diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 4b18ac309..9117830a1 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -6035,6 +6035,7 @@ dependencies = [
 name = "zebra-rpc"
 version = "1.0.0-beta.38"
 dependencies = [
+ "bytes",
  "chrono",
  "futures",
  "hex",
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/Cargo.toml b/zebra-rpc/Cargo.toml
index ea3adeb65..53eab1ced 100644
--- a/zebra-rpc/Cargo.toml
+++ b/zebra-rpc/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ indexer-rpcs = [
     "tonic-reflection",
     "prost",
     "tokio-stream",
+    "bytes"
 ]
 
 # Production features that activate extra dependencies, or extra features in dependencies
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ tonic = { version = "0.12.1", optional = true }
 tonic-reflection = { version = "0.12.1", optional = true }
 prost = { version = "0.13.1", optional = true }
 tokio-stream = { version = "0.1.15", optional = true }
+bytes = { version = "1.6.1", optional = true }
 
 tracing = "0.1.39"
 
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/build.rs b/zebra-rpc/build.rs
index 75db7fd2a..e504d607b 100644
--- a/zebra-rpc/build.rs
+++ b/zebra-rpc/build.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     {
         use std::{env, path::PathBuf};
         let out_dir = env::var("OUT_DIR").map(PathBuf::from);
+
+        build_json_codec_service();
+
         tonic_build::configure()
             .type_attribute(".", "#[derive(serde::Deserialize, serde::Serialize)]")
             .file_descriptor_set_path(out_dir.unwrap().join("indexer_descriptor.bin"))
@@ -13,3 +16,22 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
 
     Ok(())
 }
+
+fn build_json_codec_service() {
+    let indexer_service = tonic_build::manual::Service::builder()
+        .name("Indexer")
+        .package("json.indexer")
+        .method(
+            tonic_build::manual::Method::builder()
+                .name("chain_tip_change")
+                .route_name("ChainTipChange")
+                .input_type("crate::indexer::types::Empty")
+                .output_type("crate::indexer::types::Empty")
+                .codec_path("crate::indexer::codec::JsonCodec")
+                .server_streaming()
+                .build(),
+        )
+        .build();
+
+    tonic_build::manual::Builder::new().compile(&[indexer_service]);
+}
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/proto/indexer.proto b/zebra-rpc/proto/indexer.proto
index 6ce5911ba..41fa786a5 100644
--- a/zebra-rpc/proto/indexer.proto
+++ b/zebra-rpc/proto/indexer.proto
@@ -7,4 +7,5 @@ message Empty {};
 service Indexer {
   // Notifies listeners of chain tip changes
   rpc ChainTipChange(Empty) returns (stream Empty);
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/src/indexer.rs b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer.rs
index 9f4c69312..6a0bed64f 100644
--- a/zebra-rpc/src/indexer.rs
+++ b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer.rs
@@ -3,11 +3,62 @@
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests;
 
+pub mod codec;
 pub mod methods;
 pub mod server;
+pub mod types;
 
 // The generated indexer proto
 tonic::include_proto!("zebra.indexer.rpc");
 
 pub(crate) const FILE_DESCRIPTOR_SET: &[u8] =
     tonic::include_file_descriptor_set!("indexer_descriptor");
+
+pub mod json {
+    include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/json.indexer.Indexer.rs"));
+}
+
+use std::pin::Pin;
+
+use futures::Stream;
+use tokio_stream::wrappers::ReceiverStream;
+use tonic::{Response, Status};
+
+struct Indexer;
+
+// TODO: Figure out how to base which service a request is routed to by checking its content-type.
+//       See https://github.com/hyperium/tonic/issues/851
+//
+// Or just set the codec based on a feature flag, comment on tonic#851, and open an issue for picking
+// a codec based on the Content-Type header later (behind another feature flag?).
+// Implement `From` for all of the types defined in Rust for all of the generated protobuf types?
+
+#[tonic::async_trait]
+impl json::indexer_server::Indexer for Indexer {
+    type ChainTipChangeStream = Pin<Box<dyn Stream<Item = Result<types::Empty, Status>> + Send>>;
+
+    async fn chain_tip_change(
+        &self,
+        _: tonic::Request<types::Empty>,
+    ) -> Result<Response<Self::ChainTipChangeStream>, Status> {
+        let (response_sender, response_receiver) = tokio::sync::mpsc::channel(133);
+        let response_stream = ReceiverStream::new(response_receiver);
+
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            // Notify the client of chain tip changes until the channel is closed
+            for _ in 0..100 {
+                tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
+                let tx = response_sender.clone();
+                tokio::spawn(async move { tx.send(Ok(types::Empty {})).await });
+            }
+
+            let _ = response_sender
+                .send(Err(Status::unavailable(
+                    "chain_tip_change channel has closed",
+                )))
+                .await;
+        });
+
+        Ok(Response::new(Box::pin(response_stream)))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/codec.rs b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/codec.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..186a51f88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/codec.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+//! This module defines the JsonCodec that is used by the indexer RPC service.
+
+use bytes::{Buf, BufMut};
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
+use tonic::{
+    codec::{Codec, DecodeBuf, Decoder, EncodeBuf, Encoder},
+    Status,
+};
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct JsonEncoder<T>(PhantomData<T>);
+
+impl<T: serde::Serialize> Encoder for JsonEncoder<T> {
+    type Item = T;
+    type Error = Status;
+
+    fn encode(&mut self, item: Self::Item, buf: &mut EncodeBuf<'_>) -> Result<(), Self::Error> {
+        serde_json::to_writer(buf.writer(), &item).map_err(|e| Status::internal(e.to_string()))
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct JsonDecoder<U>(PhantomData<U>);
+
+impl<U: serde::de::DeserializeOwned> Decoder for JsonDecoder<U> {
+    type Item = U;
+    type Error = Status;
+
+    fn decode(&mut self, buf: &mut DecodeBuf<'_>) -> Result<Option<Self::Item>, Self::Error> {
+        if !buf.has_remaining() {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+
+        let item: Self::Item =
+            serde_json::from_reader(buf.reader()).map_err(|e| Status::internal(e.to_string()))?;
+        Ok(Some(item))
+    }
+}
+
+/// A [`Codec`] that implements `application/grpc+json` via the serde library.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct JsonCodec<T, U>(PhantomData<(T, U)>);
+
+impl<T, U> Default for JsonCodec<T, U> {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self(PhantomData)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T, U> Codec for JsonCodec<T, U>
+where
+    T: serde::Serialize + Send + 'static,
+    U: serde::de::DeserializeOwned + Send + 'static,
+{
+    type Encode = T;
+    type Decode = U;
+    type Encoder = JsonEncoder<T>;
+    type Decoder = JsonDecoder<U>;
+
+    fn encoder(&mut self) -> Self::Encoder {
+        JsonEncoder(PhantomData)
+    }
+
+    fn decoder(&mut self) -> Self::Decoder {
+        JsonDecoder(PhantomData)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/types.rs b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/types.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1b32e053f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zebra-rpc/src/indexer/types.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+//! Indexer types.
+
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+/// Used for indexer RPC methods that take no arguments and/or respond without data.
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize, Serialize)]
+pub struct Empty;