diff --git a/src/static/js/collab_client.js b/src/static/js/collab_client.js
index d149b2565..b3e17c256 100644
--- a/src/static/js/collab_client.js
+++ b/src/static/js/collab_client.js
@@ -358,6 +358,14 @@ function getCollabClient(ace2editor, serverVars, initialUserInfo, options, _pad)
     {
       var userInfo = msg.userInfo;
       var id = userInfo.userId;
+
+      // Avoid a race condition when setting colors.  If our color was set by a
+      // query param, ignore our own "new user" message's color value.
+      if (id === initialUserInfo.userId && initialUserInfo.globalUserColor)
+      {
+        msg.userInfo.colorId = initialUserInfo.globalUserColor;
+      }
+
       
       if (userSet[id])
       {
diff --git a/src/static/js/colorutils.js b/src/static/js/colorutils.js
index 5fbefb4df..74a2e4635 100644
--- a/src/static/js/colorutils.js
+++ b/src/static/js/colorutils.js
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@
 
 var colorutils = {};
 
+// Check that a given value is a css hex color value, e.g.
+// "#ffffff" or "#fff"
+colorutils.isCssHex = function(cssColor)
+{
+  return /^#([0-9a-f]{3}|[0-9a-f]{6})$/i.test(cssColor);
+}
+
 // "#ffffff" or "#fff" or "ffffff" or "fff" to [1.0, 1.0, 1.0]
 colorutils.css2triple = function(cssColor)
 {
diff --git a/src/static/js/pad.js b/src/static/js/pad.js
index 737f5dc62..21dea4409 100644
--- a/src/static/js/pad.js
+++ b/src/static/js/pad.js
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ var padmodals = require('./pad_modals').padmodals;
 var padsavedrevs = require('./pad_savedrevs');
 var paduserlist = require('./pad_userlist').paduserlist;
 var padutils = require('./pad_utils').padutils;
+var colorutils = require('./colorutils').colorutils;
 
 var createCookie = require('./pad_utils').createCookie;
 var readCookie = require('./pad_utils').readCookie;
@@ -114,6 +115,7 @@ function getParams()
   var showControls = params["showControls"];
   var showChat = params["showChat"];
   var userName = params["userName"];
+  var userColor = params["userColor"];
   var showLineNumbers = params["showLineNumbers"];
   var useMonospaceFont = params["useMonospaceFont"];
   var IsnoColors = params["noColors"];
@@ -162,6 +164,11 @@ function getParams()
     // If the username is set as a parameter we should set a global value that we can call once we have initiated the pad.
     settings.globalUserName = decodeURIComponent(userName);
   }
+  if(userColor)
+    // If the userColor is set as a parameter, set a global value to use once we have initiated the pad.
+  {
+    settings.globalUserColor = decodeURIComponent(userColor);
+  }
   if(rtl)
   {
     if(rtl == "true")
@@ -363,6 +370,14 @@ function handshake()
         pad.myUserInfo.name = settings.globalUserName;
         $('#myusernameedit').attr({"value":settings.globalUserName}); // Updates the current users UI
       }
+      if (settings.globalUserColor !== false && colorutils.isCssHex(settings.globalUserColor))
+      {
+
+        // Add a 'globalUserColor' property to myUserInfo, so collabClient knows we have a query parameter.
+        pad.myUserInfo.globalUserColor = settings.globalUserColor;
+        pad.notifyChangeColor(settings.globalUserColor); // Updates pad.myUserInfo.colorId
+        paduserlist.setMyUserInfo(pad.myUserInfo);
+      }
     }
     //This handles every Message after the clientVars
     else
@@ -1025,6 +1040,7 @@ var settings = {
 , noColors: false
 , useMonospaceFontGlobal: false
 , globalUserName: false
+, globalUserColor: false
 , rtlIsTrue: false
 };