diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index e7156ecd975..5d34cfad5e2 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -4668,6 +4668,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "url 2.1.1",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "serde_utils"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_derive",
+ "serde_json",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "serde_yaml"
 version = "0.8.13"
@@ -5886,6 +5895,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
  "serde_derive",
  "serde_json",
+ "serde_utils",
  "serde_yaml",
  "slog",
  "swap_or_not_shuffle",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 59bf507fa50..fec48a1349c 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ members = [
     "consensus/ssz_derive",
     "consensus/ssz_types",
     "consensus/serde_hex",
+    "consensus/serde_utils",
     "consensus/state_processing",
     "consensus/swap_or_not_shuffle",
     "consensus/tree_hash",
diff --git a/consensus/serde_utils/Cargo.toml b/consensus/serde_utils/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1fb35736baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/consensus/serde_utils/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[package]
+name = "serde_utils"
+version = "0.1.0"
+authors = ["Paul Hauner <paul@paulhauner.com", "Michael Sproul <michael@sigmaprime.io>"]
+edition = "2018"
+
+[dependencies]
+serde = { version = "1.0.110", features = ["derive"] }
+serde_derive = "1.0.110"
+
+[dev-dependencies]
+serde_json = "1.0.52"
diff --git a/consensus/serde_utils/src/lib.rs b/consensus/serde_utils/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..df2b44b6243
--- /dev/null
+++ b/consensus/serde_utils/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+pub mod quoted_u64;
+pub mod quoted_u64_vec;
diff --git a/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64.rs b/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2e73a104f19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+use serde::{Deserializer, Serializer};
+use serde_derive::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
+
+/// Serde support for deserializing quoted integers.
+///
+/// Configurable so that quotes are either required or optional.
+pub struct QuotedIntVisitor<T> {
+    require_quotes: bool,
+    _phantom: PhantomData<T>,
+}
+
+impl<'a, T> serde::de::Visitor<'a> for QuotedIntVisitor<T>
+where
+    T: From<u64> + Into<u64> + Copy,
+{
+    type Value = T;
+
+    fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut std::fmt::Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        if self.require_quotes {
+            write!(formatter, "a quoted integer")
+        } else {
+            write!(formatter, "a quoted or unquoted integer")
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn visit_str<E>(self, s: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+    where
+        E: serde::de::Error,
+    {
+        s.parse::<u64>()
+            .map(T::from)
+            .map_err(serde::de::Error::custom)
+    }
+
+    fn visit_u64<E>(self, v: u64) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
+    where
+        E: serde::de::Error,
+    {
+        if self.require_quotes {
+            Err(serde::de::Error::custom(
+                "received unquoted integer when quotes are required",
+            ))
+        } else {
+            Ok(T::from(v))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Wrapper type for requiring quotes on a `u64`-like type.
+///
+/// Unlike using `serde(with = "quoted_u64::require_quotes")` this is composable, and can be nested
+/// inside types like `Option`, `Result` and `Vec`.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, Deserialize, Serialize)]
+#[serde(transparent)]
+pub struct Quoted<T>
+where
+    T: From<u64> + Into<u64> + Copy,
+{
+    #[serde(with = "require_quotes")]
+    pub value: T,
+}
+
+/// Serialize with quotes.
+pub fn serialize<S, T>(value: &T, serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+where
+    S: Serializer,
+    T: From<u64> + Into<u64> + Copy,
+{
+    let v: u64 = (*value).into();
+    serializer.serialize_str(&format!("{}", v))
+}
+
+/// Deserialize with or without quotes.
+pub fn deserialize<'de, D, T>(deserializer: D) -> Result<T, D::Error>
+where
+    D: Deserializer<'de>,
+    T: From<u64> + Into<u64> + Copy,
+{
+    deserializer.deserialize_any(QuotedIntVisitor {
+        require_quotes: false,
+        _phantom: PhantomData,
+    })
+}
+
+/// Requires quotes when deserializing.
+///
+/// Usage: `#[serde(with = "quoted_u64::require_quotes")]`.
+pub mod require_quotes {
+    pub use super::serialize;
+    use super::*;
+
+    pub fn deserialize<'de, D, T>(deserializer: D) -> Result<T, D::Error>
+    where
+        D: Deserializer<'de>,
+        T: From<u64> + Into<u64> + Copy,
+    {
+        deserializer.deserialize_any(QuotedIntVisitor {
+            require_quotes: true,
+            _phantom: PhantomData,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn require_quotes() {
+        let x = serde_json::from_str::<Quoted<u64>>("\"8\"").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(x.value, 8);
+        serde_json::from_str::<Quoted<u64>>("8").unwrap_err();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64_vec.rs b/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64_vec.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c5badee5012
--- /dev/null
+++ b/consensus/serde_utils/src/quoted_u64_vec.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+use serde::ser::SerializeSeq;
+use serde::{Deserializer, Serializer};
+use serde_derive::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(transparent)]
+pub struct QuotedIntWrapper {
+    #[serde(with = "crate::quoted_u64")]
+    int: u64,
+}
+
+pub struct QuotedIntVecVisitor;
+impl<'a> serde::de::Visitor<'a> for QuotedIntVecVisitor {
+    type Value = Vec<u64>;
+
+    fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut std::fmt::Formatter) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(formatter, "a list of quoted or unquoted integers")
+    }
+
+    fn visit_seq<A>(self, mut seq: A) -> Result<Self::Value, A::Error>
+    where
+        A: serde::de::SeqAccess<'a>,
+    {
+        let mut vec = vec![];
+
+        while let Some(val) = seq.next_element()? {
+            let val: QuotedIntWrapper = val;
+            vec.push(val.int);
+        }
+
+        Ok(vec)
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn serialize<S>(value: &[u64], serializer: S) -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+where
+    S: Serializer,
+{
+    let mut seq = serializer.serialize_seq(Some(value.len()))?;
+    for &int in value {
+        seq.serialize_element(&QuotedIntWrapper { int })?;
+    }
+    seq.end()
+}
+
+pub fn deserialize<'de, D>(deserializer: D) -> Result<Vec<u64>, D::Error>
+where
+    D: Deserializer<'de>,
+{
+    deserializer.deserialize_any(QuotedIntVecVisitor)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+    struct Obj {
+        #[serde(with = "crate::quoted_u64_vec")]
+        values: Vec<u64>,
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn quoted_list_success() {
+        let obj: Obj = serde_json::from_str(r#"{ "values": ["1", "2", "3", "4"] }"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(obj.values, vec![1, 2, 3, 4]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unquoted_list_success() {
+        let obj: Obj = serde_json::from_str(r#"{ "values": [1, 2, 3, 4] }"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(obj.values, vec![1, 2, 3, 4]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn mixed_list_success() {
+        let obj: Obj = serde_json::from_str(r#"{ "values": ["1", 2, "3", "4"] }"#).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(obj.values, vec![1, 2, 3, 4]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_list_success() {
+        let obj: Obj = serde_json::from_str(r#"{ "values": [] }"#).unwrap();
+        assert!(obj.values.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn whole_list_quoted_err() {
+        serde_json::from_str::<Obj>(r#"{ "values": "[1, 2, 3, 4]" }"#).unwrap_err();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/consensus/types/Cargo.toml b/consensus/types/Cargo.toml
index d893ff3ad03..6334eaf4a83 100644
--- a/consensus/types/Cargo.toml
+++ b/consensus/types/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ rand = "0.7.3"
 safe_arith = { path = "../safe_arith" }
 serde = "1.0.110"
 serde_derive = "1.0.110"
+serde_utils = { path = "../serde_utils" }
 slog = "2.5.2"
 eth2_ssz = "0.1.2"
 eth2_ssz_derive = "0.1.0"
diff --git a/consensus/types/src/slot_epoch.rs b/consensus/types/src/slot_epoch.rs
index 42b922cfbc2..cec17b09a5b 100644
--- a/consensus/types/src/slot_epoch.rs
+++ b/consensus/types/src/slot_epoch.rs
@@ -25,11 +25,12 @@ use std::ops::{Add, AddAssign, Div, DivAssign, Mul, MulAssign, Rem, Sub, SubAssi
 #[cfg_attr(feature = "arbitrary-fuzz", derive(arbitrary::Arbitrary))]
 #[derive(Eq, Clone, Copy, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(transparent)]
-pub struct Slot(u64);
+pub struct Slot(#[serde(with = "serde_utils::quoted_u64")] u64);
 
 #[cfg_attr(feature = "arbitrary-fuzz", derive(arbitrary::Arbitrary))]
 #[derive(Eq, Clone, Copy, Default, Serialize, Deserialize)]
-pub struct Epoch(u64);
+#[serde(transparent)]
+pub struct Epoch(#[serde(with = "serde_utils::quoted_u64")] u64);
 
 impl_common!(Slot);
 impl_common!(Epoch);
diff --git a/consensus/types/src/utils.rs b/consensus/types/src/utils.rs
index 51af86692cb..a527fc18fd1 100644
--- a/consensus/types/src/utils.rs
+++ b/consensus/types/src/utils.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 mod serde_utils;
 
-pub use serde_utils::*;
+pub use self::serde_utils::*;