diff --git a/kitty/boss.py b/kitty/boss.py
index baa1bcfba..e45ad8eef 100644
--- a/kitty/boss.py
+++ b/kitty/boss.py
@@ -407,9 +407,9 @@ class Boss:
             if '--program' not in cmdline:
                 args.extend(('--program', self.opts.open_url_with))
             if type_of_input in ('text', 'history'):
-                data = (w.buffer_as_text(add_history=type_of_input == 'history') + '\x1c').encode('utf-8')
+                data = ((w.buffer_as_text if type_of_input == 'history' else w.as_text)() + '\x1c').encode('utf-8')
             elif type_of_input in ('ansi', 'ansi-history'):
-                data = (w.buffer_as_ansi(add_history=type_of_input == 'ansi-history') + '\x1c').encode('utf-8')
+                data = ((w.buffer_as_ansi() if type_of_input == 'ansi-history' else w.as_text(as_ansi=True)) + '\x1c').encode('utf-8')
             elif type_of_input == 'none':
                 data = None
             else:
diff --git a/kitty/screen.c b/kitty/screen.c
index 2baaabc09..19aa364dc 100644
--- a/kitty/screen.c
+++ b/kitty/screen.c
@@ -1452,6 +1452,41 @@ screen_open_url(Screen *self) {
 #define WRAP2(name, defval1, defval2) static PyObject* name(Screen *self, PyObject *args) { unsigned int a=defval1, b=defval2; if(!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "|II", &a, &b)) return NULL; screen_##name(self, a, b); Py_RETURN_NONE; }
 #define WRAP2B(name) static PyObject* name(Screen *self, PyObject *args) { unsigned int a, b; int p; if(!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "IIp", &a, &b, &p)) return NULL; screen_##name(self, a, b, (bool)p); Py_RETURN_NONE; }
 
+static PyObject*
+as_text(Screen *self, PyObject *args) {
+    PyObject *callback, *ret = NULL, *t = NULL;
+    Py_UCS4 *buf = NULL;
+    int as_ansi = 0;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O|p", &callback, &as_ansi)) return NULL;
+    PyObject *nl = PyUnicode_FromString("\n");
+    if (nl == NULL) goto end;
+    if (as_ansi) {
+        buf = malloc(sizeof(Py_UCS4) * self->columns * 100);
+        if (buf == NULL) { PyErr_NoMemory(); goto end; }
+    }
+    for (index_type y = 0; y < self->lines; y++) {
+        Line *line = visual_line_(self, y);
+        if (!line->continued && y > 0) {
+            ret = PyObject_CallFunctionObjArgs(callback, nl, NULL);
+            if (ret == NULL) goto end;
+            Py_CLEAR(ret);
+        }
+        if (as_ansi) {
+            index_type num = line_as_ansi(line, buf, self->columns * 100 - 2);
+            t = PyUnicode_FromKindAndData(PyUnicode_4BYTE_KIND, buf, num);
+        } else {
+            t = PyObject_Str((PyObject*)line);
+        }
+        if (t == NULL) goto end;
+        ret = PyObject_CallFunctionObjArgs(callback, t, NULL);
+        Py_DECREF(t); if (ret == NULL) goto end; Py_DECREF(ret);
+    }
+end:
+    Py_CLEAR(nl); free(buf);
+    if (PyErr_Occurred()) return NULL;
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
 static PyObject*
 refresh_sprite_positions(Screen *self) {
     self->is_dirty = true;
@@ -1825,6 +1860,7 @@ static PyMethodDef methods[] = {
     MND(cursor_down1, METH_VARARGS)
     MND(cursor_forward, METH_VARARGS)
     {"index", (PyCFunction)xxx_index, METH_VARARGS, ""},
+    MND(as_text, METH_VARARGS)
     MND(refresh_sprite_positions, METH_NOARGS)
     MND(tab, METH_NOARGS)
     MND(backspace, METH_NOARGS)
diff --git a/kitty/window.py b/kitty/window.py
index c0553f7bf..23b5ab24e 100644
--- a/kitty/window.py
+++ b/kitty/window.py
@@ -330,6 +330,11 @@ class Window:
                 ans = h + '\n' + ans
         return ans
 
+    def as_text(self, as_ansi=False):
+        lines = []
+        self.screen.as_text(lines.append, as_ansi)
+        return ''.join(lines)
+
     # actions {{{
 
     def show_scrollback(self):
diff --git a/kitty_tests/screen.py b/kitty_tests/screen.py
index 8437ddcd4..787d94021 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/screen.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/screen.py
@@ -388,3 +388,17 @@ class TestScreen(BaseTest):
         self.ae(s.text_for_selection(), expected)
         s.scroll(2, True)
         self.ae(s.text_for_selection(), expected)
+
+    def test_serialize(self):
+        s = self.create_screen()
+        s.draw('ab' * s.columns)
+        s.carriage_return(), s.linefeed()
+        s.draw('c')
+
+        def as_text(as_ansi=False):
+            d = []
+            s.as_text(d.append, as_ansi)
+            return ''.join(d)
+
+        self.ae(as_text(), 'ababababab\nc\n\n')
+        self.ae(as_text(True), '\x1b[0mababa\x1b[0mbabab\n\x1b[0mc\n\n')