diff --git a/src/eosjs-api.ts b/src/eosjs-api.ts
index 0e2bf48f6..8673c6742 100644
--- a/src/eosjs-api.ts
+++ b/src/eosjs-api.ts
@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@ export class Api {
 
     /** Get abis needed by a transaction */
     public async getTransactionAbis(transaction: any, reload = false): Promise<BinaryAbi[]> {
-        const accounts: string[] = transaction.actions.map((action: ser.Action): string => action.account);
+        const actions = (transaction.context_free_actions || []).concat(transaction.actions);
+        const accounts: string[] = actions.map((action: ser.Action): string => action.account);
         const uniqueAccounts: Set<string> = new Set(accounts);
         const actionPromises: Array<Promise<BinaryAbi>> = [...uniqueAccounts].map(
             async (account: string): Promise<BinaryAbi> => ({
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ export class Api {
 
     /** Serialize context-free data */
     public serializeContextFreeData(contextFreeData: Uint8Array[]): Uint8Array {
-        if (!contextFreeData) {
+        if (!contextFreeData || !contextFreeData.length) {
             return null;
         }
         const buffer = new ser.SerialBuffer({ textEncoder: this.textEncoder, textDecoder: this.textDecoder });
@@ -209,8 +210,11 @@ export class Api {
             transaction = ser.hexToUint8Array(transaction);
         }
         const deserializedTransaction = this.deserializeTransaction(transaction);
+        const deserializedCFActions = await this.deserializeActions(deserializedTransaction.context_free_actions);
         const deserializedActions = await this.deserializeActions(deserializedTransaction.actions);
-        return { ...deserializedTransaction, actions: deserializedActions };
+        return {
+            ...deserializedTransaction, context_free_actions: deserializedCFActions, actions: deserializedActions
+        };
     }
 
     /**
@@ -246,7 +250,11 @@ export class Api {
         }
 
         const abis: BinaryAbi[] = await this.getTransactionAbis(transaction);
-        transaction = { ...transaction, actions: await this.serializeActions(transaction.actions) };
+        transaction = {
+            ...transaction,
+            context_free_actions: await this.serializeActions(transaction.context_free_actions || []),
+            actions: await this.serializeActions(transaction.actions)
+        };
         const serializedTransaction = this.serializeTransaction(transaction);
         const serializedContextFreeData = this.serializeContextFreeData(transaction.context_free_data);
         let pushTransactionArgs: PushTransactionArgs = {