diff --git a/swift/common/middleware/staticweb.py b/swift/common/middleware/staticweb.py
index 9638514da8..24199c9142 100644
--- a/swift/common/middleware/staticweb.py
+++ b/swift/common/middleware/staticweb.py
@@ -387,6 +387,8 @@ class StaticWeb(object):
         """
         self._get_container_info(env, start_response)
         if not self._listings and not self._index:
+            if env.get('HTTP_X_WEB_MODE', 'f').lower() in TRUE_VALUES:
+                return HTTPNotFound()(env, start_response)
             return self.app(env, start_response)
         if env['PATH_INFO'][-1] != '/':
             resp = HTTPMovedPermanently(
diff --git a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_staticweb.py b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_staticweb.py
index 260d78e1b2..9c84835207 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_staticweb.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_staticweb.py
@@ -355,6 +355,16 @@ class TestStaticWeb(unittest.TestCase):
         resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c1').get_response(self.test_staticweb)
         self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 401)
 
+    def test_container1_web_mode_explicitly_off(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c1',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'false'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 401)
+
+    def test_container1_web_mode_explicitly_on(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c1',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'true'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 404)
+
     def test_container2(self):
         resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c2').get_response(self.test_staticweb)
         self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 200)
@@ -362,6 +372,19 @@ class TestStaticWeb(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEquals(len(resp.body.split('\n')),
                           int(resp.headers['x-container-object-count']))
 
+    def test_container2_web_mode_explicitly_off(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c2',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'false'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 200)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.content_type, 'text/plain')
+        self.assertEquals(len(resp.body.split('\n')),
+                          int(resp.headers['x-container-object-count']))
+
+    def test_container2_web_mode_explicitly_on(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c2',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'true'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 404)
+
     def test_container2onetxt(self):
         resp = Request.blank(
                 '/v1/a/c2/one.txt').get_response(self.test_staticweb)
@@ -375,6 +398,19 @@ class TestStaticWeb(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEquals(len(json.loads(resp.body)),
                           int(resp.headers['x-container-object-count']))
 
+    def test_container2json_web_mode_explicitly_off(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c2?format=json',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'false'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 200)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.content_type, 'application/json')
+        self.assertEquals(len(json.loads(resp.body)),
+                          int(resp.headers['x-container-object-count']))
+
+    def test_container2json_web_mode_explicitly_on(self):
+        resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c2?format=json',
+            headers={'x-web-mode': 'true'}).get_response(self.test_staticweb)
+        self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 404)
+
     def test_container3(self):
         resp = Request.blank('/v1/a/c3').get_response(self.test_staticweb)
         self.assertEquals(resp.status_int, 301)