diff --git a/src/xterm.js b/src/xterm.js
index 39b4eb16..9afc08fd 100644
--- a/src/xterm.js
+++ b/src/xterm.js
@@ -438,6 +438,7 @@
       this.queue = '';
       this.scrollTop = 0;
       this.scrollBottom = this.rows - 1;
+      this.customKeydownHandler = null;
 
       // modes
       this.applicationKeypad = false;
@@ -2648,6 +2649,18 @@
       this.write(data + '\r\n');
     };
 
+    /**
+     * Attaches a custom keydown handler which is run before keys are processed, giving consumers of
+     * xterm.js ultimate control as to what keys should be processed by the terminal and what keys
+     * should not.
+     * @param {function} customKeydownHandler The custom KeyboardEvent handler to attach. This is a
+     *   function that takes a KeyboardEvent, allowing consumers to stop propogation and/or prevent
+     *   the default action. The function returns whether the event should be processed by xterm.js.
+     */
+    Terminal.prototype.attachCustomKeydownHandler = function(customKeydownHandler) {
+      this.customKeydownHandler = customKeydownHandler;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Handle a keydown event
      * Key Resources:
@@ -2655,6 +2668,10 @@
      * @param {KeyboardEvent} ev The keydown event to be handled.
      */
     Terminal.prototype.keyDown = function(ev) {
+      if (this.customKeydownHandler && this.customKeydownHandler(ev) === false) {
+        return false;
+      }
+
       if (!this.compositionHelper.keydown.bind(this.compositionHelper)(ev)) {
         return false;
       }
diff --git a/test/test.js b/test/test.js
index efa25095..d2842f81 100644
--- a/test/test.js
+++ b/test/test.js
@@ -57,6 +57,39 @@ describe('xterm.js', function() {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('attachCustomEventHandler', function () {
+    var evKeyDown = {
+      preventDefault: function() {},
+      stopPropagation: function() {},
+      type: 'keydown'
+    }
+
+    beforeEach(function() {
+      xterm.handler = function() {};
+      xterm.showCursor = function() {};
+      xterm.clearSelection = function() {};
+      xterm.compositionHelper = {
+        keydown: {
+          bind: function() {
+            return function () { return true; }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should process the keydown event based on what the handler returns', function () {
+      assert.equal(xterm.keyDown(Object.assign({}, evKeyDown, { keyCode: 77 })), true);
+      xterm.attachCustomKeydownHandler(function (ev) {
+        return ev.keyCode === 77;
+      });
+      assert.equal(xterm.keyDown(Object.assign({}, evKeyDown, { keyCode: 77 })), true);
+      xterm.attachCustomKeydownHandler(function (ev) {
+        return ev.keyCode !== 77;
+      });
+      assert.equal(xterm.keyDown(Object.assign({}, evKeyDown, { keyCode: 77 })), false);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('evaluateCopiedTextProcessing', function () {
     it('should strip trailing whitespaces and replace nbsps with spaces', function () {
 			var nonBreakingSpace = String.fromCharCode(160),