diff --git a/rust/Cargo.toml b/rust/Cargo.toml
index 938100cf..9989b96c 100644
--- a/rust/Cargo.toml
+++ b/rust/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ members = [
     "automerge-test",
     "automerge-wasm",
     "edit-trace",
+    "badmessage",
 ]
 resolver = "2"
 
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/.gitignore b/rust/badmessage/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55778aca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+/target
+Cargo.lock
+node_modules
+yarn.lock
+flamegraph.svg
+/prof
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/Cargo.toml b/rust/badmessage/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e6b93447
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+[package]
+name = "badmessage"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+license = "MIT"
+
+[dependencies]
+automerge = { path = "../automerge" }
+criterion = "0.3.5"
+json = "0.12.4"
+rand = "^0.8"
+
+
+[[bin]]
+name = "badmessage"
+doc = false
+bench = false
+
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/automerge-js.js b/rust/badmessage/automerge-js.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..80d19051
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/automerge-js.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// Apply the paper editing trace to an Automerge.Text object, one char at a time
+const Automerge = require('../../javascript')
+
+const fs = require('fs');
+
+const start = new Date()
+
+let contents = fs.readFileSync("badmessage");
+let doc = Automerge.init();
+let state = Automerge.initSyncState();
+[doc,state] = Automerge.receiveSyncMessage(doc, state, contents);
+
+console.log(`doc.receiveSyncMessage in ${new Date() - start} ms`)
+
+let t_time = new Date()
+let saved = Automerge.save(doc);
+console.log(`doc.save in               ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
+
+t_time = new Date()
+Automerge.load(saved)
+console.log(`doc.load in               ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
+
+t_time = new Date()
+let doc2 = Automerge.init()
+doc2 = Automerge.loadIncremental(doc2,saved)
+console.log(`doc.loadIncremental in    ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/automerge-wasm.js b/rust/badmessage/automerge-wasm.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..33ac46bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/automerge-wasm.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+const Automerge = require('../automerge-wasm')
+const fs = require('fs');
+
+
+let contents = fs.readFileSync("badmessage");
+let doc = Automerge.create();
+let state = Automerge.initSyncState();
+
+let t_time = new Date()
+
+doc.receiveSyncMessage(state,contents);
+
+console.log(`doc.receiveSyncMessage in ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
+
+t_time = new Date()
+let saved = doc.save()
+console.log(`doc.save in               ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
+
+t_time = new Date()
+Automerge.load(saved)
+console.log(`doc.load in               ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
+
+t_time = new Date()
+let doc2 = Automerge.create()
+doc2.loadIncremental(saved)
+console.log(`doc.loadIncremental in    ${new Date() - t_time} ms`)
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/badmessage b/rust/badmessage/badmessage
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..f2d5ff29
Binary files /dev/null and b/rust/badmessage/badmessage differ
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/package.json b/rust/badmessage/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e8d2ad3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{
+  "name": "badmessage",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "main": "wasm-text.js",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "scripts": {
+    "wasm": "0x -D prof automerge-wasm.js",
+    "js": "0x -D prof automerge-js.js"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "0x": "^5.4.1"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/rust/badmessage/src/main.rs b/rust/badmessage/src/main.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a67005c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/badmessage/src/main.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+use automerge::sync;
+use automerge::{Automerge, AutomergeError};
+use std::fs;
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+fn main() -> Result<(), AutomergeError> {
+    let contents = fs::read("badmessage").expect("cant read badmessage file");
+    let mut doc = Automerge::new();
+    let mut state = sync::State::new();
+    let now = Instant::now();
+    // decode and receive happen at the same time in wasm so lets keep it apples to apples
+    let message = sync::Message::decode(contents.as_slice()).expect("cant decode message");
+    doc.receive_sync_message(&mut state, message).unwrap();
+    println!("decode/receive   in {} ms", now.elapsed().as_millis());
+    let now = Instant::now();
+    let saved = doc.save();
+    println!("save in             {} ms", now.elapsed().as_millis());
+    let now = Instant::now();
+    let _ = Automerge::load(&saved).unwrap();
+    println!("load in             {} ms", now.elapsed().as_millis());
+    let mut doc2 = Automerge::new();
+    doc2.load_incremental(saved.as_slice()).unwrap();
+    println!("load_incremental in {} ms", now.elapsed().as_millis());
+    Ok(())
+}