diff --git a/app/controllers/watchers_controller.rb b/app/controllers/watchers_controller.rb
index b6fe5e594..a0be20faf 100644
--- a/app/controllers/watchers_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/watchers_controller.rb
@@ -33,15 +33,6 @@ class WatchersController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   def new
-    respond_to do |format|
-      format.js do
-        render :update do |page|
-          page.replace_html 'ajax-modal', :partial => 'watchers/new', :locals => {:watched => @watched}
-          page << "showModal('ajax-modal', '400px');"
-          page << "$('ajax-modal').addClassName('new-watcher');"
-        end
-      end
-    end
   end
 
   def create
@@ -53,29 +44,14 @@ class WatchersController < ApplicationController
     end
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html { redirect_to_referer_or {render :text => 'Watcher added.', :layout => true}}
-      format.js do
-        render :update do |page|
-          page.replace_html 'ajax-modal', :partial => 'watchers/new', :locals => {:watched => @watched}
-          page.replace_html 'watchers', :partial => 'watchers/watchers', :locals => {:watched => @watched}
-        end
-      end
+      format.js
     end
   end
 
   def append
     if params[:watcher].is_a?(Hash)
       user_ids = params[:watcher][:user_ids] || [params[:watcher][:user_id]]
-      users = User.active.find_all_by_id(user_ids)
-      respond_to do |format|
-        format.js do
-          render :update do |page|
-            users.each do |user|
-              page << %|$$("#issue_watcher_user_ids_#{user.id}").each(function(el){el.remove();});|
-            end
-            page.insert_html :bottom, 'watchers_inputs', :text => watchers_checkboxes(nil, users, true)
-          end
-        end
-      end
+      @users = User.active.find_all_by_id(user_ids)
     end
   end
 
@@ -83,11 +59,7 @@ class WatchersController < ApplicationController
     @watched.set_watcher(User.find(params[:user_id]), false) if request.post?
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html { redirect_to :back }
-      format.js do
-        render :update do |page|
-          page.replace_html 'watchers', :partial => 'watchers/watchers', :locals => {:watched => @watched}
-        end
-      end
+      format.js
     end
   end
 
@@ -117,12 +89,7 @@ private
     @watched.set_watcher(user, watching)
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html { redirect_to_referer_or {render :text => (watching ? 'Watcher added.' : 'Watcher removed.'), :layout => true}}
-      format.js do
-        render(:update) do |page|
-          c = watcher_css(@watched)
-          page << %|$$(".#{c}").each(function(el){el.innerHTML="#{escape_javascript watcher_link(@watched, user)}"});|
-        end
-      end
+      format.js { render :partial => 'set_watcher', :locals => {:user => user, :watched => @watched} }
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/_set_watcher.js.erb b/app/views/watchers/_set_watcher.js.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4f2a4318b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/watchers/_set_watcher.js.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+<% selector = ".#{watcher_css(watched)}" %>
+$$("<%= selector %>").each(function(el){el.update("<%= escape_javascript watcher_link(watched, user) %>")});
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/append.js.erb b/app/views/watchers/append.js.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b5bde1e6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/watchers/append.js.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+<% @users.each do |user| %>
+  $$("#issue_watcher_user_ids_<%= user.id %>").each(function(el){el.remove();});
+<% end %>
+Element.insert('watchers_inputs', '<%= escape_javascript(watchers_checkboxes(nil, @users, true)) %>');
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/create.js.erb b/app/views/watchers/create.js.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d18152b76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/watchers/create.js.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Element.update('ajax-modal', '<%= escape_javascript(render(:partial => 'watchers/new', :locals => {:watched => @watched})) %>');
+Element.update('watchers', '<%= escape_javascript(render(:partial => 'watchers/watchers', :locals => {:watched => @watched})) %>');
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/destroy.js.erb b/app/views/watchers/destroy.js.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4c3bb1930
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/watchers/destroy.js.erb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Element.update('watchers', '<%= escape_javascript(render(:partial => 'watchers/watchers', :locals => {:watched => @watched})) %>');
diff --git a/app/views/watchers/new.js.erb b/app/views/watchers/new.js.erb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c89dd1c95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/watchers/new.js.erb
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Element.update('ajax-modal', '<%= escape_javascript(render :partial => 'watchers/new', :locals => {:watched => @watched}) %>');
+showModal('ajax-modal', '400px');
+$('ajax-modal').addClassName('new-watcher');
diff --git a/test/functional/watchers_controller_test.rb b/test/functional/watchers_controller_test.rb
index bef8aae9b..91324edf0 100644
--- a/test/functional/watchers_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/functional/watchers_controller_test.rb
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     @request.session[:user_id] = 2
     xhr :get, :new, :object_type => 'issue', :object_id => '2'
     assert_response :success
-    assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'ajax-modal'
+    assert_match /ajax-modal/, response.body
   end
 
   def test_new_for_new_record_with_id
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     xhr :get, :new, :project_id => 1
     assert_response :success
     assert_equal Project.find(1), assigns(:project)
-    assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'ajax-modal'
+    assert_match /ajax-modal/, response.body
   end
 
   def test_new_for_new_record_with_identifier
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     xhr :get, :new, :project_id => 'ecookbook'
     assert_response :success
     assert_equal Project.find(1), assigns(:project)
-    assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'ajax-modal'
+    assert_match /ajax-modal/, response.body
   end
 
   def test_create
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_difference('Watcher.count') do
       xhr :post, :create, :object_type => 'issue', :object_id => '2', :watcher => {:user_id => '4'}
       assert_response :success
-      assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'watchers'
-      assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'ajax-modal'
+      assert_match /watchers/, response.body
+      assert_match /ajax-modal/, response.body
     end
     assert Issue.find(2).watched_by?(User.find(4))
   end
@@ -116,8 +116,8 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_difference('Watcher.count', 2) do
       xhr :post, :create, :object_type => 'issue', :object_id => '2', :watcher => {:user_ids => ['4', '7']}
       assert_response :success
-      assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'watchers'
-      assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'ajax-modal'
+      assert_match /watchers/, response.body
+      assert_match /ajax-modal/, response.body
     end
     assert Issue.find(2).watched_by?(User.find(4))
     assert Issue.find(2).watched_by?(User.find(7))
@@ -148,10 +148,8 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_no_difference 'Watcher.count' do
       xhr :post, :append, :watcher => {:user_ids => ['4', '7']}
       assert_response :success
-      assert_select_rjs :insert_html, 'watchers_inputs' do
-        assert_select 'input[name=?][value=4]', 'issue[watcher_user_ids][]'
-        assert_select 'input[name=?][value=7]', 'issue[watcher_user_ids][]'
-      end
+      assert_include 'watchers_inputs', response.body
+      assert_include 'issue[watcher_user_ids][]', response.body
     end
   end
 
@@ -160,7 +158,7 @@ class WatchersControllerTest < ActionController::TestCase
     assert_difference('Watcher.count', -1) do
       xhr :post, :destroy, :object_type => 'issue', :object_id => '2', :user_id => '3'
       assert_response :success
-      assert_select_rjs :replace_html, 'watchers'
+      assert_match /watchers/, response.body
     end
     assert !Issue.find(2).watched_by?(User.find(3))
   end