diff --git a/higgins/api/app.py b/higgins/api/app.py
index 03466aa69..bb9152cc7 100644
--- a/higgins/api/app.py
+++ b/higgins/api/app.py
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ from oslo_log import log
 import pecan
 
 from higgins.api import config as api_config
+from higgins.api import middleware
 from higgins.common.i18n import _
 
+
 # Register options for the service
 API_SERVICE_OPTS = [
     cfg.PortOpt('port',
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@ def setup_app(config=None):
     app = pecan.make_app(
         app_conf.pop('root'),
         logging=getattr(config, 'logging', {}),
+        wrap_app=middleware.ParsableErrorMiddleware,
         **app_conf
     )
 
diff --git a/higgins/api/middleware/__init__.py b/higgins/api/middleware/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7f75c28f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/higgins/api/middleware/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+from higgins.api.middleware import auth_token
+from higgins.api.middleware import parsable_error
+
+
+AuthTokenMiddleware = auth_token.AuthTokenMiddleware
+ParsableErrorMiddleware = parsable_error.ParsableErrorMiddleware
+
+__all__ = (AuthTokenMiddleware,
+           ParsableErrorMiddleware)
diff --git a/higgins/api/middleware/auth_token.py b/higgins/api/middleware/auth_token.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..470718c34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/higgins/api/middleware/auth_token.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+
+import re
+
+from keystonemiddleware import auth_token
+from oslo_log import log
+
+from higgins.common import exception
+from higgins.common import utils
+from higgins.i18n import _
+
+LOG = log.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class AuthTokenMiddleware(auth_token.AuthProtocol):
+    """A wrapper on Keystone auth_token middleware.
+
+    Does not perform verification of authentication tokens
+    for public routes in the API.
+
+    """
+    def __init__(self, app, conf, public_api_routes=None):
+        if public_api_routes is None:
+            public_api_routes = []
+        route_pattern_tpl = '%s(\.json)?$'
+
+        try:
+            self.public_api_routes = [re.compile(route_pattern_tpl % route_tpl)
+                                      for route_tpl in public_api_routes]
+        except re.error as e:
+            msg = _('Cannot compile public API routes: %s') % e
+
+            LOG.error(msg)
+            raise exception.ConfigInvalid(error_msg=msg)
+
+        super(AuthTokenMiddleware, self).__init__(app, conf)
+
+    def __call__(self, env, start_response):
+        path = utils.safe_rstrip(env.get('PATH_INFO'), '/')
+
+        # The information whether the API call is being performed against the
+        # public API is required for some other components. Saving it to the
+        # WSGI environment is reasonable thereby.
+        env['is_public_api'] = any(map(lambda pattern: re.match(pattern, path),
+                                       self.public_api_routes))
+
+        if env['is_public_api']:
+            return self._app(env, start_response)
+
+        return super(AuthTokenMiddleware, self).__call__(env, start_response)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def factory(cls, global_config, **local_conf):
+        public_routes = local_conf.get('acl_public_routes', '')
+        public_api_routes = [path.strip() for path in public_routes.split(',')]
+
+        def _factory(app):
+            return cls(app, global_config, public_api_routes=public_api_routes)
+        return _factory
diff --git a/higgins/api/middleware/parsable_error.py b/higgins/api/middleware/parsable_error.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5995f4aa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/higgins/api/middleware/parsable_error.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# Copyright ? 2012 New Dream Network, LLC (DreamHost)
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+# not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
+# a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
+# under the License.
+"""
+Middleware to replace the plain text message body of an error
+response with one formatted so the client can parse it.
+
+Based on pecan.middleware.errordocument
+"""
+
+import json
+import six
+
+from higgins.i18n import _
+
+
+class ParsableErrorMiddleware(object):
+    """Replace error body with something the client can parse."""
+    def __init__(self, app):
+        self.app = app
+
+    def __call__(self, environ, start_response):
+        # Request for this state, modified by replace_start_response()
+        # and used when an error is being reported.
+        state = {}
+
+        def replacement_start_response(status, headers, exc_info=None):
+            """Overrides the default response to make errors parsable."""
+            try:
+                status_code = int(status.split(' ')[0])
+                state['status_code'] = status_code
+            except (ValueError, TypeError):  # pragma: nocover
+                raise Exception(_(
+                    'ErrorDocumentMiddleware received an invalid '
+                    'status %s') % status)
+            else:
+                if (state['status_code'] // 100) not in (2, 3):
+                    # Remove some headers so we can replace them later
+                    # when we have the full error message and can
+                    # compute the length.
+                    headers = [(h, v)
+                               for (h, v) in headers
+                               if h not in ('Content-Length', 'Content-Type')
+                               ]
+                # Save the headers in case we need to modify them.
+                state['headers'] = headers
+                return start_response(status, headers, exc_info)
+
+        app_iter = self.app(environ, replacement_start_response)
+
+        if (state['status_code'] // 100) not in (2, 3):
+            errs = []
+            for err_str in app_iter:
+                err = {}
+                try:
+                    err = json.loads(err_str.decode('utf-8'))
+                except ValueError:
+                    pass
+
+                if 'title' in err and 'description' in err:
+                    title = err['title']
+                    desc = err['description']
+                elif 'faultstring' in err:
+                    title = err['faultstring'].split('.', 1)[0]
+                    desc = err['faultstring']
+                else:
+                    title = ''
+                    desc = ''
+
+                code = err['faultcode'].lower() if 'faultcode' in err else ''
+
+                errs.append({
+                    'request_id': '',
+                    'code': code,
+                    'status': state['status_code'],
+                    'title': title,
+                    'detail': desc,
+                    'links': []
+                })
+
+            body = [six.b(json.dumps({'errors': errs}))]
+
+            state['headers'].append(('Content-Type', 'application/json'))
+            state['headers'].append(('Content-Length', str(len(body[0]))))
+        else:
+            body = app_iter
+        return body