diff --git a/common/ipc-client.c b/common/ipc-client.c
index e92a09fee..813489135 100644
--- a/common/ipc-client.c
+++ b/common/ipc-client.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "stringop.h"
 #include "ipc.h"
 #include "readline.h"
+#include "ipc-client.h"
 
 static const char ipc_magic[] = {'i', '3', '-', 'i', 'p', 'c'};
 static const size_t ipc_header_size = sizeof(ipc_magic)+8;
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ int ipc_open_socket(const char *socket_path) {
 	return socketfd;
 }
 
-char *ipc_recv_response(int socketfd, uint32_t *len) {
+struct ipc_response *ipc_recv_response(int socketfd) {
 	char data[ipc_header_size];
 	uint32_t *data32 = (uint32_t *)(data + sizeof(ipc_magic));
 
@@ -52,21 +53,29 @@ char *ipc_recv_response(int socketfd, uint32_t *len) {
 		total += received;
 	}
 
+	struct ipc_response *response = malloc(sizeof(struct ipc_response));
 	total = 0;
-	*len = data32[0];
-	char *response = malloc(*len + 1);
-	while (total < *len) {
-		ssize_t received = recv(socketfd, response + total, *len - total, 0);
+	response->size = data32[0];
+	response->type = data32[1];
+	char *payload = malloc(response->size + 1);
+	while (total < response->size) {
+		ssize_t received = recv(socketfd, payload + total, response->size - total, 0);
 		if (received < 0) {
 			sway_abort("Unable to receive IPC response");
 		}
 		total += received;
 	}
-	response[*len] = '\0';
+	payload[response->size] = '\0';
+	response->payload = payload;
 
 	return response;
 }
 
+void free_ipc_response(struct ipc_response *response) {
+	free(response->payload);
+	free(response);
+}
+
 char *ipc_single_command(int socketfd, uint32_t type, const char *payload, uint32_t *len) {
 	char data[ipc_header_size];
 	uint32_t *data32 = (uint32_t *)(data + sizeof(ipc_magic));
@@ -82,5 +91,10 @@ char *ipc_single_command(int socketfd, uint32_t type, const char *payload, uint3
 		sway_abort("Unable to send IPC payload");
 	}
 
-	return ipc_recv_response(socketfd, len);
+	struct ipc_response *resp = ipc_recv_response(socketfd);
+	char *response = resp->payload;
+	*len = resp->size;
+	free(resp);
+
+	return response;
 }
diff --git a/include/ipc-client.h b/include/ipc-client.h
index a4cfd87f6..030c80b67 100644
--- a/include/ipc-client.h
+++ b/include/ipc-client.h
@@ -3,6 +3,16 @@
 
 #include "ipc.h"
 
+/**
+ * IPC response including type of IPC response, size of payload and the json
+ * encoded payload string.
+ */
+struct ipc_response {
+	uint32_t size;
+	uint32_t type;
+	char *payload;
+};
+
 /**
  * Gets the path to the IPC socket from sway.
  */
@@ -17,9 +27,12 @@ int ipc_open_socket(const char *socket_path);
  */
 char *ipc_single_command(int socketfd, uint32_t type, const char *payload, uint32_t *len);
 /**
- * Receives a single IPC resposne and returns the buffer. len will be updated
- * with the length of the buffer returned from sway.
+ * Receives a single IPC response and returns an ipc_response.
  */
-char *ipc_recv_response(int socketfd, uint32_t *len);
+struct ipc_response *ipc_recv_response(int socketfd);
+/**
+ * Free ipc_response struct
+ */
+void free_ipc_response(struct ipc_response *response);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/include/ipc.h b/include/ipc.h
index 75be58a62..e0b3b7364 100644
--- a/include/ipc.h
+++ b/include/ipc.h
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ enum ipc_command_type {
 	IPC_GET_MARKS = 5,
 	IPC_GET_BAR_CONFIG = 6,
 	IPC_GET_VERSION	= 7,
+	// Events send from sway to clients. Events have the higest bit set.
+	IPC_EVENT_WORKSPACE = (1 << 31 | 0),
+	IPC_EVENT_OUTPUT = (1 << 31 | 1),
+	IPC_EVENT_MODE = (1 << 31 | 2),
+	IPC_EVENT_WINDOW = (1 << 31 | 3),
+	IPC_EVENT_BARCONFIG_UPDATE = (1 << 31 | 4),
+	IPC_EVENT_BINDING = (1 << 31 | 5),
 	IPC_SWAY_GET_PIXELS = 0x81
 };
 
diff --git a/sway/ipc-server.c b/sway/ipc-server.c
index e161c7567..2bb25202c 100644
--- a/sway/ipc-server.c
+++ b/sway/ipc-server.c
@@ -290,9 +290,9 @@ void ipc_client_handle_command(struct ipc_client *client) {
 		for (int i = 0; i < json_object_array_length(request); i++) {
 			const char *event_type = json_object_get_string(json_object_array_get_idx(request, i));
 			if (strcmp(event_type, "workspace") == 0) {
-				client->subscribed_events |= IPC_GET_WORKSPACES;
+				client->subscribed_events |= IPC_EVENT_WORKSPACE;
 			} else if (strcmp(event_type, "barconfig_update") == 0) {
-				client->subscribed_events |= IPC_GET_BAR_CONFIG;
+				client->subscribed_events |= IPC_EVENT_BARCONFIG_UPDATE;
 			} else {
 				ipc_send_reply(client, "{\"success\": false}", 18);
 				ipc_client_disconnect(client);
@@ -562,6 +562,19 @@ json_object *ipc_json_describe_bar_config(struct bar_config *bar) {
 	return json;
 }
 
+void ipc_send_event(const char *json_string, enum ipc_command_type event) {
+	int i;
+	struct ipc_client *client;
+	for (i = 0; i < ipc_client_list->length; i++) {
+		client = ipc_client_list->items[i];
+		if ((client->subscribed_events & event) == 0) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		client->current_command = event;
+		ipc_send_reply(client, json_string, (uint32_t) strlen(json_string));
+	}
+}
+
 void ipc_event_workspace(swayc_t *old, swayc_t *new, const char *change) {
 	json_object *obj = json_object_new_object();
 	json_object_object_add(obj, "change", json_object_new_string(change));
@@ -580,14 +593,7 @@ void ipc_event_workspace(swayc_t *old, swayc_t *new, const char *change) {
 	}
 
 	const char *json_string = json_object_to_json_string(obj);
-
-	for (int i = 0; i < ipc_client_list->length; i++) {
-		struct ipc_client *client = ipc_client_list->items[i];
-		if ((client->subscribed_events & IPC_GET_WORKSPACES) == 0) {
-			continue;
-		}
-		ipc_send_reply(client, json_string, (uint32_t) strlen(json_string));
-	}
+	ipc_send_event(json_string, IPC_EVENT_WORKSPACE);
 
 	json_object_put(obj); // free
 }
@@ -595,15 +601,7 @@ void ipc_event_workspace(swayc_t *old, swayc_t *new, const char *change) {
 void ipc_event_barconfig_update(struct bar_config *bar) {
 	json_object *json = ipc_json_describe_bar_config(bar);
 	const char *json_string = json_object_to_json_string(json);
-	int i;
-	struct ipc_client *client;
-	for (i = 0; i < ipc_client_list->length; ++i) {
-		client = ipc_client_list->items[i];
-		if ((client->subscribed_events & IPC_GET_BAR_CONFIG) == 0) {
-			continue;
-		}
-		ipc_send_reply(client, json_string, (uint32_t)strlen(json_string));
-	}
+	ipc_send_event(json_string, IPC_EVENT_BARCONFIG_UPDATE);
 
 	json_object_put(json); // free
 }
diff --git a/swaybar/main.c b/swaybar/main.c
index 3ac337d12..2ee25589f 100644
--- a/swaybar/main.c
+++ b/swaybar/main.c
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ struct status_block {
 list_t *status_line = NULL;
 
 list_t *workspaces = NULL;
-int ipc_socketfd, ipc_listen_socketfd;
+int ipc_socketfd, ipc_event_socketfd;
 pid_t pid;
 int status_read_fd;
 char line[1024];
@@ -156,8 +156,8 @@ void swaybar_teardown() {
 		close(ipc_socketfd);
 	}
 
-	if (ipc_listen_socketfd) {
-		close(ipc_listen_socketfd);
+	if (ipc_event_socketfd) {
+		close(ipc_event_socketfd);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -408,9 +408,9 @@ void bar_ipc_init(int outputi, const char *bar_id) {
 	json_object_put(bar_config);
 	free(res);
 
-	const char *subscribe_json = "[ \"workspace\" ]";
+	const char *subscribe_json = "[ \"workspace\", \"mode\" ]";
 	len = strlen(subscribe_json);
-	res = ipc_single_command(ipc_listen_socketfd, IPC_SUBSCRIBE, subscribe_json, &len);
+	res = ipc_single_command(ipc_event_socketfd, IPC_SUBSCRIBE, subscribe_json, &len);
 	free(res);
 
 	ipc_update_workspaces();
@@ -1049,7 +1049,7 @@ void poll_for_update() {
 
 		dirty = false;
 		FD_ZERO(&readfds);
-		FD_SET(ipc_listen_socketfd, &readfds);
+		FD_SET(ipc_event_socketfd, &readfds);
 		FD_SET(status_read_fd, &readfds);
 
 		activity = select(FD_SETSIZE, &readfds, NULL, NULL, NULL);
@@ -1057,11 +1057,10 @@ void poll_for_update() {
 			sway_log(L_ERROR, "polling failed: %d", errno);
 		}
 
-		if (FD_ISSET(ipc_listen_socketfd, &readfds)) {
+		if (FD_ISSET(ipc_event_socketfd, &readfds)) {
 			sway_log(L_DEBUG, "Got workspace update.");
-			uint32_t len;
-			char *buf = ipc_recv_response(ipc_listen_socketfd, &len);
-			free(buf);
+			struct ipc_response *resp = ipc_recv_response(ipc_event_socketfd);
+			free_ipc_response(resp);
 			ipc_update_workspaces();
 			dirty = true;
 		}
@@ -1165,7 +1164,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 		}
 	}
 	ipc_socketfd = ipc_open_socket(socket_path);
-	ipc_listen_socketfd = ipc_open_socket(socket_path);
+	ipc_event_socketfd = ipc_open_socket(socket_path);
 
 
 	if (argc == optind) {