diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts b/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
index 90031d261e..904c971c1d 100644
--- a/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
@@ -223,10 +223,9 @@ export default class Attribute {
 				);
 			}
 		} else {
-		const value =
-			this.value === true
+			const value = this.value === true
 				? 'true'
-				: this.value.length === 0 ? `''` : stringify(this.value[0].data);
+				: this.value.length === 0 ? `""` : stringify(this.value[0].data);
 
 			const statement = (
 				isLegacyInputType
diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/Component.ts b/src/generators/nodes/Component.ts
index bababef766..83bf02614e 100644
--- a/src/generators/nodes/Component.ts
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/Component.ts
@@ -1,21 +1,14 @@
 import deindent from '../../utils/deindent';
-import { stringify } from '../../utils/stringify';
 import stringifyProps from '../../utils/stringifyProps';
 import CodeBuilder from '../../utils/CodeBuilder';
 import getTailSnippet from '../../utils/getTailSnippet';
 import getObject from '../../utils/getObject';
-import getExpressionPrecedence from '../../utils/getExpressionPrecedence';
-import isValidIdentifier from '../../utils/isValidIdentifier';
-import reservedNames from '../../utils/reservedNames';
+import quoteIfNecessary from '../../utils/quoteIfNecessary';
+import mungeAttribute from './shared/mungeAttribute';
 import Node from './shared/Node';
 import Block from '../dom/Block';
 import Attribute from './Attribute';
 
-function quoteIfNecessary(name, legacy) {
-	if (!isValidIdentifier || (legacy && reservedNames.has(name))) return `"${name}"`;
-	return name;
-}
-
 export default class Component extends Node {
 	type: 'Component';
 	name: string;
@@ -409,79 +402,6 @@ export default class Component extends Node {
 	}
 }
 
-function mungeAttribute(attribute: Node, block: Block): Attribute {
-	if (attribute.value === true) {
-		// attributes without values, e.g. <textarea readonly>
-		return {
-			name: attribute.name,
-			value: true,
-			dynamic: false
-		};
-	}
-
-	if (attribute.value.length === 0) {
-		return {
-			name: attribute.name,
-			value: `''`,
-			dynamic: false
-		};
-	}
-
-	if (attribute.value.length === 1) {
-		const value = attribute.value[0];
-
-		if (value.type === 'Text') {
-			// static attributes
-			return {
-				name: attribute.name,
-				value: isNaN(value.data) ? stringify(value.data) : value.data,
-				dynamic: false
-			};
-		}
-
-		// simple dynamic attributes
-		block.contextualise(value.expression); // TODO remove
-		const { dependencies, snippet } = value.metadata;
-
-		// TODO only update attributes that have changed
-		return {
-			name: attribute.name,
-			value: snippet,
-			dependencies,
-			dynamic: true
-		};
-	}
-
-	// otherwise we're dealing with a complex dynamic attribute
-	const allDependencies = new Set();
-
-	const value =
-		(attribute.value[0].type === 'Text' ? '' : `"" + `) +
-		attribute.value
-			.map((chunk: Node) => {
-				if (chunk.type === 'Text') {
-					return stringify(chunk.data);
-				} else {
-					block.contextualise(chunk.expression); // TODO remove
-					const { dependencies, snippet } = chunk.metadata;
-
-					dependencies.forEach((dependency: string) => {
-						allDependencies.add(dependency);
-					});
-
-					return getExpressionPrecedence(chunk.expression) <= 13 ? `(${snippet})` : snippet;
-				}
-			})
-			.join(' + ');
-
-	return {
-		name: attribute.name,
-		value,
-		dependencies: Array.from(allDependencies),
-		dynamic: true
-	};
-}
-
 function mungeBinding(binding: Node, block: Block): Binding {
 	const { name } = getObject(binding.value);
 	const { contexts } = block.contextualise(binding.value);
diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts b/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
index 9cd3e0efb9..066072a0d9 100644
--- a/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import isVoidElementName from '../../utils/isVoidElementName';
 import validCalleeObjects from '../../utils/validCalleeObjects';
 import reservedNames from '../../utils/reservedNames';
 import fixAttributeCasing from '../../utils/fixAttributeCasing';
+import quoteIfNecessary from '../../utils/quoteIfNecessary';
+import mungeAttribute from './shared/mungeAttribute';
 import Node from './shared/Node';
 import Block from '../dom/Block';
 import Attribute from './Attribute';
@@ -446,6 +448,59 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 		});
 	}
 
+	addSpreadAttributes(block: Block) {
+		const levels = block.getUniqueName(`${this.var}_levels`);
+		const data = block.getUniqueName(`${this.var}_data`);
+
+		const initialProps = [];
+		const updates = [];
+
+		this.attributes
+			.filter(attr => attr.type === 'Attribute' || attr.type === 'Spread')
+			.forEach(attr => {
+				if (attr.type === 'Attribute') {
+					const { dynamic, value, dependencies } = mungeAttribute(attr, block);
+
+					const snippet = `{ ${quoteIfNecessary(attr.name, this.generator.legacy)}: ${value} }`;
+					initialProps.push(snippet);
+
+					const condition = dependencies && dependencies.map(d => `changed.${d}`).join(' || ');
+					updates.push(condition ? `${condition} && ${snippet}` : snippet);
+				}
+
+				else {
+					block.contextualise(attr.expression); // TODO gah
+					const { snippet, dependencies } = attr.metadata;
+
+					initialProps.push(snippet);
+
+					const condition = dependencies && dependencies.map(d => `changed.${d}`).join(' || ');
+					updates.push(condition ? `${condition} && ${snippet}` : snippet);
+				}
+			});
+
+		block.builders.init.addBlock(deindent`
+			var ${levels} = [
+				${initialProps.join(',\n')}
+			];
+
+			var ${data} = {};
+			for (var #i = 0; #i < ${levels}.length; #i += 1) {
+				${data} = @assign(${data}, ${levels}[#i]);
+			}
+		`);
+
+		block.builders.hydrate.addLine(
+			`@setAttributes(${this.var}, ${data});`
+		);
+
+		block.builders.update.addBlock(deindent`
+			@setAttributes(${this.var}, @getSpreadUpdate(${levels}, [
+				${updates.join(',\n')}
+			]));
+		`);
+	}
+
 	addEventHandlers(block: Block, allUsedContexts) {
 		const { generator } = this;
 		let eventHandlerUsesComponent = false;
diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/shared/mungeAttribute.ts b/src/generators/nodes/shared/mungeAttribute.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ba74fca1f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/shared/mungeAttribute.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import { stringify } from '../../../utils/stringify';
+import getExpressionPrecedence from '../../../utils/getExpressionPrecedence';
+import Node from './Node';
+import Attribute from '../Attribute';
+import Block from '../../dom/Block';
+
+export default function mungeAttribute(attribute: Node, block: Block): Attribute {
+	if (attribute.value === true) {
+		// attributes without values, e.g. <textarea readonly>
+		return {
+			name: attribute.name,
+			value: true,
+			dynamic: false
+		};
+	}
+
+	if (attribute.value.length === 0) {
+		return {
+			name: attribute.name,
+			value: `''`,
+			dynamic: false
+		};
+	}
+
+	if (attribute.value.length === 1) {
+		const value = attribute.value[0];
+
+		if (value.type === 'Text') {
+			// static attributes
+			return {
+				name: attribute.name,
+				value: isNaN(value.data) ? stringify(value.data) : value.data,
+				dynamic: false
+			};
+		}
+
+		// simple dynamic attributes
+		block.contextualise(value.expression); // TODO remove
+		const { dependencies, snippet } = value.metadata;
+
+		// TODO only update attributes that have changed
+		return {
+			name: attribute.name,
+			value: snippet,
+			dependencies,
+			dynamic: true
+		};
+	}
+
+	// otherwise we're dealing with a complex dynamic attribute
+	const allDependencies = new Set();
+
+	const value =
+		(attribute.value[0].type === 'Text' ? '' : `"" + `) +
+		attribute.value
+			.map((chunk: Node) => {
+				if (chunk.type === 'Text') {
+					return stringify(chunk.data);
+				} else {
+					block.contextualise(chunk.expression); // TODO remove
+					const { dependencies, snippet } = chunk.metadata;
+
+					dependencies.forEach((dependency: string) => {
+						allDependencies.add(dependency);
+					});
+
+					return getExpressionPrecedence(chunk.expression) <= 13 ? `(${snippet})` : snippet;
+				}
+			})
+			.join(' + ');
+
+	return {
+		name: attribute.name,
+		value,
+		dependencies: Array.from(allDependencies),
+		dynamic: true
+	};
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/shared/dom.js b/src/shared/dom.js
index 8cde378ad6..efcec97fb3 100644
--- a/src/shared/dom.js
+++ b/src/shared/dom.js
@@ -85,6 +85,13 @@ export function setAttribute(node, attribute, value) {
 	node.setAttribute(attribute, value);
 }
 
+export function setAttributes(node, attributes) {
+	for (var key in attributes) {
+		if (attributes[key] === undefined) removeAttribute(node, key);
+		else setAttribute(node, key, attributes[key]);
+	}
+}
+
 export function removeAttribute(node, attribute) {
 	node.removeAttribute(attribute);
 }
diff --git a/src/shared/index.js b/src/shared/index.js
index d73d0979e1..5a8c9e470b 100644
--- a/src/shared/index.js
+++ b/src/shared/index.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { assign } from './utils.js';
 import { noop } from './utils.js';
 export * from './dom.js';
 export * from './keyed-each.js';
+export * from './spread.js';
 export * from './transitions.js';
 export * from './utils.js';
 
diff --git a/src/shared/spread.js b/src/shared/spread.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2ecc432fc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/spread.js
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+export function getSpreadUpdate(levels, updates) {
+	var update = {};
+
+	var to_null_out = {};
+	var accounted_for = {};
+
+	var i = levels.length;
+	while (i--) {
+		var o = levels[i];
+		var n = updates[i];
+
+		if (n) {
+			for (var key in o) {
+				if (!(key in n)) to_null_out[key] = 1;
+			}
+
+			for (var key in n) {
+				if (!accounted_for[key]) {
+					update[key] = n[key];
+					accounted_for[key] = 1;
+				}
+			}
+
+			levels[i] = n;
+		} else {
+			for (var key in o) {
+				accounted_for[key] = 1;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	for (var key in to_null_out) {
+		if (!(key in update)) update[key] = undefined;
+	}
+
+	return update;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/utils/quoteIfNecessary.ts b/src/utils/quoteIfNecessary.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..206767f721
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/quoteIfNecessary.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import isValidIdentifier from './isValidIdentifier';
+import reservedNames from './reservedNames';
+
+export default function quoteIfNecessary(name, legacy) {
+	if (!isValidIdentifier(name) || (legacy && reservedNames.has(name))) return `"${name}"`;
+	return name;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runtime/samples/spread-element/_config.js b/test/runtime/samples/spread-element/_config.js
index 7ffe4ae71d..4f0043a97d 100644
--- a/test/runtime/samples/spread-element/_config.js
+++ b/test/runtime/samples/spread-element/_config.js
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ export default {
 		assert.equal( div.dataset.named, 'value' );
 
 		component.set({ color: 'blue', props: { 'data-foo': 'baz', 'data-named': 'qux' } });
-		assert.equal( target.innerHTML, `<div data-named="value" data-foo="baz">blue</div>` );
+		assert.htmlEqual( target.innerHTML, `<div data-named="value" data-foo="baz">blue</div>` );
 		assert.equal( div.dataset.foo, 'baz' );
 		assert.equal( div.dataset.named, 'value' );
 
 		component.set({ color: 'blue', props: {} });
-		assert.equal( target.innerHTML, `<div data-named="value">blue</div>` );
+		assert.htmlEqual( target.innerHTML, `<div data-named="value">blue</div>` );
 		assert.equal( div.dataset.foo, undefined );
 	}
 };