diff --git a/src/applications/audit/editor/PhabricatorAuditEditor.php b/src/applications/audit/editor/PhabricatorAuditEditor.php
--- a/src/applications/audit/editor/PhabricatorAuditEditor.php
+++ b/src/applications/audit/editor/PhabricatorAuditEditor.php
@@ -949,6 +949,12 @@
     );
   }
 
+  protected function getCustomWorkerStateEncoding() {
+    return array(
+      'rawPatch' => self::STORAGE_ENCODING_BINARY,
+    );
+  }
+
   protected function loadCustomWorkerState(array $state) {
     $this->rawPatch = idx($state, 'rawPatch');
     $this->affectedFiles = idx($state, 'affectedFiles');
diff --git a/src/applications/transactions/editor/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionEditor.php b/src/applications/transactions/editor/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionEditor.php
--- a/src/applications/transactions/editor/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionEditor.php
+++ b/src/applications/transactions/editor/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionEditor.php
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@
   private $feedNotifyPHIDs = array();
   private $feedRelatedPHIDs = array();
 
+  const STORAGE_ENCODING_BINARY = 'binary';
+
   /**
    * Get the class name for the application this editor is a part of.
    *
@@ -2637,6 +2639,21 @@
   }
 
 
+  /**
+   * @task mail
+   */
+  private function runHeraldMailRules(array $messages) {
+    foreach ($messages as $message) {
+      $engine = new HeraldEngine();
+      $adapter = id(new PhabricatorMailOutboundMailHeraldAdapter())
+        ->setObject($message);
+
+      $rules = $engine->loadRulesForAdapter($adapter);
+      $effects = $engine->applyRules($rules, $adapter);
+      $engine->applyEffects($effects, $adapter, $rules);
+    }
+  }
+
 
 /* -(  Publishing Feed Stories  )-------------------------------------------- */
 
@@ -3060,9 +3077,13 @@
       $state[$property] = $this->$property;
     }
 
+    $custom_state = $this->getCustomWorkerState();
+    $custom_encoding = $this->getCustomWorkerStateEncoding();
+
     $state += array(
       'excludeMailRecipientPHIDs' => $this->getExcludeMailRecipientPHIDs(),
-      'custom' => $this->getCustomWorkerState(),
+      'custom' => $this->encodeStateForStorage($custom_state, $custom_encoding),
+      'custom.encoding' => $custom_encoding,
     );
 
     return $state;
@@ -3081,6 +3102,21 @@
 
 
   /**
+   * Hook; return storage encoding for custom properties which need to be
+   * passed to workers.
+   *
+   * This primarily allows binary data to be passed to workers and survive
+   * JSON encoding.
+   *
+   * @return dict<string, string> Property encodings.
+   * @task workers
+   */
+  protected function getCustomWorkerStateEncoding() {
+    return array();
+  }
+
+
+  /**
    * Load editor state using a dictionary emitted by @{method:getWorkerState}.
    *
    * This method is used to load state when running worker operations.
@@ -3097,7 +3133,10 @@
     $exclude = idx($state, 'excludeMailRecipientPHIDs', array());
     $this->setExcludeMailRecipientPHIDs($exclude);
 
-    $custom = idx($state, 'custom', array());
+    $custom_state = idx($state, 'custom', array());
+    $custom_encodings = idx($state, 'custom.encoding', array());
+    $custom = $this->decodeStateFromStorage($custom_state, $custom_encodings);
+
     $this->loadCustomWorkerState($custom);
 
     return $this;
@@ -3143,16 +3182,85 @@
     );
   }
 
-  private function runHeraldMailRules(array $messages) {
-    foreach ($messages as $message) {
-      $engine = new HeraldEngine();
-      $adapter = id(new PhabricatorMailOutboundMailHeraldAdapter())
-        ->setObject($message);
+  /**
+   * Apply encodings prior to storage.
+   *
+   * See @{method:getCustomWorkerStateEncoding}.
+   *
+   * @param map<string, wild> Map of values to encode.
+   * @param map<string, string> Map of encodings to apply.
+   * @return map<string, wild> Map of encoded values.
+   * @task workers
+   */
+  final private function encodeStateForStorage(
+    array $state,
+    array $encodings) {
+
+    foreach ($state as $key => $value) {
+      $encoding = idx($encodings, $key);
+      switch ($encoding) {
+        case self::STORAGE_ENCODING_BINARY:
+          // The mechanics of this encoding (serialize + base64) are a little
+          // awkward, but it allows us encode arrays and still be JSON-safe
+          // with binary data.
+
+          $value = @serialize($value);
+          if ($value === false) {
+            throw new Exception(
+              pht(
+                'Failed to serialize() value for key "%s".',
+                $key));
+          }
 
-      $rules = $engine->loadRulesForAdapter($adapter);
-      $effects = $engine->applyRules($rules, $adapter);
-      $engine->applyEffects($effects, $adapter, $rules);
+          $value = base64_encode($value);
+          if ($value === false) {
+            throw new Exception(
+              pht(
+                'Failed to base64 encode value for key "%s".',
+                $key));
+          }
+          break;
+      }
+      $state[$key] = $value;
     }
+
+    return $state;
+  }
+
+
+  /**
+   * Undo storage encoding applied when storing state.
+   *
+   * See @{method:getCustomWorkerStateEncoding}.
+   *
+   * @param map<string, wild> Map of encoded values.
+   * @param map<string, string> Map of encodings.
+   * @return map<string, wild> Map of decoded values.
+   * @task workers
+   */
+  final private function decodeStateFromStorage(
+    array $state,
+    array $encodings) {
+
+    foreach ($state as $key => $value) {
+      $encoding = idx($encodings, $key);
+      switch ($encoding) {
+        case self::STORAGE_ENCODING_BINARY:
+          $value = base64_decode($value);
+          if ($value === false) {
+            throw new Exception(
+              pht(
+                'Failed to base64_decode() value for key "%s".',
+                $key));
+          }
+
+          $value = unserialize($value);
+          break;
+      }
+      $state[$key] = $value;
+    }
+
+    return $state;
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/transactions/worker/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionPublishWorker.php b/src/applications/transactions/worker/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionPublishWorker.php
--- a/src/applications/transactions/worker/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionPublishWorker.php
+++ b/src/applications/transactions/worker/PhabricatorApplicationTransactionPublishWorker.php
@@ -26,9 +26,14 @@
    * Load the object the transactions affect.
    */
   private function loadObject() {
-    $data = $this->getTaskData();
     $viewer = PhabricatorUser::getOmnipotentUser();
 
+    $data = $this->getTaskData();
+    if (!is_array($data)) {
+      throw new PhabricatorWorkerPermanentFailureException(
+        pht('Task has invalid task data.'));
+    }
+
     $phid = idx($data, 'objectPHID');
     if (!$phid) {
       throw new PhabricatorWorkerPermanentFailureException(
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/storage/lisk/LiskDAO.php b/src/infrastructure/storage/lisk/LiskDAO.php
--- a/src/infrastructure/storage/lisk/LiskDAO.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/storage/lisk/LiskDAO.php
@@ -1651,7 +1651,7 @@
             if ($deserialize) {
               $data[$col] = json_decode($data[$col], true);
             } else {
-              $data[$col] = json_encode($data[$col]);
+              $data[$col] = phutil_json_encode($data[$col]);
             }
             break;
           default: