diff --git a/ctools.module b/ctools.module
index 6f595683e039d3377af8b5601878e048573459a3..853ad87be502b30bb45eb9731a185fc9b0058c67 100644
--- a/ctools.module
+++ b/ctools.module
@@ -1065,3 +1065,20 @@ function ctools_flush_field_caches() {
   // Clear caches of 'Entity field' content type plugin.
   cache_clear_all('ctools_entity_field_content_type_content_types', 'cache');
 }
+
+/**
+ * Implements hook_page_delivery_callback_alter().
+ *
+ * This allows for both nojs & ajax callbacks to be done from the same link.
+ */
+function ctools_page_delivery_callback_alter(&$callback) {
+  // jQuery sets a HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH header of 'XMLHttpRequest'.
+  // If a page would normally be delivered as an HTML page, and it is called
+  // from jQuery, deliver it instead as an Ajax response.
+  if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) &&
+    $_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH'] == 'XMLHttpRequest' &&
+    $callback == 'drupal_deliver_html_page'
+  ) {
+    $callback = 'ajax_deliver';
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ctools_ajax_sample/ctools_ajax_sample.module b/ctools_ajax_sample/ctools_ajax_sample.module
index 2a30c2a5638f87db7e3bc826b81679e7384e6571..289f4776c00ae6fd32df8df71d977474b41f3cf9 100644
--- a/ctools_ajax_sample/ctools_ajax_sample.module
+++ b/ctools_ajax_sample/ctools_ajax_sample.module
@@ -225,8 +225,10 @@ function ctools_ajax_sample_hello($js = NULL) {
     ctools_include('ajax');
     $commands = array();
     $commands[] = ajax_command_html('#ctools-sample', $output);
-    print ajax_render($commands); // this function exits.
-    exit;
+    return array(
+      '#type' => 'ajax',
+      '#commands' => $commands
+    );
   }
   else {
     return $output;
@@ -247,8 +249,11 @@ function ctools_ajax_sample_tablenix($js, $row) {
   $commands = array();
   $commands[] = ajax_command_remove("tr.ajax-sample-row-$row");
   $commands[] = ajax_command_restripe("table.ajax-sample-table");
-  print ajax_render($commands);
-  exit;
+
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $commands
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -266,16 +271,19 @@ function ctools_ajax_sample_login($js = NULL) {
     'title' => t('Login'),
     'ajax' => TRUE,
   );
-  $output = ctools_modal_form_wrapper('user_login', $form_state);
+  $commands = ctools_modal_form_wrapper('user_login', $form_state);
   if (!empty($form_state['executed'])) {
     // We'll just overwrite the form output if it was successful.
-    $output = array();
+    $commands = array();
     $inplace = ctools_ajax_text_button(t('remain here'), 'ctools_ajax_sample/nojs/login/inplace', t('Go to your account'));
     $account = ctools_ajax_text_button(t('your account'), 'ctools_ajax_sample/nojs/login/user', t('Go to your account'));
-    $output[] = ctools_modal_command_display(t('Login Success'), '<div class="modal-message">Login successful. You can now choose whether to '. $inplace .', or go to '. $account.'.</div>');
+    $commands[] = ctools_modal_command_display(t('Login Success'), '<div class="modal-message">Login successful. You can now choose whether to '. $inplace .', or go to '. $account.'.</div>');
   }
-  print ajax_render($output);
-  exit;
+
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $commands
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -298,8 +306,11 @@ function ctools_ajax_sample_login_success($js, $action) {
     // bounce bounce
     $commands[] = ctools_ajax_command_redirect('user');
   }
-  print ajax_render($commands);
-  exit;
+
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $commands
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -413,8 +424,11 @@ function ctools_ajax_sample_animal($js = NULL, $step = NULL) {
     else {
       $commands = ctools_modal_form_render($form_state, $output);
     }
-    print ajax_render($commands);
-    exit;
+
+    return array(
+      '#type' => 'ajax',
+      '#commands' => $commands
+    );
   }
   else {
     if ($output === FALSE || !empty($form_state['complete'])) {
diff --git a/includes/context-access-admin.inc b/includes/context-access-admin.inc
index 76643cf62c76dc4a92ed5a42a406d977f5291188..35b8c82a17bfeff65e274fb0164c526228ca79c8 100644
--- a/includes/context-access-admin.inc
+++ b/includes/context-access-admin.inc
@@ -318,7 +318,10 @@ function ctools_access_ajax_add($fragment = NULL, $name = NULL) {
     $output[] = ctools_modal_command_dismiss();
   }
 
-  print ajax_render($output);
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $output
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -385,7 +388,10 @@ function ctools_access_ajax_edit($fragment = NULL, $id = NULL) {
     $output[] = ctools_modal_command_dismiss();
   }
 
-  print ajax_render($output);
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $output
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -482,5 +488,6 @@ function ctools_access_ajax_delete($fragment = NULL, $id = NULL) {
   $output   = array();
   $output[] = ajax_command_replace('table#ctools-access-table', $table);
 
+  drupal_add_http_header('Content-type', 'application/json; charset=utf-8');
   print ajax_render($output);
 }
diff --git a/includes/context-admin.inc b/includes/context-admin.inc
index 821a5b32accedfa5ac65159008c099033e11069e..00e6848fd9c895d4e6854f5154c0c6aced0956a8 100644
--- a/includes/context-admin.inc
+++ b/includes/context-admin.inc
@@ -487,8 +487,11 @@ function ctools_context_ajax_item_add($mechanism = NULL, $type = NULL, $cache_ke
   else {
     $output = ctools_modal_form_render($form_state, $output);
   }
-  print ajax_render($output);
-  exit;
+
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $output
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -628,8 +631,11 @@ function ctools_context_ajax_item_edit($mechanism = NULL, $type = NULL, $cache_k
   else {
     $output = ctools_modal_form_render($form_state, $output);
   }
-  print ajax_render($output);
-  exit;
+
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $output
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -803,6 +809,8 @@ function ctools_context_ajax_item_delete($mechanism = NULL, $type = NULL, $cache
   $output   = array();
   $output[] = ajax_command_replace('#' . $type . '-row-' . $position, '');
   $output[] = ajax_command_restripe("#$type-table");
+
+  drupal_add_http_header('Content-type', 'application/json; charset=utf-8');
   print ajax_render($output);
   exit;
 }
diff --git a/includes/modal.inc b/includes/modal.inc
index fc9901594b29e4a08a7b878ae8b3ce0058d4dd5c..ab94018b2770ff4e86eb3000fbfcc1df3605e9e0 100644
--- a/includes/modal.inc
+++ b/includes/modal.inc
@@ -258,5 +258,8 @@ function ctools_modal_form_render($form_state, $output) {
 function ctools_modal_render($title, $output) {
   $commands = array();
   $commands[] = ctools_modal_command_display($title, $output);
-  print ajax_render($commands);
+  return array(
+    '#type' => 'ajax',
+    '#commands' => $commands
+  );
 }
diff --git a/js/modal.js b/js/modal.js
index a9b760f654054db955f1491d3c8bbbc6e8e6da90..82761f1b014c2dbd869c8df6385a0b0f6e069118 100644
--- a/js/modal.js
+++ b/js/modal.js
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@
           element_settings.url = $this.attr('href');
           element_settings.event = 'click';
           element_settings.progress = { type: 'throbber' };
+          element_settings.submit = { 'js': true, 'ctools-use-modal': true };
         }
         var base = $this.attr('href');
         Drupal.ajax[base] = new Drupal.ajax(base, this, element_settings);
@@ -232,6 +233,7 @@
         }
         element_settings.event = 'click';
         element_settings.setClick = true;
+        element_settings.submit = { 'js': true, 'ctools-use-modal': true };
 
         var base = $this.attr('id');
         Drupal.ajax[base] = new Drupal.ajax(base, this, element_settings);
@@ -250,6 +252,7 @@
         element_settings.url = $this.attr('action');
         element_settings.event = 'submit';
         element_settings.progress = { 'type': 'throbber' }
+        element_settings.submit = { 'js': true, 'ctools-use-modal': true };
         var base = $this.attr('id');
 
         Drupal.ajax[base] = new Drupal.ajax(base, this, element_settings);