diff --git a/include/maxscale/session_command.hh b/include/maxscale/session_command.hh
index 5cd1e8350..956e4f0ca 100644
--- a/include/maxscale/session_command.hh
+++ b/include/maxscale/session_command.hh
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
 namespace maxscale
 {
 
+class SessionCommand;
+typedef std::tr1::shared_ptr<SessionCommand> SSessionCommand;
+typedef std::list<SSessionCommand> SessionCommandList;
+
 class SessionCommand
 {
     SessionCommand(const SessionCommand&);
@@ -78,6 +82,29 @@ public:
      */
     std::string to_string();
 
+    /**
+     * @brief Equality comparison
+     *
+     * @return True if @c rhs is equal
+     */
+    bool eq(const SessionCommand& rhs) const;
+
+    class Equals: public std::unary_function<const SSessionCommand&, bool>
+    {
+    public:
+        Equals(const SSessionCommand& base):
+        m_base(base)
+        {}
+
+        bool operator ()(const SSessionCommand& rhs)
+        {
+            return m_base->eq(*rhs);
+        }
+
+    private:
+        const SSessionCommand& m_base;
+    };
+
 private:
     mxs::Buffer m_buffer;    /**< The buffer containing the command */
     uint8_t     m_command;   /**< The command being executed */
@@ -85,7 +112,14 @@ private:
     bool        m_reply_sent; /**< Whether the session command reply has been sent */
 };
 
-typedef std::tr1::shared_ptr<SessionCommand> SSessionCommand;
-typedef std::list<SSessionCommand> SessionCommandList;
+inline bool operator ==(const SessionCommand& lhs, const SessionCommand& rhs)
+{
+    return lhs.eq(rhs);
+}
+
+inline bool operator !=(const SessionCommand& lhs, const SessionCommand& rhs)
+{
+    return !lhs.eq(rhs);
+}
 
 }
diff --git a/server/core/backend.cc b/server/core/backend.cc
index 365abb642..a5f79cead 100644
--- a/server/core/backend.cc
+++ b/server/core/backend.cc
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ bool Backend::execute_session_command()
 
 void Backend::append_session_command(GWBUF* buffer, uint64_t sequence)
 {
-    m_session_commands.push_back(SSessionCommand(new SessionCommand(buffer, sequence)));
+    append_session_command(SSessionCommand(new SessionCommand(buffer, sequence)));
 }
 
 void Backend::append_session_command(const SSessionCommand& sescmd)
diff --git a/server/core/session_command.cc b/server/core/session_command.cc
index 836a818bb..498a2a6a1 100644
--- a/server/core/session_command.cc
+++ b/server/core/session_command.cc
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
 #include <maxscale/modutil.h>
 #include <maxscale/protocol/mysql.h>
 
-using namespace maxscale;
+namespace maxscale
+{
 
 void SessionCommand::mark_reply_received()
 {
@@ -62,6 +63,11 @@ SessionCommand::~SessionCommand()
 {
 }
 
+bool SessionCommand::eq(const SessionCommand& rhs) const
+{
+    return rhs.m_buffer.compare(m_buffer) == 0;
+}
+
 std::string SessionCommand::to_string()
 {
     std::string str;
@@ -80,3 +86,5 @@ std::string SessionCommand::to_string()
 
     return str;
 }
+
+}
diff --git a/server/modules/routing/readwritesplit/rwsplit_route_stmt.cc b/server/modules/routing/readwritesplit/rwsplit_route_stmt.cc
index 0a2e374cb..1ab2cbcf3 100644
--- a/server/modules/routing/readwritesplit/rwsplit_route_stmt.cc
+++ b/server/modules/routing/readwritesplit/rwsplit_route_stmt.cc
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include <maxscale/modutil.h>
 #include <maxscale/router.h>
 #include <maxscale/server.h>
+#include <maxscale/session_command.hh>
 
 #include "routeinfo.hh"
 #include "rwsplit_internal.hh"
@@ -239,6 +240,54 @@ bool route_single_stmt(RWSplit *inst, RWSplitSession *rses, GWBUF *querybuf, con
     return succp;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Purge session command history
+ *
+ * @param rses   Router session
+ * @param sescmd Executed session command
+ */
+static void purge_history(RWSplitSession* rses, mxs::SSessionCommand& sescmd)
+{
+    /**
+     * We can try to purge duplicate text protocol session commands. This
+     * makes the history size smaller but at the cost of being able to handle
+     * the more complex user variable modifications. To keep the best of both
+     * worlds, keeping the first and last copy of each command should be
+     * an adequate compromise. This way executing the following SQL will still
+     * produce the correct result.
+     *
+     * USE test;
+     * SET @myvar = (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t1);
+     * USE test;
+     *
+     * Another option would be to keep the first session command but that would
+     * require more work to be done in the session command response processing.
+     * This would be a better alternative but the gain might not be optimal.
+     */
+
+    // As the PS handles map to explicit IDs, we must retain all COM_STMT_PREPARE commands
+    if (sescmd->get_command() != MXS_COM_STMT_PREPARE)
+    {
+        auto first = std::find_if(rses->sescmd_list.begin(), rses->sescmd_list.end(),
+                                  mxs::SessionCommand::Equals(sescmd));
+
+        if (first != rses->sescmd_list.end())
+        {
+            // We have at least one of these commands. See if we have a second one
+            auto second = std::find_if(std::next(first), rses->sescmd_list.end(),
+                                       mxs::SessionCommand::Equals(sescmd));
+
+            if (second != rses->sescmd_list.end())
+            {
+                // We have a total of three commands, remove the middle one
+                auto old_cmd = *second;
+                rses->sescmd_responses.erase(old_cmd->get_position());
+                rses->sescmd_list.erase(second);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * Execute in backends used by current router session.
  * Save session variable commands to router session property
@@ -315,7 +364,7 @@ bool route_session_write(RWSplitSession *rses, GWBUF *querybuf,
     }
 
     if (rses->rses_config.max_sescmd_history > 0 &&
-        rses->sescmd_count >= rses->rses_config.max_sescmd_history)
+        rses->sescmd_list.size() >= rses->rses_config.max_sescmd_history)
     {
         MXS_WARNING("Router session exceeded session command history limit. "
                     "Slave recovery is disabled and only slave servers with "
@@ -338,6 +387,7 @@ bool route_session_write(RWSplitSession *rses, GWBUF *querybuf,
     }
     else
     {
+        purge_history(rses, sescmd);
         rses->sescmd_list.push_back(sescmd);
     }