diff --git a/core/router/api_builder.go b/core/router/api_builder.go
index e0b1fff4..bc51f9ce 100644
--- a/core/router/api_builder.go
+++ b/core/router/api_builder.go
@@ -450,9 +450,9 @@ func (rb *APIBuilder) registerResourceRoute(reqPath string, h context.Handler) *
 // mySubdomainFsServer.Get("/static", h)
 // ...
 //
-func (rb *APIBuilder) StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, enableGzip bool) context.Handler {
+func (rb *APIBuilder) StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, gzip bool) context.Handler {
 	// Note: this doesn't need to be here but we'll keep it for consistently
-	return StaticHandler(systemPath, showList, enableGzip)
+	return StaticHandler(systemPath, showList, gzip)
 }
 
 // StaticServe serves a directory as web resource
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ func (rb *APIBuilder) Favicon(favPath string, requestPath ...string) *Route {
 // ending in "/index.html" to the same path, without the final
 // "index.html".
 //
-// StaticWeb calls the StaticHandler(systemPath, listingDirectories: false, gzip: false ).
+// StaticWeb calls the `StripPrefix(fullpath, NewStaticHandlerBuilder(systemPath).Listing(false).Build())`.
 //
 // Returns the GET *Route.
 func (rb *APIBuilder) StaticWeb(requestPath string, systemPath string) *Route {
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@ func (rb *APIBuilder) StaticWeb(requestPath string, systemPath string) *Route {
 
 	fullpath := joinPath(rb.relativePath, requestPath)
 
-	h := StripPrefix(fullpath, rb.StaticHandler(systemPath, false, false))
+	h := StripPrefix(fullpath, NewStaticHandlerBuilder(systemPath).Listing(false).Build())
 
 	handler := func(ctx context.Context) {
 		h(ctx)
diff --git a/core/router/fs.go b/core/router/fs.go
index e25850de..8ff26213 100644
--- a/core/router/fs.go
+++ b/core/router/fs.go
@@ -114,10 +114,10 @@ func StaticEmbeddedHandler(vdir string, assetFn func(name string) ([]byte, error
 // app.Get("/static", h)
 // ...
 //
-func StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, enableGzip bool) context.Handler {
+func StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, gzip bool) context.Handler {
 	return NewStaticHandlerBuilder(systemPath).
+		Gzip(gzip).
 		Listing(showList).
-		Gzip(enableGzip).
 		Build()
 }
 
@@ -138,12 +138,12 @@ type StaticHandlerBuilder interface {
 type fsHandler struct {
 	// user options, only directory is required.
 	directory       http.Dir
-	gzip            bool
 	listDirectories bool
 	// these are init on the Build() call
 	filesystem http.FileSystem
 	once       sync.Once
 	handler    context.Handler
+	begin      context.Handlers
 }
 
 func toWebPath(systemPath string) string {
@@ -177,8 +177,6 @@ func Abs(path string) string {
 func NewStaticHandlerBuilder(dir string) StaticHandlerBuilder {
 	return &fsHandler{
 		directory: http.Dir(Abs(dir)),
-		// gzip is disabled by default
-		gzip: false,
 		// list directories disabled by default
 		listDirectories: false,
 	}
@@ -187,7 +185,10 @@ func NewStaticHandlerBuilder(dir string) StaticHandlerBuilder {
 // Gzip if enable is true then gzip compression is enabled for this static directory
 // Defaults to false
 func (w *fsHandler) Gzip(enable bool) StaticHandlerBuilder {
-	w.gzip = enable
+	w.begin = append(w.begin, func(ctx context.Context) {
+		ctx.Gzip(true)
+		ctx.Next()
+	})
 	return w
 }
 
@@ -242,13 +243,14 @@ func (w *fsHandler) Build() context.Handler {
 			// Note the request.url.path is changed but request.RequestURI is not
 			// so on custom errors we use the requesturi instead.
 			// this can be changed
+
+			_, gzipEnabled := ctx.ResponseWriter().(*context.GzipResponseWriter)
 			_, prevStatusCode := serveFile(ctx,
 				w.filesystem,
 				path.Clean(upath),
 				false,
 				w.listDirectories,
-				(w.gzip && ctx.ClientSupportsGzip()),
-			)
+				gzipEnabled)
 
 			// check for any http errors after the file handler executed
 			if prevStatusCode >= 400 { // error found (404 or 400 or 500 usually)
@@ -272,9 +274,13 @@ func (w *fsHandler) Build() context.Handler {
 			// go to the next middleware
 			ctx.Next()
 		}
-
+		if len(w.begin) > 0 {
+			handlers := append(w.begin[0:], fileserver)
+			w.handler = func(ctx context.Context) {
+				ctx.Do(handlers)
+			}
+		}
 		w.handler = fileserver
-
 	})
 
 	return w.handler
diff --git a/core/router/party.go b/core/router/party.go
index 7a2ff2de..4284cb3a 100644
--- a/core/router/party.go
+++ b/core/router/party.go
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ type Party interface {
 	// mySubdomainFsServer.Get("/static", h)
 	// ...
 	//
-	StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, enableGzip bool) context.Handler
+	StaticHandler(systemPath string, showList bool, gzip bool) context.Handler
 
 	// StaticServe serves a directory as web resource
 	// it's the simpliest form of the Static* functions
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ type Party interface {
 	// ending in "/index.html" to the same path, without the final
 	// "index.html".
 	//
-	// StaticWeb calls the StaticHandler(systemPath, listingDirectories: false, gzip: false ).
+	// StaticWeb calls the `StripPrefix(fullpath, NewStaticHandlerBuilder(systemPath).Listing(false).Build())`.
 	//
 	// Returns the GET *Route.
 	StaticWeb(requestPath string, systemPath string) *Route