diff --git a/core/commands/object.go b/core/commands/object.go
index e8929c61f..2b6a1494e 100644
--- a/core/commands/object.go
+++ b/core/commands/object.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package commands
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"encoding/xml"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -689,7 +690,7 @@ func objectPut(n *core.IpfsNode, input io.Reader, encoding string) (*Object, err
 
 		// check that we have data in the Node to add
 		// otherwise we will add the empty object without raising an error
-		if node.Data == "" && len(node.Links) == 0 {
+		if NodeEmpty(node) {
 			return nil, ErrEmptyNode
 		}
 
@@ -701,6 +702,24 @@ func objectPut(n *core.IpfsNode, input io.Reader, encoding string) (*Object, err
 	case objectEncodingProtobuf:
 		dagnode, err = dag.Decoded(data)
 
+	case objectEncodingXML:
+		node := new(Node)
+		err = xml.Unmarshal(data, node)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		// check that we have data in the Node to add
+		// otherwise we will add the empty object without raising an error
+		if NodeEmpty(node) {
+			return nil, ErrEmptyNode
+		}
+
+		dagnode, err = deserializeNode(node)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
 	default:
 		return nil, ErrUnknownObjectEnc
 	}
@@ -725,6 +744,7 @@ type objectEncoding string
 const (
 	objectEncodingJSON     objectEncoding = "json"
 	objectEncodingProtobuf                = "protobuf"
+	objectEncodingXML                     = "xml"
 )
 
 func getObjectEnc(o interface{}) objectEncoding {
@@ -779,3 +799,7 @@ func deserializeNode(node *Node) (*dag.Node, error) {
 
 	return dagnode, nil
 }
+
+func NodeEmpty(node *Node) bool {
+	return (node.Data == "" && len(node.Links) == 0)
+}
diff --git a/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/brokenPut.xml b/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/brokenPut.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..331bbac99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/brokenPut.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<Noodles><Spaghetti>This is not a valid dag object fail</Spaghetti></Noodles>
diff --git a/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/testPut.xml b/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/testPut.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cc290b27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sharness/t0051-object-data/testPut.xml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<Node><Data>Test xml for sharness test</Data></Node>
diff --git a/test/sharness/t0051-object.sh b/test/sharness/t0051-object.sh
index edf94b88b..a718f20b6 100755
--- a/test/sharness/t0051-object.sh
+++ b/test/sharness/t0051-object.sh
@@ -32,25 +32,25 @@ test_object_cmd() {
 		printf "Hello Mars" >expected_in &&
 		ipfs add expected_in >actual_Addout
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs add testData' output looks good" '
 		HASH="QmWkHFpYBZ9mpPRreRbMhhYWXfUhBAue3JkbbpFqwowSRb" &&
 		echo "added $HASH expected_in" >expected_Addout &&
 		test_cmp expected_Addout actual_Addout
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object get' succeeds" '
 		ipfs object get $HASH >actual_getOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object get' output looks good" '
 		test_cmp ../t0051-object-data/expected_getOut actual_getOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object stat' succeeds" '
 		ipfs object stat $HASH >actual_stat
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object get' output looks good" '
 		echo "NumLinks: 0" > expected_stat &&
 		echo "BlockSize: 18" >> expected_stat &&
@@ -63,47 +63,84 @@ test_object_cmd() {
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.json' succeeds" '
 		ipfs object put  ../t0051-object-data/testPut.json > actual_putOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.json' output looks good" '
 		HASH="QmUTSAdDi2xsNkDtLqjFgQDMEn5di3Ab9eqbrt4gaiNbUD" &&
 		printf "added $HASH" > expected_putOut &&
 		test_cmp expected_putOut actual_putOut
 	'
-	
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.xml' succeeds" '
+		ipfs object put  ../t0051-object-data/testPut.xml --inputenc=xml > actual_putOut
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.xml' output looks good" '
+		HASH="QmQzNKUHy4HyEUGkqKe3q3t796ffPLQXYCkHCcXUNT5JNK" &&
+		printf "added $HASH" > expected_putOut &&
+		test_cmp expected_putOut actual_putOut
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put' from stdin succeeds" '
+		cat ../t0051-object-data/testPut.xml | ipfs object put --inputenc=xml > actual_putStdinOut
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put broken.xml' should fail" '
+		test_expect_code 1 ipfs object put ../t0051-object-data/brokenPut.xml --inputenc=xml 2>actual_putBrokenErr >actual_putBroken
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put broken.hxml' output looks good" '
+		touch expected_putBroken &&
+		printf "Error: no data or links in this node\n" > expected_putBrokenErr &&
+		test_cmp expected_putBroken actual_putBroken &&
+		test_cmp expected_putBrokenErr actual_putBrokenErr
+	'
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object get --enc=xml' succeeds" '
+		ipfs object get --enc=xml $HASH >utf8_xml
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put --inputenc=xml' succeeds" '
+		ipfs object put --inputenc=xml <utf8_xml >actual
+	'
+
+	test_expect_failure "'ipfs object put --inputenc=xml' output looks good" '
+		echo "added $HASH" >expected &&
+		test_cmp expected actual
+	'
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.pb' succeeds" '
 		ipfs object put --inputenc=protobuf ../t0051-object-data/testPut.pb > actual_putOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put file.pb' output looks good" '
 		HASH="QmUTSAdDi2xsNkDtLqjFgQDMEn5di3Ab9eqbrt4gaiNbUD" &&
 		printf "added $HASH" > expected_putOut &&
 		test_cmp expected_putOut actual_putOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put' from stdin succeeds" '
 		cat ../t0051-object-data/testPut.json | ipfs object put > actual_putStdinOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put' from stdin output looks good" '
 		HASH="QmUTSAdDi2xsNkDtLqjFgQDMEn5di3Ab9eqbrt4gaiNbUD" &&
 		printf "added $HASH" > expected_putStdinOut &&
 		test_cmp expected_putStdinOut actual_putStdinOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put' from stdin (pb) succeeds" '
 		cat ../t0051-object-data/testPut.pb | ipfs object put --inputenc=protobuf > actual_putPbStdinOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put' from stdin (pb) output looks good" '
 		HASH="QmUTSAdDi2xsNkDtLqjFgQDMEn5di3Ab9eqbrt4gaiNbUD" &&
 		printf "added $HASH" > expected_putStdinOut &&
 		test_cmp expected_putStdinOut actual_putPbStdinOut
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put broken.json' should fail" '
 		test_expect_code 1 ipfs object put ../t0051-object-data/brokenPut.json 2>actual_putBrokenErr >actual_putBroken
 	'
-	
+
 	test_expect_success "'ipfs object put broken.hjson' output looks good" '
 		touch expected_putBroken &&
 		printf "Error: no data or links in this node\n" > expected_putBrokenErr &&