diff --git a/include/ircd/json/array.h b/include/ircd/json/array.h
index 7bad6b5b5..99bdf8a57 100644
--- a/include/ircd/json/array.h
+++ b/include/ircd/json/array.h
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ namespace ircd::json
 
 	string_view stringify(mutable_buffer &buf, const string_view *const &begin, const string_view *const &end);
 	string_view stringify(mutable_buffer &buf, const std::string *const &begin, const std::string *const &end);
+
+	size_t serialized(const string_view *const &begin, const string_view *const &end);
+	size_t serialized(const std::string *const &begin, const std::string *const &end);
 }
 
 /// Lightweight interface to a JSON array string.
diff --git a/ircd/json.cc b/ircd/json.cc
index 4cbf50586..831bcfdc5 100644
--- a/ircd/json.cc
+++ b/ircd/json.cc
@@ -685,12 +685,28 @@ ircd::json::stringify(mutable_buffer &buf,
 	return array::stringify(buf, b, e);
 }
 
-ircd::string_view
-ircd::json::stringify(mutable_buffer &buf,
-                      const string_view *const &b,
-                      const string_view *const &e)
+size_t
+ircd::json::serialized(const std::string *const &b,
+                       const std::string *const &e)
 {
-	return array::stringify(buf, b, e);
+	const size_t ret(1 + !std::distance(b, e));
+	return std::accumulate(b, e, ret, []
+	(auto ret, const auto &value)
+	{
+		return ret += serialized(string_view{value}) + 1;
+	});
+}
+
+size_t
+ircd::json::serialized(const string_view *const &b,
+                       const string_view *const &e)
+{
+	const size_t ret(1 + !std::distance(b, e));
+	return std::accumulate(b, e, ret, []
+	(auto ret, const auto &value)
+	{
+		return ret += serialized(value) + 1;
+	});
 }
 
 template<class it>