diff --git a/core/modules/startup/render.js b/core/modules/startup/render.js
index fc93bcdb3..7ec6ec444 100644
--- a/core/modules/startup/render.js
+++ b/core/modules/startup/render.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ exports.synchronous = true;
 // Default story and history lists
 var PAGE_TITLE_TITLE = "$:/core/wiki/title";
 var PAGE_STYLESHEET_TITLE = "$:/core/ui/PageStylesheet";
-var PAGE_TEMPLATE_TITLE = "$:/core/ui/PageTemplate";
+var PAGE_TEMPLATE_TITLE = "$:/core/ui/RootTemplate";
 
 // Time (in ms) that we defer refreshing changes to draft tiddlers
 var DRAFT_TIDDLER_TIMEOUT_TITLE = "$:/config/Drafts/TypingTimeout";
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ exports.startup = function() {
 	}));
 	// Display the $:/core/ui/PageTemplate tiddler to kick off the display
 	$tw.perf.report("mainRender",function() {
-		$tw.pageWidgetNode = $tw.wiki.makeTranscludeWidget(PAGE_TEMPLATE_TITLE,{document: document, parentWidget: $tw.rootWidget});
+		$tw.pageWidgetNode = $tw.wiki.makeTranscludeWidget(PAGE_TEMPLATE_TITLE,{document: document, parentWidget: $tw.rootWidget, recursionMarker: "no"});
 		$tw.pageContainer = document.createElement("div");
 		$tw.utils.addClass($tw.pageContainer,"tc-page-container-wrapper");
 		document.body.insertBefore($tw.pageContainer,document.body.firstChild);
diff --git a/core/modules/widgets/transclude.js b/core/modules/widgets/transclude.js
index 7af61fc8e..1af7f9c42 100755
--- a/core/modules/widgets/transclude.js
+++ b/core/modules/widgets/transclude.js
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ TranscludeWidget.prototype.execute = function() {
 	this.transcludeField = this.getAttribute("field");
 	this.transcludeIndex = this.getAttribute("index");
 	this.transcludeMode = this.getAttribute("mode");
+	this.recursionMarker = this.getAttribute("recursionMarker","yes");
 	// Parse the text reference
 	var parseAsInline = !this.parseTreeNode.isBlock;
 	if(this.transcludeMode === "inline") {
@@ -61,7 +62,9 @@ TranscludeWidget.prototype.execute = function() {
 		parseTreeNodes = parser ? parser.tree : this.parseTreeNode.children;
 	// Set context variables for recursion detection
 	var recursionMarker = this.makeRecursionMarker();
-	this.setVariable("transclusion",recursionMarker);
+	if(this.recursionMarker === "yes") {
+		this.setVariable("transclusion",recursionMarker);
+	}
 	// Check for recursion
 	if(parser) {
 		if(this.parentWidget && this.parentWidget.hasVariable("transclusion",recursionMarker)) {
diff --git a/core/modules/wiki.js b/core/modules/wiki.js
index 9fb5166b0..b7718cac2 100755
--- a/core/modules/wiki.js
+++ b/core/modules/wiki.js
@@ -1004,6 +1004,7 @@ title: target tiddler title
 options: as for wiki.makeWidget() plus:
 options.field: optional field to transclude (defaults to "text")
 options.mode: transclusion mode "inline" or "block"
+options.recursionMarker : optional flag to set a recursion marker, defaults to "yes"
 options.children: optional array of children for the transclude widget
 options.importVariables: optional importvariables filter string for macros to be included
 options.importPageMacros: optional boolean; if true, equivalent to passing "[[$:/core/ui/PageMacros]] [all[shadows+tiddlers]tag[$:/tags/Macro]!has[draft.of]]" to options.importVariables
@@ -1027,10 +1028,17 @@ exports.makeTranscludeWidget = function(title,options) {
 		parseTreeTransclude = {
 			type: "transclude",
 			attributes: {
+				recursionMarker: {
+					name: "recursionMarker",
+					type: "string",
+					value: options.recursionMarker || "yes"
+					},
 				tiddler: {
 					name: "tiddler",
 					type: "string",
-					value: title}},
+					value: title
+				}
+			},
 			isBlock: !options.parseAsInline};
 	if(options.importVariables || options.importPageMacros) {
 		if(options.importVariables) {
diff --git a/core/ui/RootTemplate.tid b/core/ui/RootTemplate.tid
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0af69a70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/ui/RootTemplate.tid
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+title: $:/core/ui/RootTemplate
+
+<$transclude tiddler={{{ [{$:/layout}has[text]] ~[[$:/core/ui/PageTemplate]] }}} mode="inline"/>
\ No newline at end of file