diff --git a/src/client_server.rs b/src/client_server.rs
index 3083ff24..ab7e5155 100644
--- a/src/client_server.rs
+++ b/src/client_server.rs
@@ -2763,7 +2763,7 @@ pub fn get_context_route(
         .filter_map(|r| r.ok()) // Remove buggy events
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-    let start_token = events_before.last().map_or(Ok(None), |e| {
+    let start_token = events_before.last().map_or(Ok(None), |(_, e)| {
         Ok::<_, Error>(Some(
             db.rooms
                 .get_pdu_count(&e.event_id)?
@@ -2774,7 +2774,7 @@ pub fn get_context_route(
 
     let events_before = events_before
         .into_iter()
-        .map(|pdu| pdu.to_room_event())
+        .map(|(_, pdu)| pdu.to_room_event())
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
     let events_after = db
@@ -2789,18 +2789,19 @@ pub fn get_context_route(
         .filter_map(|r| r.ok()) // Remove buggy events
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-    let end_token = events_after.last().map_or(Ok(None), |e| {
-        Ok::<_, Error>(Some(
-            db.rooms
-                .get_pdu_count(&e.event_id)?
-                .ok_or_else(|| Error::bad_database("Can't find count from event in db."))?
+    let end_token = if let Some(last_event) = events_after.last() {
+        Some(
+            utils::u64_from_bytes(&last_event.0)
+                .map_err(|_| Error::bad_database("Invalid pdu id in db."))?
                 .to_string(),
-        ))
-    })?;
+        )
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
 
     let events_after = events_after
         .into_iter()
-        .map(|pdu| pdu.to_room_event())
+        .map(|(_, pdu)| pdu.to_room_event())
         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
     Ok(get_context::Response {
@@ -2839,32 +2840,38 @@ pub fn get_message_events_route(
         .clone()
         .parse()
         .map_err(|_| Error::BadRequest(ErrorKind::InvalidParam, "Invalid `from` value."))?;
+
+    let to = body.to.as_ref().map(|t| t.as_bytes());
+
+    // Use limit or else 10
     let limit = body
         .limit
         .try_into()
         .map_or(Ok::<_, Error>(10_usize), |l: u32| Ok(l as usize))?;
+
     match body.dir {
         get_message_events::Direction::Forward => {
             let events_after = db
                 .rooms
                 .pdus_after(&user_id, &body.room_id, from)
-                // Use limit or else 10
                 .take(limit)
                 .filter_map(|r| r.ok()) // Filter out buggy events
+                .take_while(|(k, _)| Some(&**k) != to) // Stop at `to`
                 .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-            let end_token = events_after.last().map_or(Ok::<_, Error>(None), |e| {
-                Ok(Some(
-                    db.rooms
-                        .get_pdu_count(&e.event_id)?
-                        .ok_or_else(|| Error::bad_database("Can't find count from event in db."))?
+            let end_token = if let Some(last_event) = events_after.last() {
+                Some(
+                    utils::u64_from_bytes(&last_event.0)
+                        .map_err(|_| Error::bad_database("Invalid pdu id in db."))?
                         .to_string(),
-                ))
-            })?;
+                )
+            } else {
+                None
+            };
 
             let events_after = events_after
                 .into_iter()
-                .map(|pdu| pdu.to_room_event())
+                .map(|(_, pdu)| pdu.to_room_event())
                 .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
             Ok(get_message_events::Response {
@@ -2879,23 +2886,24 @@ pub fn get_message_events_route(
             let events_before = db
                 .rooms
                 .pdus_until(&user_id, &body.room_id, from)
-                // Use limit or else 10
                 .take(limit)
                 .filter_map(|r| r.ok()) // Filter out buggy events
+                .take_while(|(k, _)| Some(&**k) != to) // Stop at `to`
                 .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-            let start_token = events_before.last().map_or(Ok::<_, Error>(None), |e| {
-                Ok(Some(
-                    db.rooms
-                        .get_pdu_count(&e.event_id)?
-                        .ok_or_else(|| Error::bad_database("Can't find count from event in db."))?
+            let start_token = if let Some(last_event) = events_before.last() {
+                Some(
+                    utils::u64_from_bytes(&last_event.0)
+                        .map_err(|_| Error::bad_database("Invalid pdu id in db."))?
                         .to_string(),
-                ))
-            })?;
+                )
+            } else {
+                None
+            };
 
             let events_before = events_before
                 .into_iter()
-                .map(|pdu| pdu.to_room_event())
+                .map(|(_, pdu)| pdu.to_room_event())
                 .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
             Ok(get_message_events::Response {
diff --git a/src/database/rooms.rs b/src/database/rooms.rs
index 5b9659ef..3ef4f3f1 100644
--- a/src/database/rooms.rs
+++ b/src/database/rooms.rs
@@ -654,14 +654,14 @@ impl Rooms {
             }))
     }
 
-    /// Returns an iterator over all events in a room that happened before the event with id
-    /// `until` in reverse-chronological order.
+    /// Returns an iterator over all events and their tokens in a room that happened before the
+    /// event with id `until` in reverse-chronological order.
     pub fn pdus_until(
         &self,
         user_id: &UserId,
         room_id: &RoomId,
         until: u64,
-    ) -> impl Iterator<Item = Result<PduEvent>> {
+    ) -> impl Iterator<Item = Result<(IVec, PduEvent)>> {
         // Create the first part of the full pdu id
         let mut prefix = room_id.to_string().as_bytes().to_vec();
         prefix.push(0xff);
@@ -677,24 +677,24 @@ impl Rooms {
             .rev()
             .filter_map(|r| r.ok())
             .take_while(move |(k, _)| k.starts_with(&prefix))
-            .map(move |(_, v)| {
+            .map(move |(k, v)| {
                 let mut pdu = serde_json::from_slice::<PduEvent>(&v)
                     .map_err(|_| Error::bad_database("PDU in db is invalid."))?;
                 if pdu.sender != user_id {
                     pdu.unsigned.remove("transaction_id");
                 }
-                Ok(pdu)
+                Ok((k, pdu))
             })
     }
 
-    /// Returns an iterator over all events in a room that happened after the event with id
-    /// `from` in chronological order.
+    /// Returns an iterator over all events and their token in a room that happened after the event
+    /// with id `from` in chronological order.
     pub fn pdus_after(
         &self,
         user_id: &UserId,
         room_id: &RoomId,
         from: u64,
-    ) -> impl Iterator<Item = Result<PduEvent>> {
+    ) -> impl Iterator<Item = Result<(IVec, PduEvent)>> {
         // Create the first part of the full pdu id
         let mut prefix = room_id.to_string().as_bytes().to_vec();
         prefix.push(0xff);
@@ -709,13 +709,13 @@ impl Rooms {
             .range(current..)
             .filter_map(|r| r.ok())
             .take_while(move |(k, _)| k.starts_with(&prefix))
-            .map(move |(_, v)| {
+            .map(move |(k, v)| {
                 let mut pdu = serde_json::from_slice::<PduEvent>(&v)
                     .map_err(|_| Error::bad_database("PDU in db is invalid."))?;
                 if pdu.sender != user_id {
                     pdu.unsigned.remove("transaction_id");
                 }
-                Ok(pdu)
+                Ok((k, pdu))
             })
     }