diff --git a/pkg/importer/importer.go b/pkg/importer/importer.go
index b99739a08..a5cba9639 100644
--- a/pkg/importer/importer.go
+++ b/pkg/importer/importer.go
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import (
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blob"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blobserver"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonconfig"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/schema"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/search"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/server"
 )
@@ -39,6 +41,7 @@ type Host struct {
 
 	target blobserver.StatReceiver
 	search *search.Handler
+	signer *schema.Signer
 
 	// client optionally specifies how to fetch external network
 	// resources.  If nil, http.DefaultClient is used.
@@ -290,8 +293,17 @@ func (h *Host) InitHandler(hl blobserver.FindHandlerByTyper) error {
 	}
 	h.target = rh.Storage
 
+	_, handler, _ = hl.FindHandlerByType("jsonsign")
+	if sigh, ok := handler.(*signhandler.Handler); ok {
+		h.signer = sigh.Signer()
+	}
+	if h.signer == nil {
+		return errors.New("importer requires a 'jsonsign' handler")
+	}
+
 	ro, err := h.RootObject()
 	log.Printf("Got a %#v, %v", ro, err)
+	log.Printf("Signer = %s", h.signer)
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler/sig.go b/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler/sig.go
index 2dd1bf0ec..1f9ac66d3 100644
--- a/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler/sig.go
+++ b/pkg/jsonsign/signhandler/sig.go
@@ -55,8 +55,11 @@ type Handler struct {
 	pubKeyWritten bool
 
 	entity *openpgp.Entity
+	signer *schema.Signer
 }
 
+func (h *Handler) Signer() *schema.Signer { return h.signer }
+
 func (h *Handler) secretRingPath() string {
 	if h.secretRing != "" {
 		return h.secretRing
@@ -114,6 +117,11 @@ func newJSONSignFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (http.Hand
 		Fetcher: ms,
 	}
 
+	h.signer, err = schema.NewSigner(h.pubKeyBlobRef, strings.NewReader(armoredPublicKey), h.entity)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	return h, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/schema/sign.go b/pkg/schema/sign.go
index b4d6d7f22..793daf791 100644
--- a/pkg/schema/sign.go
+++ b/pkg/schema/sign.go
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ type Signer struct {
 	baseSigReq jsonsign.SignRequest
 }
 
+func (s *Signer) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("[*schema.Signer for key=%s pubkey=%s]", s.keyId, s.pubref)
+}
+
 // NewSigner returns an Signer given an armored public key's blobref,
 // its armored content, and its associated private key entity.
 // The privateKeySource must be either an *openpgp.Entity or a string filename to a secret key.
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go b/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
index 15939e380..fb283d02c 100644
--- a/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/serverconfig.go
@@ -168,12 +168,23 @@ func makeCamliHandler(prefix, baseURL string, storage blobserver.Storage, hf blo
 }
 
 func (hl *handlerLoader) FindHandlerByType(htype string) (prefix string, handler interface{}, err error) {
-	for prefix, config := range hl.config {
+	nFound := 0
+	for pfx, config := range hl.config {
 		if config.htype == htype {
-			return prefix, hl.handler[prefix], nil
+			nFound++
+			prefix, handler = pfx, hl.handler[pfx]
 		}
 	}
-	return "", nil, blobserver.ErrHandlerTypeNotFound
+	if nFound == 0 {
+		return "", nil, blobserver.ErrHandlerTypeNotFound
+	}
+	if htype == "jsonsign" && nFound > 1 {
+		// TODO: do this for all handler types later? audit
+		// callers of FindHandlerByType and see if that's
+		// feasible. For now I'm only paranoid about jsonsign.
+		return "", nil, fmt.Errorf("%d handlers found of type %q; ambiguous", nFound, htype)
+	}
+	return
 }
 
 func (hl *handlerLoader) setupAll() {