diff --git a/src/modules/kvs/kvs.c b/src/modules/kvs/kvs.c
index 5cbc847220ce..63a1024c627c 100644
--- a/src/modules/kvs/kvs.c
+++ b/src/modules/kvs/kvs.c
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ typedef struct {
     href_t newroot;
 } fence_t;
 
-static int setroot_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names);
+static int setroot_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names,
+                               json_object *ops);
 static int error_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names, int errnum);
 void commit_prep_cb (flux_reactor_t *r, flux_watcher_t *w,
                      int revents, void *arg);
@@ -604,7 +605,7 @@ static void commit_apply_fence (fence_t *f)
                       count, opcount);
         }
         setroot (ctx, f->newroot, ctx->rootseq + 1);
-        setroot_event_send (ctx, f->names);
+        setroot_event_send (ctx, f->names, f->ops);
     } else {
         flux_log (ctx->h, LOG_ERR, "commit failed: %s",
                   flux_strerror (f->errnum));
@@ -1513,6 +1514,7 @@ static void setroot_event_cb (flux_t h, flux_msg_handler_t *w,
     const char *rootdir;
     JSON root = NULL;
     JSON names = NULL;
+    JSON keys = NULL;
 
     if (flux_event_decode (msg, NULL, &json_str) < 0) {
         flux_log_error (ctx->h, "%s: flux_event_decode", __FUNCTION__);
@@ -1523,7 +1525,7 @@ static void setroot_event_cb (flux_t h, flux_msg_handler_t *w,
         flux_log_error (ctx->h, "%s: json decode", __FUNCTION__);
         goto done;
     }
-    if (kp_tsetroot_dec (out, &rootseq, &rootdir, &root, &names) < 0) {
+    if (kp_tsetroot_dec (out, &rootseq, &rootdir, &root, &names, &keys) < 0) {
         flux_log_error (ctx->h, "%s: kp_tsetroot_dec", __FUNCTION__);
         goto done;
     }
@@ -1551,18 +1553,57 @@ static void setroot_event_cb (flux_t h, flux_msg_handler_t *w,
     Jput (out);
 }
 
-static int setroot_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names)
+static bool key_is_duplicate (json_object *keys, const char *key)
+{
+    int i, len;
+    const char *k;
+    if (Jget_ar_len (keys, &len)) {
+        for (i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+            if (Jget_ar_str (keys, i, &k) && !strcmp (k, key))
+                return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+static json_object *ops_to_keys (json_object *ops)
+{
+    int i, len;
+    JSON keys = Jnew_ar();
+
+    if (!Jget_ar_len (ops, &len))
+        goto error;
+    for (i = 0; i < len; i++) {
+        JSON op;
+        const char *key;
+        if (!Jget_ar_obj (ops, i, &op) || !Jget_str (op, "key", &key))
+            goto error;
+        if (!key_is_duplicate (keys, key))
+            Jadd_ar_str (keys, key);
+    }
+    return keys;
+error:
+    Jput (keys);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+static int setroot_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names, json_object *ops)
 {
     JSON in = NULL;
     JSON root = NULL;
+    JSON keys = NULL;
     flux_msg_t *msg = NULL;
     int rc = -1;
 
+    if (!(keys = ops_to_keys (ops))) {
+        errno = EINVAL;
+        goto done;
+    }
     if (event_includes_rootdir) {
         bool stall = !load (ctx, ctx->rootdir, NULL, &root);
         FASSERT (ctx->h, stall == false);
     }
-    if (!(in = kp_tsetroot_enc (ctx->rootseq, ctx->rootdir, root, names)))
+    if (!(in = kp_tsetroot_enc (ctx->rootseq, ctx->rootdir, root, names, keys)))
         goto done;
     if (!(msg = flux_event_encode ("kvs.setroot", Jtostr (in))))
         goto done;
@@ -1571,6 +1612,7 @@ static int setroot_event_send (ctx_t *ctx, json_object *names)
     rc = 0;
 done:
     Jput (in);
+    Jput (keys);
     flux_msg_destroy (msg);
     return rc;
 }
diff --git a/src/modules/kvs/proto.c b/src/modules/kvs/proto.c
index 4bc9d1e69e57..5e1de541a8b1 100644
--- a/src/modules/kvs/proto.c
+++ b/src/modules/kvs/proto.c
@@ -271,12 +271,13 @@ int kp_rgetroot_dec (JSON o, int *rootseq, const char **rootdir)
  */
 
 JSON kp_tsetroot_enc (int rootseq, const char *rootdir, JSON root,
-                      JSON names)
+                      JSON names, JSON keys)
 {
     JSON o = NULL;
     int n;
 
-    if (!rootdir || !names || !Jget_ar_len (names, &n) || n < 1) {
+    if (!rootdir || !names || !keys
+                 || !Jget_ar_len (names, &n) || n < 1) {
         errno = EINVAL;
         goto done;
     }
@@ -284,6 +285,7 @@ JSON kp_tsetroot_enc (int rootseq, const char *rootdir, JSON root,
     Jadd_int (o, "rootseq", rootseq);
     Jadd_str (o, "rootdir", rootdir);
     Jadd_obj (o, "names", names);         /* takes a ref */
+    Jadd_obj (o, "keys", keys);           /* takes a ref */
     if (root)
         Jadd_obj (o, "rootdirval", root); /* takes a ref */
 done:
@@ -291,16 +293,16 @@ JSON kp_tsetroot_enc (int rootseq, const char *rootdir, JSON root,
 }
 
 int kp_tsetroot_dec (JSON o, int *rootseq, const char **rootdir,
-                     JSON *root, JSON *names)
+                     JSON *root, JSON *names, JSON *keys)
 {
     int rc = -1;
 
-    if (!o || !rootseq || !rootdir || !root || !names) {
+    if (!o || !rootseq || !rootdir || !root || !names | !keys) {
         errno = EINVAL;
         goto done;
     }
     if (!Jget_int (o, "rootseq", rootseq) || !Jget_str (o, "rootdir", rootdir)
-                                          || !Jget_obj (o, "names", names)) {
+         || !Jget_obj (o, "names", names) || !Jget_obj (o, "keys", keys)) {
         errno = EPROTO;
         goto done;
     }
diff --git a/src/modules/kvs/proto.h b/src/modules/kvs/proto.h
index 03ab7f001d5e..09e0146adbef 100644
--- a/src/modules/kvs/proto.h
+++ b/src/modules/kvs/proto.h
@@ -50,9 +50,11 @@ int kp_rgetroot_dec (json_object *o, int *rootseq, const char **rootdir);
 /* kvs.setroot (event)
  */
 json_object *kp_tsetroot_enc (int rootseq, const char *rootdir,
-                              json_object *root, json_object *names);
+                              json_object *root, json_object *names,
+                              json_object *keys);
 int kp_tsetroot_dec (json_object *o, int *rootseq, const char **rootdir,
-                     json_object **root, json_object **names);
+                     json_object **root, json_object **names,
+                     json_object **keys);
 
 /* kvs.error (event)
  */
diff --git a/src/modules/kvs/test/proto.c b/src/modules/kvs/test/proto.c
index e6c3acadcf41..65f7e8057f73 100644
--- a/src/modules/kvs/test/proto.c
+++ b/src/modules/kvs/test/proto.c
@@ -138,20 +138,25 @@ void test_setroot (void)
     JSON o;
     const char *rootdir, *name;
     int rootseq;
-    JSON root, names;
+    const char *key;
+    JSON root, names, keys;
 
     names = Jnew_ar ();
     Jadd_ar_str (names, "foo");
-    ok ((o = kp_tsetroot_enc (42, "abc", NULL, names)) != NULL,
+    keys = Jnew_ar ();
+    Jadd_ar_str (keys, "a.b.c");
+    ok ((o = kp_tsetroot_enc (42, "abc", NULL, names, keys)) != NULL,
         "kp_tsetroot_enc works");
     Jput (names);
+    Jput (keys);
 
     diag ("setroot: %s", Jtostr (o));
 
-    ok (kp_tsetroot_dec (o, &rootseq, &rootdir, &root, &names) == 0
+    ok (kp_tsetroot_dec (o, &rootseq, &rootdir, &root, &names, &keys) == 0
         && rootseq == 42 && rootdir != NULL && !strcmp (rootdir, "abc")
         && root == NULL && names != NULL && Jget_ar_str (names, 0, &name)
-        && !strcmp (name, "foo"),
+        && keys != NULL && Jget_ar_str (keys, 0, &key)
+        && !strcmp (key, "a.b.c"),
         "kp_tsetroot_dec works");
     Jput (o);
 }