diff --git a/js/common/tests/shell-simple-query.js b/js/common/tests/shell-simple-query.js
index 3571b0ebe0..e36abd295c 100644
--- a/js/common/tests/shell-simple-query.js
+++ b/js/common/tests/shell-simple-query.js
@@ -311,6 +311,86 @@ function SimpleQueryByExampleSuite () {
       collection.drop();
     },
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief test: byExample, using _key
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    testByExampleKey : function () {
+      var d, s;
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "meow" });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _key: "foo" });
+      assertEqual(null, s);
+      
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _key: "meow" });
+      assertEqual(d._id, s._id);
+      assertEqual(d._key, s._key);
+    },
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief test: byExample, using _key & others
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    testByExampleKeyMore : function () {
+      var d, s;
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "meow" });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _key: "meow", a: 1 });
+      assertEqual(null, s);
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "foo", a: 2 });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _key: "foo", a: 2 });
+      assertEqual(d._id, s._id);
+      assertEqual(d._key, s._key);
+      assertEqual(2, s.a);
+    },
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief test: byExample, using _id
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    testByExampleId : function () {
+      var d, s;
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "meow" });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _id: cn + "/foo" });
+      assertEqual(null, s);
+      
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _id: cn + "/meow" });
+      assertEqual(d._id, s._id);
+      assertEqual(d._key, s._key);
+    },
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief test: byExample, using _id & others
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    testByExampleIdMore : function () {
+      var d, s;
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "meow" });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _id: cn + "/meow", a: 1 });
+      assertEqual(null, s);
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "foo", a: 2 });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _id: cn + "/foo", a: 2 });
+      assertEqual(d._id, s._id);
+      assertEqual(d._key, s._key);
+      assertEqual(2, s.a);
+    },
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief test: byExample, using non existing system attribute
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    testByExampleNonExisting : function () {
+      var d, s;
+      
+      d = collection.save({ _key: "meow" });
+      s = collection.firstExample({ _foo: "foo" });
+      assertEqual(null, s);
+    },
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief test: byExample
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/simple-query.js b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/simple-query.js
index 34e30e3918..f5307ac0f6 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/simple-query.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/simple-query.js
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ function byExample (collection, example, skip, limit) {
       if (example[k] === null) {
         unique = false;
       }
-      else if (k === '_id') {
+      else if (k === '_id' || k === '_key') {
         // example contains the document id in attribute "_id"
         documentId = example[k];
         break;
@@ -126,23 +126,40 @@ function byExample (collection, example, skip, limit) {
     try {
       // look up document by id
       doc = collection.document(documentId);
+    
+      // we have used the primary index to look up the document
+      // now we need to post-filter because non-indexed values might not have matched  
+      for (k in example) {
+        if (example.hasOwnProperty(k)) {
+          if (doc[k] !== example[k]) {
+            doc = null;
+            break;
+          }
+        }
+      }
     }
     catch (e) {
     }
+
     return { "total" : doc ? 1 : 0, "count" : doc ? 1 : 0, "documents" : doc ? [ doc ] : [ ] };
   }
 
-  var idx = collection.lookupHashIndex.apply(collection, attributes);
+  var idx = null;
 
-  if (idx === null && unique) {
-    idx = collection.lookupUniqueConstraint.apply(collection, attributes);
+  try {
+    idx = collection.lookupHashIndex.apply(collection, attributes);
+    if (idx === null && unique) {
+      idx = collection.lookupUniqueConstraint.apply(collection, attributes);
 
-    if (idx !== null) {
-      console.debug("found unique constraint %s", idx.id);
+      if (idx !== null) {
+        console.debug("found unique constraint %s", idx.id);
+      }
+    }
+    else if (idx !== null) {
+      console.debug("found hash index %s", idx.id);
     }
   }
-  else if (idx !== null) {
-    console.debug("found hash index %s", idx.id);
+  catch (err) {
   }
 
   if (idx !== null) {