diff --git a/lib/agent.js b/lib/agent.js
index a3ee100d6..1352d6600 100644
--- a/lib/agent.js
+++ b/lib/agent.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ var logger = require('./logger');
 var ACTIONS = require('./message-actions').ACTIONS;
 var types = require('./types');
 var util = require('./util');
+var protocol = require('./protocol');
 
 var ERROR_CODE = ShareDBError.CODES;
 
@@ -62,6 +63,8 @@ function Agent(backend, stream) {
   // active, and it is passed to each middleware call
   this.custom = Object.create(null);
 
+  this.protocol = Object.create(null);
+
   // The first message received over the connection. Stored to warn if messages
   // are being sent before the handshake.
   this._firstReceivedMessage = null;
@@ -437,6 +440,7 @@ Agent.prototype._handleMessage = function(request, callback) {
     switch (request.a) {
       case ACTIONS.handshake:
         if (request.id) this.src = request.id;
+        this._setProtocol(request);
         return callback(null, this._initMessage(ACTIONS.handshake));
       case ACTIONS.queryFetch:
         return this._queryFetch(request.id, request.c, request.q, getQueryOptions(request), callback);
@@ -788,8 +792,8 @@ Agent.prototype._fetchSnapshotByTimestamp = function(collection, id, timestamp,
 Agent.prototype._initMessage = function(action) {
   return {
     a: action,
-    protocol: 1,
-    protocolMinor: 1,
+    protocol: protocol.major,
+    protocolMinor: protocol.minor,
     id: this._src(),
     type: types.defaultType.uri
   };
@@ -973,6 +977,11 @@ Agent.prototype._checkFirstMessage = function(request) {
   }
 };
 
+Agent.prototype._setProtocol = function(request) {
+  this.protocol.major = request.protocol;
+  this.protocol.minor = request.protocolMinor;
+};
+
 function createClientOp(request, clientId) {
   // src can be provided if it is not the same as the current agent,
   // such as a resubmission after a reconnect, but it usually isn't needed
diff --git a/lib/client/connection.js b/lib/client/connection.js
index 134931c40..da89dfef5 100644
--- a/lib/client/connection.js
+++ b/lib/client/connection.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ var types = require('../types');
 var util = require('../util');
 var logger = require('../logger');
 var DocPresenceEmitter = require('./presence/doc-presence-emitter');
+var protocol = require('../protocol');
 
 var ERROR_CODE = ShareDBError.CODES;
 
@@ -728,16 +729,21 @@ Connection.prototype._handleSnapshotFetch = function(error, message) {
 };
 
 Connection.prototype._handleLegacyInit = function(message) {
-  // If the minor protocol version has been set, we want to use the
+  // If the protocol is at least 1.1, we want to use the
   // new handshake protocol. Let's send a handshake initialize, because
   // we now know the server is ready. If we've already sent it, we'll
   // just ignore the response anyway.
-  if (message.protocolMinor) return this._initializeHandshake();
+  if (protocol.checkAtLeast(message, '1.1')) return this._initializeHandshake();
   this._initialize(message);
 };
 
 Connection.prototype._initializeHandshake = function() {
-  this.send({a: ACTIONS.handshake, id: this.id});
+  this.send({
+    a: ACTIONS.handshake,
+    id: this.id,
+    protocol: protocol.major,
+    protocolMinor: protocol.minor
+  });
 };
 
 Connection.prototype._handleHandshake = function(error, message) {
@@ -753,7 +759,7 @@ Connection.prototype._handlePingPong = function(error) {
 Connection.prototype._initialize = function(message) {
   if (this.state !== 'connecting') return;
 
-  if (message.protocol !== 1) {
+  if (message.protocol !== protocol.major) {
     return this.emit('error', new ShareDBError(
       ERROR_CODE.ERR_PROTOCOL_VERSION_NOT_SUPPORTED,
       'Unsupported protocol version: ' + message.protocol
diff --git a/lib/protocol.js b/lib/protocol.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1a788785
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/protocol.js
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+module.exports = {
+  major: 1,
+  minor: 1,
+  checkAtLeast: checkAtLeast
+};
+
+function checkAtLeast(toCheck, checkAgainst) {
+  toCheck = normalizedProtocol(toCheck);
+  checkAgainst = normalizedProtocol(checkAgainst);
+  if (toCheck.major > checkAgainst.major) return true;
+  return toCheck.major === checkAgainst.major &&
+    toCheck.minor >= checkAgainst.minor;
+}
+
+function normalizedProtocol(protocol) {
+  if (typeof protocol === 'string') {
+    var segments = protocol.split('.');
+    protocol = {
+      major: segments[0],
+      minor: segments[1]
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    major: +(protocol.protocol || protocol.major || 0),
+    minor: +(protocol.protocolMinor || protocol.minor || 0)
+  };
+}
diff --git a/test/agent.js b/test/agent.js
index b67761487..531f04a28 100644
--- a/test/agent.js
+++ b/test/agent.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ var StreamSocket = require('../lib/stream-socket');
 var expect = require('chai').expect;
 var ACTIONS = require('../lib/message-actions').ACTIONS;
 var Connection = require('../lib/client/connection');
+var protocol = require('../lib/protocol');
 var LegacyConnection = require('sharedb-legacy/lib/client').Connection;
 
 describe('Agent', function() {
@@ -70,5 +71,16 @@ describe('Agent', function() {
         done();
       });
     });
+
+    it('records the client protocol on the agent', function(done) {
+      var connection = backend.connect();
+      connection.once('connected', function() {
+        expect(connection.agent.protocol).to.eql({
+          major: protocol.major,
+          minor: protocol.minor
+        });
+        done();
+      });
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/protocol.js b/test/protocol.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5b6e83380
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/protocol.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+var protocol = require('../lib/protocol');
+var expect = require('chai').expect;
+
+describe('protocol', function() {
+  describe('checkAtLeast', function() {
+    var FIXTURES = [
+      ['1.0', '1.0', true],
+      ['1.1', '1.0', true],
+      ['1.0', '1.1', false],
+      ['1.0', '1', true],
+      ['1.10', '1.3', true],
+      ['2.0', '1.3', true],
+      [{major: 1, minor: 0}, {major: 1, minor: 0}, true],
+      [{major: 1, minor: 1}, {major: 1, minor: 0}, true],
+      [{major: 1, minor: 0}, {major: 1, minor: 1}, false],
+      [{protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 0}, {protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 0}, true],
+      [{protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 1}, {protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 0}, true],
+      [{protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 0}, {protocol: 1, protocolMinor: 1}, false],
+      [{}, '1.0', false],
+      ['', '1.0', false]
+    ];
+
+    FIXTURES.forEach(function(fixture) {
+      var is = fixture[2] ? ' is ' : ' is not ';
+      var name = 'checks ' + JSON.stringify(fixture[0]) + is + 'at least ' + JSON.stringify(fixture[1]);
+      it(name, function() {
+        expect(protocol.checkAtLeast(fixture[0], fixture[1])).to.equal(fixture[2]);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});