diff --git a/client.js b/client.js
index 6308a4a..bdff48e 100644
--- a/client.js
+++ b/client.js
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ Tracker.prototype._handleResponse = function (requestUrl, data) {
   } else if (requestUrl === self._scrapeUrl) {
     // NOTE: the unofficial spec says to use the 'files' key but i've seen 'host' in practice
     data = data.files || data.host || {}
-    data = data[common.bytewiseEncodeURIComponent(self.client._infoHash)]
+    data = data[self.client._infoHash.toString('binary')]
 
     if (!data) {
       self.client.emit('warning', new Error('invalid scrape response'))
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 7080d66..4af193f 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -94,11 +94,19 @@ Server.prototype.close = function (cb) {
   }
 }
 
-Server.prototype._getSwarm = function (infoHash) {
+Server.prototype.getSwarm = function (infoHash) {
   var self = this
-  var swarm = self.torrents[infoHash]
+  var binaryInfoHash = Buffer.isBuffer(infoHash)
+    ? infoHash.toString('binary')
+    : new Buffer(infoHash, 'hex').toString('binary')
+  return self._getSwarm(binaryInfoHash)
+}
+
+Server.prototype._getSwarm = function (binaryInfoHash) {
+  var self = this
+  var swarm = self.torrents[binaryInfoHash]
   if (!swarm) {
-    swarm = self.torrents[infoHash] = {
+    swarm = self.torrents[binaryInfoHash] = {
       complete: 0,
       incomplete: 0,
       peers: {}
@@ -116,13 +124,13 @@ Server.prototype._onHttpRequest = function (req, res) {
 
   if (s[0] === '/announce') {
     var infoHash = typeof params.info_hash === 'string' &&
-      common.bytewiseDecodeURIComponent(params.info_hash).toString('hex')
+      common.bytewiseDecodeURIComponent(params.info_hash).toString('binary')
     var port = Number(params.port)
     var peerId = typeof params.peer_id === 'string' &&
       common.bytewiseDecodeURIComponent(params.peer_id).toString('utf8')
 
     if (!infoHash) return error('invalid info_hash')
-    if (infoHash.length !== 40) return error('invalid info_hash')
+    if (infoHash.length !== 20) return error('invalid info_hash')
     if (!port) return error('invalid port')
     if (!peerId) return error('invalid peer_id')
 
@@ -222,9 +230,7 @@ Server.prototype._onHttpRequest = function (req, res) {
       params.info_hash = [ params.info_hash ]
     } else if (params.info_hash == null) {
       // if info_hash param is omitted, stats for all torrents are returned
-      params.info_hash = Object.keys(self.torrents).map(function (infoHashHex) {
-        return common.bytewiseEncodeURIComponent(new Buffer(infoHashHex, 'hex'))
-      })
+      params.info_hash = Object.keys(self.torrents)
     }
 
     if (!Array.isArray(params.info_hash)) return error('invalid info_hash')
@@ -237,13 +243,13 @@ Server.prototype._onHttpRequest = function (req, res) {
     }
 
     params.info_hash.some(function (infoHash) {
-      var infoHashHex = common.bytewiseDecodeURIComponent(infoHash).toString('hex')
-      if (infoHashHex.length !== 40) {
+      infoHash = common.bytewiseDecodeURIComponent(infoHash).toString('binary')
+      if (infoHash.length !== 20) {
         error('invalid info_hash')
         return true // early return
       }
 
-      var swarm = self._getSwarm(infoHashHex)
+      var swarm = self._getSwarm(infoHash)
 
       response.files[infoHash] = {
         complete: swarm.complete,
@@ -297,7 +303,7 @@ Server.prototype._onUdpRequest = function (msg, rinfo) {
       connectionId
     ]))
   } else if (action === common.ACTIONS.ANNOUNCE) {
-    var infoHash = msg.slice(16, 36).toString('hex') // 20 bytes
+    var infoHash = msg.slice(16, 36).toString('binary') // 20 bytes
     var peerId = msg.slice(36, 56).toString('utf8') // 20 bytes
     var downloaded = fromUInt64(msg.slice(56, 64))
     var left = fromUInt64(msg.slice(64, 72))
@@ -405,7 +411,7 @@ Server.prototype._onUdpRequest = function (msg, rinfo) {
     ]))
 
   } else if (action === common.ACTIONS.SCRAPE) { // scrape message
-    var infoHash = msg.slice(16, 36).toString('hex') // 20 bytes
+    var infoHash = msg.slice(16, 36).toString('binary') // 20 bytes
 
     // TODO: support multiple info_hash scrape
     if (msg.length > 36) {
diff --git a/test/scrape.js b/test/scrape.js
index 8ce7b7f..cce5a22 100644
--- a/test/scrape.js
+++ b/test/scrape.js
@@ -14,16 +14,19 @@ var infoHash1 = 'aaa67059ed6bd08362da625b3ae77f6f4a075aaa'
 var encodedInfoHash1 = common.bytewiseEncodeURIComponent(
   new Buffer(infoHash1, 'hex')
 )
+var binaryinfoHash1 = new Buffer(infoHash1, 'hex').toString('binary')
 var infoHash2 = 'bbb67059ed6bd08362da625b3ae77f6f4a075bbb'
 var encodedInfoHash2 = common.bytewiseEncodeURIComponent(
   new Buffer(infoHash2, 'hex')
 )
+var binaryinfoHash2 = new Buffer(infoHash2, 'hex').toString('binary')
 
 var bitlove = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/torrents/bitlove-intro.torrent')
 var parsedBitlove = parseTorrent(bitlove)
 var encodedBitlove = common.bytewiseEncodeURIComponent(
   new Buffer(parsedBitlove.infoHash, 'hex')
 )
+var binaryBitlove = new Buffer(parsedBitlove.infoHash, 'hex').toString('binary')
 var peerId = new Buffer('01234567890123456789')
 
 test('server: single info_hash scrape', function (t) {
@@ -50,10 +53,10 @@ test('server: single info_hash scrape', function (t) {
           data = bencode.decode(data)
           t.ok(data.files)
           t.equal(Object.keys(data.files).length, 1)
-          t.ok(data.files[encodedInfoHash1])
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].complete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].incomplete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].downloaded, 'number')
+          t.ok(data.files[binaryinfoHash1])
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].complete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].incomplete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].downloaded, 'number')
 
           server.close(function () {
             t.end()
@@ -91,15 +94,15 @@ test('server: multiple info_hash scrape', function (t) {
           t.ok(data.files)
           t.equal(Object.keys(data.files).length, 2)
 
-          t.ok(data.files[encodedInfoHash1])
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].complete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].incomplete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash1].downloaded, 'number')
+          t.ok(data.files[binaryinfoHash1])
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].complete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].incomplete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash1].downloaded, 'number')
 
-          t.ok(data.files[encodedInfoHash2])
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash2].complete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash2].incomplete, 'number')
-          t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedInfoHash2].downloaded, 'number')
+          t.ok(data.files[binaryinfoHash2])
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash2].complete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash2].incomplete, 'number')
+          t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryinfoHash2].downloaded, 'number')
 
           server.close(function () {
             t.end()
@@ -149,10 +152,10 @@ test('server: all info_hash scrape', function (t) {
             t.ok(data.files)
             t.equal(Object.keys(data.files).length, 1)
 
-            t.ok(data.files[encodedBitlove])
-            t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedBitlove].complete, 'number')
-            t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedBitlove].incomplete, 'number')
-            t.equal(typeof data.files[encodedBitlove].downloaded, 'number')
+            t.ok(data.files[binaryBitlove])
+            t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryBitlove].complete, 'number')
+            t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryBitlove].incomplete, 'number')
+            t.equal(typeof data.files[binaryBitlove].downloaded, 'number')
 
             client.stop()
             server.close(function () {
diff --git a/test/server.js b/test/server.js
index 87ba2d8..fb68848 100644
--- a/test/server.js
+++ b/test/server.js
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ test('http server', function (t) {
       t.equal(data.incomplete, 1)
 
       t.equal(Object.keys(server.torrents).length, 1)
-      t.equal(server.torrents[infoHash].complete, 0)
-      t.equal(server.torrents[infoHash].incomplete, 1)
-      t.equal(Object.keys(server.torrents[infoHash].peers).length, 1)
-      t.deepEqual(server.torrents[infoHash].peers['127.0.0.1:6881'], {
+      t.equal(server.getSwarm(infoHash).complete, 0)
+      t.equal(server.getSwarm(infoHash).incomplete, 1)
+      t.equal(Object.keys(server.getSwarm(infoHash).peers).length, 1)
+      t.deepEqual(server.getSwarm(infoHash).peers['127.0.0.1:6881'], {
         ip: '127.0.0.1',
         port: 6881,
         peerId: peerId
diff --git a/test/udp-server.js b/test/udp-server.js
index c06a6ec..af03bb9 100644
--- a/test/udp-server.js
+++ b/test/udp-server.js
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ test('udp server', function (t) {
       t.equal(data.incomplete, 1)
 
       t.equal(Object.keys(server.torrents).length, 1)
-      t.equal(server.torrents[infoHash].complete, 0)
-      t.equal(server.torrents[infoHash].incomplete, 1)
-      t.equal(Object.keys(server.torrents[infoHash].peers).length, 1)
-      t.deepEqual(server.torrents[infoHash].peers['127.0.0.1:6881'], {
+      t.equal(server.getSwarm(infoHash).complete, 0)
+      t.equal(server.getSwarm(infoHash).incomplete, 1)
+      t.equal(Object.keys(server.getSwarm(infoHash).peers).length, 1)
+      t.deepEqual(server.getSwarm(infoHash).peers['127.0.0.1:6881'], {
         ip: '127.0.0.1',
         port: 6881,
         peerId: peerId