diff --git a/cmd-invoke.c b/cmd-invoke.c
index f2be5884e..c7872706c 100644
--- a/cmd-invoke.c
+++ b/cmd-invoke.c
@@ -61,8 +61,9 @@ static int	cmd_invoke_assignment(struct cmdq_item *,
 		    struct cmd_invoke_state *, struct cmd_parse_node *);
 static int	cmd_invoke_if(struct cmdq_item *, struct cmd_invoke_state *,
 		    struct cmd_parse_node *);
-static struct cmd *cmd_invoke_build_command(struct cmdq_item *,
-		    struct cmd_invoke_state *, struct cmd_parse_node *);
+static struct cmd	*cmd_invoke_build_command(struct cmdq_item *,
+			     struct cmd_invoke_state *, struct cmd_parse_node *);
+static int		 cmd_invoke_read_only(struct cmdq_item *, struct cmd *);
 
 /* Push a node's child range onto the traversal stack. */
 static void
@@ -365,6 +366,20 @@ fail:
 	return (NULL);
 }
 
+static int
+cmd_invoke_read_only(struct cmdq_item *item, struct cmd *cmd)
+{
+	struct client		*c = cmdq_get_client(item);
+	const struct cmd_entry	*entry = cmd_get_entry(cmd);
+
+	if (c == NULL || (~c->flags & CLIENT_READONLY))
+		return (0);
+	if (entry->flags & CMD_READONLY)
+		return (0);
+	cmdq_error(item, "client is read-only");
+	return (-1);
+}
+
 /* Create the first invoke queue item for a parsed tree. */
 struct cmdq_item *
 cmd_invoke_get(struct cmd_parse_tree *tree, struct cmdq_state *state,
@@ -487,6 +502,11 @@ cmd_invoke_fire(struct cmdq_item *item, struct cmd_invoke_state *is)
 				cmd_invoke_skip_sequence(is);
 				break;
 			}
+			if (cmd_invoke_read_only(item, cmd) != 0) {
+				cmd_free(cmd);
+				cmd_invoke_skip_sequence(is);
+				break;
+			}
 
 			/*
 			 * Queue one command followed by this walker. WAIT and
diff --git a/key-bindings.c b/key-bindings.c
index b2d10416b..ae3eac05e 100644
--- a/key-bindings.c
+++ b/key-bindings.c
@@ -688,41 +688,21 @@ key_bindings_init(void)
 	cmdq_append(NULL, cmdq_get_callback(key_bindings_init_done, NULL));
 }
 
-static enum cmd_retval
-key_bindings_read_only(struct cmdq_item *item, __unused void *data)
-{
-	cmdq_error(item, "client is read-only");
-	return (CMD_RETURN_ERROR);
-}
-
 struct cmdq_item *
 key_bindings_dispatch(struct key_binding *bd, struct cmdq_item *item,
     struct client *c, struct key_event *event, struct cmd_find_state *fs)
 {
 	struct cmdq_item	*new_item;
 	struct cmdq_state	*new_state;
-	int			 readonly, flags = 0;
+	int			 flags = 0;
 
-	if (c == NULL || (~c->flags & CLIENT_READONLY))
-		readonly = 1;
-	else {
-#if 0 /* XXX: command parser conversion */
-		readonly = cmd_list_all_have(bd->cmdlist, CMD_READONLY);
-#else
-		readonly = 0;
-#endif
-	}
+	if (bd->flags & KEY_BINDING_REPEAT)
+		flags |= CMDQ_STATE_REPEAT;
+	new_state = cmdq_new_state(fs, event, flags);
 
-	if (!readonly)
-		new_item = cmdq_get_callback(key_bindings_read_only, NULL);
-	else {
-		if (bd->flags & KEY_BINDING_REPEAT)
-			flags |= CMDQ_STATE_REPEAT;
-		new_state = cmdq_new_state(fs, event, flags);
+	new_item = cmd_invoke_get(bd->cmd, new_state, NULL);
+	cmdq_free_state(new_state);
 
-		new_item = cmd_invoke_get(bd->cmd, new_state, NULL);
-		cmdq_free_state(new_state);
-	}
 	if (item != NULL)
 		new_item = cmdq_insert_after(item, new_item);
 	else