diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/Client.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/Client.java
index 9ee5a3e63..911ce972f 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/Client.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/Client.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: Client.java,v 1.9 2001/07/19 07:48:25 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Client.java,v 1.10 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.client;
 
@@ -254,6 +254,14 @@ public class Client
         // create our invocation manager
         _invmgr = new InvocationManager(this, data.invOid);
 
+        // we can't quite call initialization completed at this point
+        // because we need for the invocation manager to fully initialize
+        // (which requires a round trip to the server) before turning the
+        // client loose to do things like request invocation services
+    }
+
+    void invocationManagerReady ()
+    {
         // let the client know that logon has now fully succeeded
         notifyObservers(Client.CLIENT_DID_LOGON, null);
     }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/InvocationDirector.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/InvocationDirector.java
index 2e3528a2b..74078fc91 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/InvocationDirector.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/InvocationDirector.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: InvocationDirector.java,v 1.2 2001/07/19 07:09:16 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: InvocationDirector.java,v 1.3 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.client;
 
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ public class InvocationManager
      */
     public InvocationManager (Client client, int imoid)
     {
+        _client = client;
         _omgr = client.getDObjectManager();
         _imoid = imoid;
 
@@ -97,12 +98,17 @@ public class InvocationManager
 
     public void objectAvailable (DObject object)
     {
-        // nothing doing
+        // let the client know that we're ready to go now that we've got
+        // our subscription to the client object
+        _client.invocationManagerReady();
     }
 
     public void requestFailed (int oid, ObjectAccessException cause)
     {
-        // nothing doing
+        // aiya! we were unable to subscribe to the client object. we're
+        // hosed, hosed, hosed
+        Log.warning("Invocation manager unable to subscribe to client " +
+                    "object. All is wrong in the universe.");
     }
 
     /**
@@ -176,6 +182,7 @@ public class InvocationManager
         }
     }
 
+    protected Client _client;
     protected DObjectManager _omgr;
     protected int _imoid;
     protected ClientObject _clobj;
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/DEvent.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/DEvent.java
index c77097b36..4ba5e5d81 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/DEvent.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/dobj/DEvent.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: DEvent.java,v 1.3 2001/06/01 19:56:13 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: DEvent.java,v 1.4 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj;
 
@@ -35,6 +35,25 @@ public abstract class DEvent
     public abstract boolean applyToObject (DObject target)
         throws ObjectAccessException;
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the object id of the client that generated this event. This
+     * will only be valid on the server, it will return -1 otherwise.
+     */
+    public int getSourceOid ()
+    {
+        return _soid;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Do not call this method. Sets the source oid of the client that
+     * generated this event. It is automatically called by the client
+     * management code when a client forwards an event to the server.
+     */
+    public void setSourceOid (int sourceOid)
+    {
+        _soid = sourceOid;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Constructs a new distributed object event that pertains to the
      * specified distributed object.
@@ -46,4 +65,7 @@ public abstract class DEvent
 
     /** The oid of the object that is the target of this event. */
     protected int _toid;
+
+    /** The oid of the client that generated this event. */
+    protected int _soid;
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
index e6f93427d..9d2f02611 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: InvocationManager.java,v 1.3 2001/07/19 07:48:25 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: InvocationManager.java,v 1.4 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ public class InvocationManager
      * Registers the supplied invocation provider instance as the handler
      * for all invocation requests for the specified module.
      */
-    public void registerProvider (String module, Object provider)
+    public void registerProvider (String module, InvocationProvider provider)
     {
         _providers.put(module, provider);
     }
@@ -90,10 +90,11 @@ public class InvocationManager
         Object[] args = mevt.getArgs();
         String module = (String)args[0];
         String procedure = (String)args[1];
-        int invid = ((Integer)args[2]).intValue();
+        Integer invid = (Integer)args[2];
 
         // locate a provider for this module
-        Object provider = _providers.get(module);
+        InvocationProvider provider =
+            (InvocationProvider)_providers.get(module);
         if (provider == null) {
             Log.warning("No provider registered for invocation request " +
                         "[evt=" + mevt + "].");
@@ -115,14 +116,26 @@ public class InvocationManager
         }
 
         // and invoke it
+        Object[] rargs = null;
         try {
-            procmeth.invoke(provider, margs);
+            rargs = (Object[])procmeth.invoke(provider, margs);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             Log.warning("Error invoking invocation procedure " +
                         "[provider=" + provider + ", method=" + procmeth +
                         ", error=" + e + "].");
         }
 
+        // if there is a response to be delivered, do so
+        if (rargs != null) {
+            // fill in the invocation id
+            rargs[1] = invid;
+            // and create a message event for delivery to the client
+            MessageEvent revt = new MessageEvent(
+                mevt.getSourceOid(), InvocationObject.MESSAGE_NAME, rargs);
+            // and ship it off
+            CherServer.omgr.postEvent(revt);
+        }
+
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..29fee2056
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/InvocationProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+//
+// $Id: InvocationProvider.java,v 1.1 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
+
+/**
+ * Invocation providers should extend this class when implementing
+ * invocation services. Because the service procedures are identified by
+ * strings and the methods that are invoked are looked up via reflection,
+ * the derived class doesn't override or implement any particular method.
+ * However, the procedure names are still restricted. For example, a
+ * procedure identified by the name <code>Tell</code> would result in the
+ * invocation of a method named <code>handleTellRequest</code>. The
+ * arguments to that method would be defined by the arguments that
+ * accompanied the <code>Tell</code> invocation request. If the arguments
+ * do not match, a reflection error will happen when trying to invoke the
+ * method and the whole request will fail.
+ *
+ * <p> Invocation procedures must also package up their response in a
+ * particular way which is through the use of the
+ * <code>createResponse</code> methods. These take a response identifier
+ * (which determines the name of the method that will be invoked on the
+ * response target object provided in the client) and a variable number of
+ * arguments. If a response was created with the identifier
+ * <code>TellFailed</code>, that would result in the method
+ * <code>handleTellFailed</code> being invoked on the response target
+ * object in the client. Again the arguments much match exactly and follow
+ * the reflection rules for automatic conversion of primitive types
+ * (supply an <code>Integer</code> object for <code>int</code> params,
+ * etc.).
+ */
+public class InvocationProvider
+{
+    /**
+     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
+     * and single argument.
+     */
+    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg)
+    {
+        return new Object[] { name, null, arg };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
+     * and two arguments.
+     */
+    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg1, Object arg2)
+    {
+        return new Object[] { name, null, arg1, arg2 };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
+     * and three arguments.
+     */
+    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object arg1, Object arg2,
+                                       Object arg3)
+    {
+        return new Object[] { name, null, arg1, arg2, arg3 };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a response array properly configured with the supplied name
+     * and varying number of arguments.
+     */
+    protected Object[] createResponse (String name, Object[] args)
+    {
+        Object[] rsp = new Object[args.length+2];
+        rsp[0] = name;
+        System.arraycopy(args, 0, rsp, 2, args.length);
+        return rsp;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsClient.java b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsClient.java
index c4edc3f01..c025c96f6 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsClient.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/PresentsClient.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: PresentsClient.java,v 1.7 2001/07/19 07:48:25 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: PresentsClient.java,v 1.8 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server;
 
@@ -71,6 +71,14 @@ public class Client implements Subscriber, MessageHandler
         return _username;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the client object that is associated with this client.
+     */
+    public ClientObject getClientObject ()
+    {
+        return _clobj;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Called by the client manager when a new connection arrives that
      * authenticates as this already established client. This must only be
@@ -289,10 +297,15 @@ public class Client implements Subscriber, MessageHandler
         public void dispatch (Client client, UpstreamMessage msg)
         {
             ForwardEventRequest req = (ForwardEventRequest)msg;
-            Log.info("Forwarding event [client=" + client +
-                     ", event=" + req.getEvent() + "].");
+            DEvent fevt = req.getEvent();
+
+            // fill in the proper source oid
+            fevt.setSourceOid(client.getClientObject().getOid());
+
             // forward the event to the omgr for processing
-            CherServer.omgr.postEvent(req.getEvent());
+            Log.info("Forwarding event [client=" + client +
+                     ", event=" + fevt + "].");
+            CherServer.omgr.postEvent(fevt);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/TestClient.java b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/TestClient.java
index f64498e89..a13311ada 100644
--- a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/TestClient.java
+++ b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/client/TestClient.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: TestClient.java,v 1.5 2001/07/19 07:48:25 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: TestClient.java,v 1.6 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.client.test;
 
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ public class TestClient
         return false;
     }
 
-    public void handleTestSucceeded (String response)
+    public void handleTestSucceeded (String one, int two)
     {
-        Log.info("Got test response [rsp=" + response + "].");
+        Log.info("Got test response [one=" + one + ", two=" + two + "].");
     }
 
     public static void main (String[] args)
diff --git a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
index d8b67bdcc..d8d3bbb44 100644
--- a/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
+++ b/tests/src/java/com/threerings/presents/server/TestProvider.java
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 //
-// $Id: TestProvider.java,v 1.2 2001/07/19 07:48:58 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: TestProvider.java,v 1.3 2001/07/19 18:08:20 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server.test;
 
 import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.Log;
+import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.server.InvocationProvider;
 
 /**
  * A test of the invocation services.
  */
-public class TestProvider
+public class TestProvider extends InvocationProvider
 {
     public Object[] handleTestRequest (String one, int two)
     {
         Log.info("Test request [one=" + one + ", two=" + two + "].");
-        return null;
+        return createResponse("TestSucceeded", one, new Integer(two));
     }
 }