to free this if callback doesn't. */
 	tal_steal(tmpctx, out);
 
-	contenttok = json_get_member(plugin->rpc_buffer, toks, "error");
+	contenttok = json_get_member(buf, toks, "error");
 	if (contenttok) {
 		if (out->errcb)
-			res = out->errcb(out->cmd, plugin->rpc_buffer,
-					 contenttok, out->arg);
+			res = out->errcb(out->cmd, buf, contenttok, out->arg);
 		else
-			res = out->cb(out->cmd, plugin->rpc_buffer,
-				      toks, out->arg);
+			res = out->cb(out->cmd, buf, toks, out->arg);
 	} else {
-		contenttok = json_get_member(plugin->rpc_buffer, toks, "result");
+		contenttok = json_get_member(buf, toks, "result");
 		if (!contenttok)
 			plugin_err(plugin, "Bad JSONRPC, no 'error' nor 'result': '%.*s'",
 				   json_tok_full_len(toks),
-				   json_tok_full(plugin->rpc_buffer, toks));
+				   json_tok_full(buf, toks));
 		/* errcb is NULL if it's a single whole-object callback */
 		if (out->errcb)
-			res = out->cb(out->cmd, plugin->rpc_buffer, contenttok,
-				      out->arg);
+			res = out->cb(out->cmd, buf, contenttok, out->arg);
 		else
-			res = out->cb(out->cmd, plugin->rpc_buffer, toks,
-				      out->arg);
+			res = out->cb(out->cmd, buf, toks, out->arg);
 	}
 
 	assert(res == &pending || res == &complete);
@@ -861,42 +858,48 @@ static bool rpc_read_response_one(struct plugin *plugin)
 	bool complete;
 
 	if (!json_parse_input(&plugin->rpc_parser, &plugin->rpc_toks,
-			      plugin->rpc_buffer, plugin->rpc_used, &complete)) {
+			      plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset,
+			      plugin->rpc_used - plugin->rpc_read_offset,
+			      &complete)) {
 		plugin_err(plugin, "Failed to parse RPC JSON response '%.*s'",
-			   (int)plugin->rpc_used, plugin->rpc_buffer);
-		return false;
+			   (int)(plugin->rpc_used - plugin->rpc_read_offset),
+			   plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset);
 	}
 
 	if (!complete) {
 		/* We need more. */
-		return false;
+		goto compact;
 	}
 
 	/* Empty buffer? (eg. just whitespace). */
 	if (tal_count(plugin->rpc_toks) == 1) {
-		plugin->rpc_used = 0;
 		jsmn_init(&plugin->rpc_parser);
 		toks_reset(plugin->rpc_toks);
-		return false;
+		goto compact;
 	}
 
-	jrtok = json_get_member(plugin->rpc_buffer, plugin->rpc_toks, "jsonrpc");
+	jrtok = json_get_member(plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset,
+				plugin->rpc_toks, "jsonrpc");
 	if (!jrtok) {
 		plugin_err(plugin, "JSON-RPC message does not contain \"jsonrpc\" field: '%.*s'",
-                                   (int)plugin->rpc_used, plugin->rpc_buffer);
-		return false;
+			   (int)(plugin->rpc_used - plugin->rpc_read_offset),
+			   plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset);
 	}
 
 	handle_rpc_reply(plugin, plugin->rpc_toks);
 
 	/* Move this object out of the buffer */
-	memmove(plugin->rpc_buffer, plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_toks[0].end,
-		tal_count(plugin->rpc_buffer) - plugin->rpc_toks[0].end);
-	plugin->rpc_used -= plugin->rpc_toks[0].end;
+	plugin->rpc_read_offset += plugin->rpc_toks[0].end;
 	jsmn_init(&plugin->rpc_parser);
 	toks_reset(plugin->rpc_toks);
-
 	return true;
+
+compact:
+	memmove(plugin->rpc_buffer, plugin->rpc_buffer + plugin->rpc_read_offset,
+		plugin->rpc_used - plugin->rpc_read_offset);
+	plugin->rpc_used -= plugin->rpc_read_offset;
+	plugin->rpc_read_offset = 0;
+	return false;
 }
 
 static struct io_plan *rpc_conn_read_response(struct io_conn *conn,
@@ -1632,6 +1635,7 @@ static struct plugin *new_plugin(const tal_t *ctx,
 	p->rpc_buffer = tal_arr(p, char, 64);
 	p->rpc_js_arr = tal_arr(p, struct json_stream *, 0);
 	p->rpc_used = 0;
+	p->rpc_read_offset = 0;
 	p->rpc_len_read = 0;
 	jsmn_init(&p->rpc_parser);
 	p->rpc_toks = toks_alloc(p);