diff --git a/77-cloudant-cf.html b/77-cloudant-cf.html
index ae0c58d..5ac85f7 100644
--- a/77-cloudant-cf.html
+++ b/77-cloudant-cf.html
@@ -85,6 +85,14 @@
         <label for="node-input-name"><i class="fa fa-tag"></i> Name</label>
         <input type="text" id="node-input-name" placeholder="Name" style="width:65%;">
     </div>
+    <div class="form-row">
+        <label for="node-input-outputmsg"><i class="fa fa-wrench"></i>output msg</label>
+        <select type="text" id="node-input-outputmsg" style="width:68%;">
+            <option value="none">none</option>
+            <option value="error">error</option>
+            <option value="success">success</option>
+            <option value="all">all</option>
+        </select>
     <script>
         $("#node-input-operation").change(function() {
             var id = $("#node-input-operation option:selected").val();
@@ -140,7 +148,8 @@
             database: { value:"", required:true, validate:validateDatabase },
             service: { value:"", required:true },
             payonly: { value:false },
-            operation: { value:"insert" }
+            operation: { value:"insert" },
+            outputmsg: { value:"none" }
         },
         inputs: 1,
         outputs: 0,
@@ -150,7 +159,12 @@
         labelStyle: function() {
             return this.name?"node_label_italic":"";
         },
-        oneditprepare: oneditprepare
+        oneditprepare: oneditprepare,
+        oneditsave: function() {
+            var oval = $("#node-input-outputmsg").val();
+            if (oval == "none") this.outputs = 0;
+            else this.outputs = 1;
+        }
     });
 
     RED.nodes.registerType("cloudant in", {
@@ -272,6 +286,14 @@
             <li>The first character can't be <code>_</code></li>
         </ul>
     </p>
+    <p>
+        You can specify that an output message is generated - either always (all) or for success or error. 
+        In the event of an error the message output will be the original 
+        message with a dbError field showing the error. For successful inserts or updates, 
+        the message output will be the original message with the _id and _rev fields 
+        updated in either the message body or in the payload.
+        The default setting is that no output message is generated.
+    </p>
     <p>
         Your document should avoid having top-level fields that start with
         <code>_</code>, with exceptions for <code>_id</code>, <code>_rev</code>
diff --git a/77-cloudant-cf.js b/77-cloudant-cf.js
index da9e816..58a3af4 100644
--- a/77-cloudant-cf.js
+++ b/77-cloudant-cf.js
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
 
         this.operation      = n.operation;
         this.payonly        = n.payonly || false;
+        this.outputMsg      = n.outputmsg || "none";
         this.database       = _cleanDatabaseName(n.database, this);
         this.cloudantConfig = _getCloudantConfig(n);
 
@@ -103,7 +104,6 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
                     return node.error(err.description, err); 
                 }
 
-                delete msg._msgid;
                 handleMessage(cloudant, node, msg);
             });
         });
@@ -134,7 +134,10 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
         }
 
         function handleMessage(cloudant, node, msg) {
+            var origMsgId = msg._msgid ;
+            delete msg._msgid;
             if (node.operation === "insert") {
+                var origMsg = msg ;
                 var msg  = node.payonly ? msg.payload : msg;
                 var root = node.payonly ? "payload" : "msg";
                 var doc  = parseMessage(msg, root);
@@ -144,6 +147,35 @@ module.exports = function(RED) {
                         console.trace();
                         console.log(node.error.toString());
                         node.error("Failed to insert document: " + err.description, msg);
+                        if (node.outputMsg && (node.outputMsg == "error" 
+                        || node.outputMsg == "all")) {
+                            //send original message on error 
+                            origMsg._msgid = origMsgId ;
+                            origMsg.dbError = {} ;
+
+                            origMsg.dbError.statusCode = err.statusCode;
+                            origMsg.dbError.description = err.description;
+                            origMsg.dbError.message = err.message;
+                            origMsg.dbError.reason = err.reason;
+                            origMsg.dbError.scope = err.scope;
+                            node.send([origMsg]);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    else if (node.outputMsg && (node.outputMsg == "success"
+                    || node.outputMsg == "all")) {
+                        // send message with updated id and rev on success
+                        origMsg._msgid = origMsgId ;
+                        delete origMsg.dbError;  // just in case original message came from error path                      
+                        if (node.payonly) {
+                            origMsg.payload._id = body.id;
+                            origMsg.payload._rev = body.rev;
+                        }
+                        else {
+                            origMsg._id = body.id;
+                            origMsg._rev = body.rev;
+                        }
+
+                        node.send([origMsg]);
                     }
                 });
             }
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 790b9fb..5a5edb9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ in JSON format, it will be transformed before being stored.
 For **update** and **delete**, you must pass the `_id` and the `_rev`as part
 of the input `msg` object.
 
+For **insert** and **update**, you can specify that an output message is generated - either
+always (all) or for success or error. In the event of an error the message output will be the original
+message with a dbError field showing the error. For successful inserts or updates, the message output
+will be the original message with the _id and _rev fields updated in either the message body or in the payload.
+
 To **search** for a document you have two options: get a document directly by
 its `_id` or use an existing [search index](https://cloudant.com/for-developers/search/)
 from the database. For both cases, the query should be passed in the