diff --git a/src/sentry_database.c b/src/sentry_database.c
index 778bd639b..c1d823179 100644
--- a/src/sentry_database.c
+++ b/src/sentry_database.c
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ bool
 sentry__run_write_session(
     const sentry_run_t *run, const sentry_session_t *session)
 {
-    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new_in_memory();
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(NULL);
     if (!jw) {
         return false;
     }
diff --git a/src/sentry_envelope.c b/src/sentry_envelope.c
index f9ba5ff2a..7bd621c0d 100644
--- a/src/sentry_envelope.c
+++ b/src/sentry_envelope.c
@@ -212,11 +212,17 @@ sentry__envelope_add_event(sentry_envelope_t *envelope, sentry_value_t event)
         return NULL;
     }
 
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(NULL);
+    if (!jw) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     sentry_value_t event_id = sentry__ensure_event_id(event, NULL);
 
     item->event = event;
-    item->payload = sentry_value_to_json(event);
-    item->payload_len = strlen(item->payload);
+    sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, event);
+    item->payload = sentry__jsonwriter_into_string(jw, &item->payload_len);
+
     sentry__envelope_item_set_header(
         item, "type", sentry_value_new_string("event"));
     sentry_value_t length = sentry_value_new_int32((int32_t)item->payload_len);
@@ -235,7 +241,7 @@ sentry__envelope_add_session(
     if (!envelope || !session) {
         return NULL;
     }
-    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new_in_memory();
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(NULL);
     if (!jw) {
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -281,20 +287,27 @@ static void
 sentry__envelope_serialize_headers_into_stringbuilder(
     const sentry_envelope_t *envelope, sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb)
 {
-    char *buf = sentry_value_to_json(envelope->contents.items.headers);
-    sentry__stringbuilder_append(sb, buf);
-    sentry_free(buf);
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(sb);
+    if (jw) {
+        sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, envelope->contents.items.headers);
+        sentry__jsonwriter_free(jw);
+    }
 }
 
 static void
 sentry__envelope_serialize_item_into_stringbuilder(
     const sentry_envelope_item_t *item, sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb)
 {
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(sb);
+    if (!jw) {
+        return;
+    }
     sentry__stringbuilder_append_char(sb, '\n');
-    char *buf = sentry_value_to_json(item->headers);
-    sentry__stringbuilder_append(sb, buf);
+
+    sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, item->headers);
+    sentry__jsonwriter_free(jw);
+
     sentry__stringbuilder_append_char(sb, '\n');
-    sentry_free(buf);
 
     sentry__stringbuilder_append_buf(sb, item->payload, item->payload_len);
 }
diff --git a/src/sentry_json.c b/src/sentry_json.c
index 549a4af94..df5e85de7 100644
--- a/src/sentry_json.c
+++ b/src/sentry_json.c
@@ -11,35 +11,36 @@
 #include "sentry_utils.h"
 #include "sentry_value.h"
 
-#define DST_MODE_SB 1
-
 struct sentry_jsonwriter_s {
-    union {
-        sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb;
-    } dst;
+    sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb;
     uint64_t want_comma;
     uint32_t depth;
     bool last_was_key;
-    char dst_mode;
+    bool owns_sb;
 };
 
 sentry_jsonwriter_t *
-sentry__jsonwriter_new_in_memory(void)
+sentry__jsonwriter_new(sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb)
 {
-    sentry_jsonwriter_t *rv = SENTRY_MAKE(sentry_jsonwriter_t);
-    if (!rv) {
+    bool owns_sb = false;
+    if (!sb) {
+        sb = SENTRY_MAKE(sentry_stringbuilder_t);
+        owns_sb = true;
+        sentry__stringbuilder_init(sb);
+    }
+    if (!sb) {
         return NULL;
     }
-    rv->dst.sb = SENTRY_MAKE(sentry_stringbuilder_t);
-    if (!rv->dst.sb) {
-        sentry_free(rv);
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *rv = SENTRY_MAKE(sentry_jsonwriter_t);
+    if (!rv) {
         return NULL;
     }
-    sentry__stringbuilder_init(rv->dst.sb);
-    rv->dst_mode = DST_MODE_SB;
+
+    rv->sb = sb;
     rv->want_comma = 0;
     rv->depth = 0;
     rv->last_was_key = 0;
+    rv->owns_sb = owns_sb;
     return rv;
 }
 
@@ -49,42 +50,22 @@ sentry__jsonwriter_free(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw)
     if (!jw) {
         return;
     }
-    switch (jw->dst_mode) {
-    case DST_MODE_SB:
-        sentry__stringbuilder_cleanup(jw->dst.sb);
-        sentry_free(jw->dst.sb);
-        break;
+    if (jw->owns_sb) {
+        sentry__stringbuilder_cleanup(jw->sb);
+        sentry_free(jw->sb);
     }
     sentry_free(jw);
 }
 
-size_t
-sentry__jsonwriter_get_length(const sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw)
-{
-    switch (jw->dst_mode) {
-    case DST_MODE_SB: {
-        const sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb = jw->dst.sb;
-        return sb->len;
-    }
-    default:
-        return 0;
-    }
-}
-
 char *
 sentry__jsonwriter_into_string(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, size_t *len_out)
 {
     char *rv = NULL;
-    switch (jw->dst_mode) {
-    case DST_MODE_SB: {
-        sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb = jw->dst.sb;
-        if (len_out) {
-            *len_out = sb->len;
-        }
-        rv = sentry__stringbuilder_into_string(sb);
-        break;
-    }
+    sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb = jw->sb;
+    if (len_out) {
+        *len_out = sb->len;
     }
+    rv = sentry__stringbuilder_into_string(sb);
     sentry__jsonwriter_free(jw);
     return rv;
 }
@@ -111,19 +92,13 @@ set_comma(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, bool val)
 static void
 write_char(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, char c)
 {
-    switch (jw->dst_mode) {
-    case DST_MODE_SB:
-        sentry__stringbuilder_append_char(jw->dst.sb, c);
-    }
+    sentry__stringbuilder_append_char(jw->sb, c);
 }
 
 static void
 write_str(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, const char *str)
 {
-    switch (jw->dst_mode) {
-    case DST_MODE_SB:
-        sentry__stringbuilder_append(jw->dst.sb, str);
-    }
+    sentry__stringbuilder_append(jw->sb, str);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/src/sentry_json.h b/src/sentry_json.h
index d3e533278..1ff9a11c7 100644
--- a/src/sentry_json.h
+++ b/src/sentry_json.h
@@ -3,13 +3,16 @@
 
 #include "sentry_boot.h"
 
-struct sentry_jsonwriter_s;
+typedef struct sentry_stringbuilder_s sentry_stringbuilder_t;
 typedef struct sentry_jsonwriter_s sentry_jsonwriter_t;
 
 /**
- * This creates a new in-memory JSON writer, based on `sentry_stringbuilder_s`.
+ * This creates a new JSON writer.
+ *
+ * It will use an existing `sentry_stringbuilder_t` as its output if one is
+ * provided, otherwise it will allocate a new one.
  */
-sentry_jsonwriter_t *sentry__jsonwriter_new_in_memory(void);
+sentry_jsonwriter_t *sentry__jsonwriter_new(sentry_stringbuilder_t *sb);
 
 /**
  * Deallocates a JSON writer.
diff --git a/src/sentry_value.c b/src/sentry_value.c
index 233e39b70..95158c9c5 100644
--- a/src/sentry_value.c
+++ b/src/sentry_value.c
@@ -794,8 +794,8 @@ sentry_value_is_null(sentry_value_t value)
     return value._bits == CONST_NULL;
 }
 
-static void
-value_to_json(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value)
+void
+sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value)
 {
     switch (sentry_value_get_type(value)) {
     case SENTRY_VALUE_TYPE_NULL:
@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ value_to_json(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value)
         const list_t *l = value_as_thing(value)->payload._ptr;
         sentry__jsonwriter_write_list_start(jw);
         for (size_t i = 0; i < l->len; i++) {
-            value_to_json(jw, l->items[i]);
+            sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, l->items[i]);
         }
         sentry__jsonwriter_write_list_end(jw);
         break;
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ value_to_json(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value)
         sentry__jsonwriter_write_object_start(jw);
         for (size_t i = 0; i < o->len; i++) {
             sentry__jsonwriter_write_key(jw, o->pairs[i].k);
-            value_to_json(jw, o->pairs[i].v);
+            sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, o->pairs[i].v);
         }
         sentry__jsonwriter_write_object_end(jw);
         break;
@@ -838,8 +838,11 @@ value_to_json(sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value)
 char *
 sentry_value_to_json(sentry_value_t value)
 {
-    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new_in_memory();
-    value_to_json(jw, value);
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw = sentry__jsonwriter_new(NULL);
+    if (!jw) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(jw, value);
     return sentry__jsonwriter_into_string(jw, NULL);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/sentry_value.h b/src/sentry_value.h
index d591b9369..375cb70ca 100644
--- a/src/sentry_value.h
+++ b/src/sentry_value.h
@@ -80,4 +80,12 @@ int sentry__value_append_bounded(
  */
 sentry_value_t sentry__value_from_json(const char *buf, size_t buflen);
 
+typedef struct sentry_jsonwriter_s sentry_jsonwriter_t;
+
+/**
+ * Writes the given `value` into the `jsonwriter`.
+ */
+void sentry__jsonwriter_write_value(
+    sentry_jsonwriter_t *jw, sentry_value_t value);
+
 #endif