diff --git a/src/rustdoc/markdown_pass.rs b/src/rustdoc/markdown_pass.rs
index 3074d978e56..97697911ed1 100644
--- a/src/rustdoc/markdown_pass.rs
+++ b/src/rustdoc/markdown_pass.rs
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 
 import markdown_writer::writer;
 import markdown_writer::writer_util;
+import markdown_writer::writer_factory;
 
 export mk_pass;
 export header_kind, header_name, header_text;
 
-fn mk_pass(writer: writer) -> pass {
+fn mk_pass(writer_factory: writer_factory) -> pass {
     let f = fn~(srv: astsrv::srv, doc: doc::doc) -> doc::doc {
-        run(srv, doc, writer)
+        run(srv, doc, writer_factory)
     };
 
     {
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ fn mk_pass(writer: writer) -> pass {
 fn run(
     srv: astsrv::srv,
     doc: doc::doc,
-    writer: writer
+    writer_factory: writer_factory
 ) -> doc::doc {
 
     fn mods_last(item1: doc::itemtag, item2: doc::itemtag) -> bool {
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ fn run(
         "mods last", mods_last
     ).f(srv, doc);
 
-    write_markdown(sorted_doc, writer);
+    write_markdown(sorted_doc, writer_factory);
 
     ret doc;
 }
@@ -79,10 +80,10 @@ type ctxt = {
 
 fn write_markdown(
     doc: doc::doc,
-    writer: writer
+    writer_factory: writer_factory
 ) {
     let ctxt = {
-        w: writer
+        w: writer_factory(doc::cratepage(doc.cratedoc()))
     };
 
     write_crate(ctxt, doc.cratedoc());
@@ -944,23 +945,19 @@ mod test {
     fn write_markdown_str(
         doc: doc::doc
     ) -> str {
-        let (writer, future) = markdown_writer::future_writer();
-        write_markdown(doc, writer);
-        ret future::get(future);
+        let (writer_factory, po) = markdown_writer::future_writer_factory();
+        write_markdown(doc, writer_factory);
+        ret tuple::second(comm::recv(po));
     }
 
     fn write_markdown_str_srv(
         srv: astsrv::srv,
         doc: doc::doc
     ) -> str {
-        let config = {
-            output_style: config::doc_per_crate
-            with config::default_config("")
-        };
-        let (writer, future) = markdown_writer::future_writer();
-        let pass = mk_pass(writer);
+        let (writer_factory, po) = markdown_writer::future_writer_factory();
+        let pass = mk_pass(writer_factory);
         pass.f(srv, doc);
-        ret future::get(future);
+        ret tuple::second(comm::recv(po));
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/rustdoc/markdown_writer.rs b/src/rustdoc/markdown_writer.rs
index eabca1ea0fd..6df7356a9f5 100644
--- a/src/rustdoc/markdown_writer.rs
+++ b/src/rustdoc/markdown_writer.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 export writeinstr;
 export writer;
+export writer_factory;
 export writer_util;
-export make_writer;
-export future_writer;
+export make_writer_factory;
+export future_writer_factory;
 
 enum writeinstr {
     write(str),
@@ -10,6 +11,7 @@ enum writeinstr {
 }
 
 type writer = fn~(+writeinstr);
+type writer_factory = fn~(page: doc::page) -> writer;
 
 impl writer_util for writer {
     fn write_str(str: str) {
@@ -25,28 +27,46 @@ impl writer_util for writer {
     }
 }
 
-fn make_writer(config: config::config) -> writer {
+fn make_writer_factory(config: config::config) -> writer_factory {
     alt config.output_format {
       config::markdown {
-        markdown_writer(config)
+        markdown_writer_factory(config)
       }
       config::pandoc_html {
-        pandoc_writer(config)
+        pandoc_writer_factory(config)
       }
     }
 }
 
-fn markdown_writer(config: config::config) -> writer {
-    let filename = make_filename(config, "md");
+fn markdown_writer_factory(config: config::config) -> writer_factory {
+    fn~(page: doc::page) -> writer {
+        markdown_writer(config, page)
+    }
+}
+
+fn pandoc_writer_factory(config: config::config) -> writer_factory {
+    fn~(page: doc::page) -> writer {
+        pandoc_writer(config, page)
+    }
+}
+
+fn markdown_writer(
+    config: config::config,
+    page: doc::page
+) -> writer {
+    let filename = make_filename(config, "md", page);
     generic_writer {|markdown|
         write_file(filename, markdown);
     }
 }
 
-fn pandoc_writer(config: config::config) -> writer {
+fn pandoc_writer(
+    config: config::config,
+    page: doc::page
+) -> writer {
     assert option::is_some(config.pandoc_cmd);
     let pandoc_cmd = option::get(config.pandoc_cmd);
-    let filename = make_filename(config, "html");
+    let filename = make_filename(config, "html", page);
 
     let pandoc_args = [
         "--standalone",
@@ -109,7 +129,11 @@ fn generic_writer(process: fn~(markdown: str)) -> writer {
     }
 }
 
-fn make_filename(config: config::config, ext: str) -> str {
+fn make_filename(
+    config: config::config,
+    ext: str,
+    _page: doc::page
+) -> str {
     import std::fs;
     let cratefile = fs::basename(config.input_crate);
     let cratename = tuple::first(fs::splitext(cratefile));
@@ -134,7 +158,37 @@ fn should_use_markdown_file_name_based_off_crate() {
         output_dir: "output/dir"
         with config::default_config("input/test.rc")
     };
-    assert make_filename(config, "md") == "output/dir/test.md";
+    let doc = test::mk_doc("");
+    let page = doc::cratepage(doc.cratedoc());
+    assert make_filename(config, "md", page) == "output/dir/test.md";
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    fn mk_doc(source: str) -> doc::doc {
+        astsrv::from_str(source) {|srv|
+            extract::from_srv(srv, "")
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn future_writer_factory(
+) -> (writer_factory, comm::port<(doc::page, str)>) {
+    let markdown_po = comm::port();
+    let markdown_ch = comm::chan(markdown_po);
+    let writer_factory = fn~(page: doc::page) -> writer {
+        let writer_po = comm::port();
+        let writer_ch = comm::chan(writer_po);
+        task::spawn {||
+            let (writer, future) = future_writer();
+            comm::send(writer_ch, writer);
+            let s = future::get(future);
+            comm::send(markdown_ch, (page, s));
+        }
+        comm::recv(writer_po)
+    };
+
+    (writer_factory, markdown_po)
 }
 
 fn future_writer() -> (writer, future::future<str>) {
diff --git a/src/rustdoc/rustdoc.rs b/src/rustdoc/rustdoc.rs
index eff1e69b317..1b7b424de74 100755
--- a/src/rustdoc/rustdoc.rs
+++ b/src/rustdoc/rustdoc.rs
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ fn run(config: config::config) {
             sort_item_type_pass::mk_pass(),
             markdown_index_pass::mk_pass(),
             markdown_pass::mk_pass(
-                markdown_writer::make_writer(config)
+                markdown_writer::make_writer_factory(config)
             )
         ]);
     }