diff --git a/common/json_escaped.c b/common/json_escaped.c
index 0780bccc7..d60654b92 100644
--- a/common/json_escaped.c
+++ b/common/json_escaped.c
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ struct json_escaped *json_escaped_string_(const tal_t *ctx,
 	return esc;
 }
 
-struct json_escaped *json_tok_escaped_string(const tal_t *ctx,
-					     const char *buffer,
-					     const jsmntok_t *tok)
+struct json_escaped *json_to_escaped_string(const tal_t *ctx,
+					    const char *buffer,
+					    const jsmntok_t *tok)
 {
 	if (tok->type != JSMN_STRING)
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/common/json_escaped.h b/common/json_escaped.h
index 75eecdb18..0f742a86f 100644
--- a/common/json_escaped.h
+++ b/common/json_escaped.h
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ struct json_escaped *json_partial_escape(const tal_t *ctx,
 					 const char *str TAKES);
 
 /* Extract a JSON-escaped string. */
-struct json_escaped *json_tok_escaped_string(const tal_t *ctx,
-					     const char *buffer,
-					     const jsmntok_t *tok);
+struct json_escaped *json_to_escaped_string(const tal_t *ctx,
+					    const char *buffer,
+					    const jsmntok_t *tok);
 
 /* Are two escaped json strings identical? */
 bool json_escaped_eq(const struct json_escaped *a,
diff --git a/lightningd/invoice.c b/lightningd/invoice.c
index 57c62b9b1..9163f860d 100644
--- a/lightningd/invoice.c
+++ b/lightningd/invoice.c
@@ -131,10 +131,10 @@ static void json_invoice(struct command *cmd,
 {
 	struct invoice invoice;
 	const struct invoice_details *details;
-	const jsmntok_t *desctok, *fallbacks;
+	const jsmntok_t *fallbacks;
 	const jsmntok_t *preimagetok;
 	u64 *msatoshi_val;
-	struct json_escaped *label_val, *desc;
+	struct json_escaped *label_val;
 	const char *desc_val;
 	struct json_result *response = new_json_result(cmd);
 	struct wallet *wallet = cmd->ld->wallet;
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ static void json_invoice(struct command *cmd,
 	if (!param(cmd, buffer, params,
 		   p_req("msatoshi", json_tok_msat, &msatoshi_val),
 		   p_req("label", json_tok_label, &label_val),
-		   p_req("description", json_tok_tok, &desctok),
+		   p_req("description", json_tok_escaped_string, &desc_val),
 		   p_opt_def("expiry", json_tok_u64, &expiry, 3600),
 		   p_opt("fallbacks", json_tok_tok, &fallbacks),
 		   p_opt("preimage", json_tok_tok, &preimagetok),
@@ -166,23 +166,6 @@ static void json_invoice(struct command *cmd,
 		return;
 	}
 
-	desc = json_tok_escaped_string(cmd, buffer, desctok);
-	if (!desc) {
-		command_fail(cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
-			     "description '%.*s' not a string",
-			     desctok->end - desctok->start,
-			     buffer + desctok->start);
-		return;
-	}
-	desc_val = json_escaped_unescape(cmd, desc);
-	if (!desc_val) {
-		command_fail(cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
-			     "description '%s' is invalid"
-			     " (note: we don't allow \\u)",
-			     desc->s);
-		return;
-	}
-	/* description */
 	if (strlen(desc_val) >= BOLT11_FIELD_BYTE_LIMIT) {
 		command_fail(cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
 			     "Descriptions greater than %d bytes "
diff --git a/lightningd/json.c b/lightningd/json.c
index f621440f2..75f49dcdf 100644
--- a/lightningd/json.c
+++ b/lightningd/json.c
@@ -129,11 +129,28 @@ bool json_tok_double(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
 	return false;
 }
 
+bool json_tok_escaped_string(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
+			     const char * buffer, const jsmntok_t *tok,
+			     const char **str)
+{
+	struct json_escaped *esc = json_to_escaped_string(cmd, buffer, tok);
+	if (esc)
+		if ((*str = json_escaped_unescape(cmd, esc)))
+			return true;
+
+	command_fail(cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
+		     "'%s' should be a string, not '%.*s'"
+		     " (note, we don't allow \\u)",
+		     name,
+		     tok->end - tok->start, buffer + tok->start);
+	return false;
+}
+
 bool json_tok_label(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
 		    const char * buffer, const jsmntok_t *tok,
 		    struct json_escaped **label)
 {
-	if ((*label = json_tok_escaped_string(cmd, buffer, tok)))
+	if ((*label = json_to_escaped_string(cmd, buffer, tok)))
 		return true;
 
 	/* Allow literal numbers */
diff --git a/lightningd/json.h b/lightningd/json.h
index f90da4213..531eef896 100644
--- a/lightningd/json.h
+++ b/lightningd/json.h
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ bool json_tok_double(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
 		     const char *buffer, const jsmntok_t *tok,
 		     double **num);
 
+/* Extract an escaped string (and unescape it) */
+bool json_tok_escaped_string(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
+			     const char * buffer, const jsmntok_t *tok,
+			     const char **str);
+
 /* Extract a label. It is either an escaped string or a number. */
 bool json_tok_label(struct command *cmd, const char *name,
 		    const char * buffer, const jsmntok_t *tok,
diff --git a/lightningd/pay.c b/lightningd/pay.c
index 304b24e3a..64ac0cc63 100644
--- a/lightningd/pay.c
+++ b/lightningd/pay.c
@@ -945,19 +945,18 @@ static void json_sendpay_on_resolve(const struct sendpay_result* r,
 static void json_sendpay(struct command *cmd,
 			 const char *buffer, const jsmntok_t *params)
 {
-	const jsmntok_t *routetok, *desctok;
+	const jsmntok_t *routetok;
 	const jsmntok_t *t, *end;
 	size_t n_hops;
 	struct sha256 *rhash;
 	struct route_hop *route;
 	u64 *msatoshi;
-	const struct json_escaped *desc;
 	const char *description;
 
 	if (!param(cmd, buffer, params,
 		   p_req("route", json_tok_tok, &routetok),
 		   p_req("payment_hash", json_tok_sha256, &rhash),
-		   p_opt("description", json_tok_tok, &desctok),
+		   p_opt("description", json_tok_escaped_string, &description),
 		   p_opt("msatoshi", json_tok_u64, &msatoshi),
 		   NULL))
 		return;
@@ -1017,28 +1016,6 @@ static void json_sendpay(struct command *cmd,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (desctok) {
-		desc = json_tok_escaped_string(cmd, buffer, desctok);
-		if (!desc) {
-			command_fail(cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
-				     "description '%.*s' not a string",
-				     desctok->end - desctok->start,
-				     buffer + desctok->start);
-			return;
-		}
-		description = json_escaped_unescape(cmd, desc);
-		if (description == NULL) {
-			command_fail(
-			    cmd, JSONRPC2_INVALID_PARAMS,
-			    "description '%.*s' not a valid escaped string",
-			    desctok->end - desctok->start,
-			    buffer + desctok->start);
-			return;
-		}
-	} else {
-		description = NULL;
-	}
-
 	if (send_payment(cmd, cmd->ld, rhash, route,
 			 msatoshi ? *msatoshi : route[n_hops-1].amount,
 			 description,