diff --git a/src/dumper.c b/src/dumper.c
index dff51a1..d38d4f2 100644
--- a/src/dumper.c
+++ b/src/dumper.c
@@ -9,57 +9,35 @@
  *
  **/
 
+#include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
 #include "dumper.h"
-#include "sniffer.h"
-#include "server.h"
 
-void dump_packet_handler(u_char *file, const struct pcap_pkthdr *header, const u_char *pkt_data) {
-    pcap_dump(file, header, pkt_data);
-}
-
-struct dumper *dumper_create(struct options *opts, char *err) {
+struct dumper *dumper_create(pcap_t *pcap, const char *path, char *err) {
     struct dumper *d;
-    pcap_t *pcap;
-    pcap_dumper_t *file;
-    struct bpf_program *bpf;
-
-    d = malloc(sizeof(*d));
-    d->pcap = NULL;
-    d->file = NULL;
-    d->bpf = NULL;
 
-    pcap = sniffer_online(opts->dev, opts->snaplen, opts->buf_size, err);
-    if (!pcap) goto error; 
-    d->pcap = pcap;
-    bpf = sniffer_compile(pcap, opts->filter, err);
-    if (!bpf) goto error; 
-    d->bpf = bpf;
-    file = pcap_dump_open(pcap, opts->save_file);
-    if (!file) goto error; 
-    d->file = file;
+    d = calloc(1, sizeof(*d));
+    if (!d) {
+        snprintf(err, MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE, "out of memory");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    d->file = pcap_dump_open(pcap, path);
+    if (!d->file) {
+        snprintf(err, MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE, "%s", pcap_geterr(pcap));
+        free(d);
+        return NULL;
+    }
     return d;
-
-error:    
-    dumper_destroy(d);
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-void dumper_terminate(struct dumper *d) {
-    pcap_breakloop(d->pcap);
 }
 
-int dumper_run(struct dumper *d) {
-    return pcap_loop(d->pcap, 0, dump_packet_handler, (unsigned char *)d->file);
+void dumper_write(struct dumper *d, const struct pcap_pkthdr *header,
+        const unsigned char *packet) {
+    pcap_dump((unsigned char *)d->file, header, packet);
 }
 
 void dumper_destroy(struct dumper *d) {
-    if (d->pcap) pcap_close(d->pcap);
-    if (d->bpf) {
-        pcap_freecode(d->bpf);
-        free(d->bpf);
-    }
+    if (!d) return;
     if (d->file) pcap_dump_close(d->file);
     free(d);
 }
diff --git a/src/dumper.h b/src/dumper.h
index 58d0258..054f8f6 100644
--- a/src/dumper.h
+++ b/src/dumper.h
@@ -16,14 +16,13 @@
 #include "tcpkit.h"
 
 struct dumper {
-    struct bpf_program *bpf;
     pcap_dumper_t *file;
-    pcap_t *pcap;
 };
 
-struct dumper *dumper_create(struct options *opts, char *err); 
-void dumper_terminate(struct dumper *d);
-int dumper_run(struct dumper *d);
+/* Writes to `path` through `pcap`, the handle the packets are captured on. */
+struct dumper *dumper_create(pcap_t *pcap, const char *path, char *err);
+void dumper_write(struct dumper *d, const struct pcap_pkthdr *header,
+        const unsigned char *packet);
 void dumper_destroy(struct dumper *d);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/server.c b/src/server.c
index bd699cd..e6a4b05 100644
--- a/src/server.c
+++ b/src/server.c
@@ -20,19 +20,16 @@
 #include "tcpkit.h"
 #include "server.h"
 #include "sniffer.h"
-#include "dumper.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "stats.h"
 #include "cJSON.h"
 #include "hashtable.h"
 
-static int server_spwan_dumper_thread(struct server *srv);
 static void *server_stats_loop(void *arg);
 static int server_spwan_stats_thread(struct server *srv);
 
 struct server *server_create(struct options *opts, char *err) {
     struct server *srv;
-    struct dumper *d;
 
     srv = calloc(1, sizeof(*srv));
     if (!srv) {
@@ -43,14 +40,6 @@ struct server *server_create(struct options *opts, char *err) {
     srv->sniffer = sniffer_create(opts, err);
     if (!srv->sniffer) goto error;
 
-    if (!opts->offline_file && opts->save_file) {
-        if (!(d = dumper_create(opts, err))) goto error;
-        srv->dumper = d;
-        if (server_spwan_dumper_thread(srv) != 0) {
-            snprintf(err, MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE, "create the dumper thread: %s", strerror(errno));
-            goto error;
-        }
-    }
     if (opts->protocol != ProtocolRaw) {
         if (server_spwan_stats_thread(srv) != 0) {
             snprintf(err, MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE, "create the stats thread: %s", strerror(errno));
@@ -61,7 +50,6 @@ struct server *server_create(struct options *opts, char *err) {
 
 error:
     server_terminate(srv);
-    if (srv->dumper_tid) pthread_join(srv->dumper_tid, NULL);
     if (srv->stats_tid) pthread_join(srv->stats_tid, NULL);
     server_destroy(srv);
     return NULL;
@@ -76,7 +64,6 @@ int server_run(struct server *srv, char *err) {
         return -1;
     }
     server_terminate(srv);
-    if (srv->dumper_tid) pthread_join(srv->dumper_tid, NULL);
     if (srv->stats_tid) pthread_join(srv->stats_tid, NULL);
     if (!srv->opts->offline_file) {
         if (pcap_stats(srv->sniffer->pcap, &stat) == 0) {
@@ -98,39 +85,14 @@ void server_terminate(struct server *srv) {
     if (!srv || TK_LOAD(&srv->stopped)) return;
     TK_STORE(&srv->stopped, 1);
     sniffer_terminate(srv->sniffer);
-    if (srv->dumper) dumper_terminate(srv->dumper);
 }
 
 void server_destroy(struct server *srv) {
     if (!srv) return;
     sniffer_destroy(srv->sniffer);
-    if (srv->dumper) dumper_destroy(srv->dumper);
     free(srv);
 }
 
-static void* server_dump_loop(void *arg) {
-    struct dumper *d;
-    char err[MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE];
-    
-    d = (struct dumper *) arg;
-    if (dumper_run(d) == -1) {
-        snprintf(err, MAX_ERR_BUFF_SIZE, "%s", pcap_geterr(d->pcap));
-    }
-    return NULL;
-}
-
-static int server_spwan_dumper_thread(struct server *srv) {
-    int ret;
-    pthread_t tid;
-
-    ret = pthread_create(&tid, NULL, server_dump_loop, srv->dumper);
-    if (ret != 0) {
-        return ret;
-    }
-    srv->dumper_tid = tid;
-    return 0; 
-}
-
 static int server_spwan_stats_thread(struct server *srv) {
     int ret;
     pthread_t tid;
diff --git a/src/server.h b/src/server.h
index d0bdd5d..41df1d4 100644
--- a/src/server.h
+++ b/src/server.h
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@
 struct server {
     struct options *opts;
     struct sniffer *sniffer;
-    struct dumper* dumper;
-    pthread_t dumper_tid;
     pthread_t stats_tid;
     /* Set by server_terminate, which also runs from the signal handler, and
      * read by the stats thread. */
diff --git a/src/sniffer.c b/src/sniffer.c
index 600fd68..0a35029 100644
--- a/src/sniffer.c
+++ b/src/sniffer.c
@@ -111,6 +111,11 @@ struct sniffer *sniffer_create(struct options *opts, char *err) {
         sniffer->bpf = bpf;
     }
 
+    if (opts->save_file) {
+        sniffer->dumper = dumper_create(pcap, opts->save_file, err);
+        if (!sniffer->dumper) goto error;
+    }
+
     if (opts->script) {
         lua_state = lua_state_create(opts->script, err);
         if (!lua_state) goto error;
@@ -136,6 +141,7 @@ void sniffer_destroy(struct sniffer *sniffer) {
         free(sniffer->bpf);
     }
     if (sniffer->lua_state) lua_close(sniffer->lua_state);
+    dumper_destroy(sniffer->dumper);
     free(sniffer);
 }
 
@@ -190,6 +196,9 @@ static void packet_handler(unsigned char *user,
     struct user_packet upacket;
     struct sniffer *sniffer = (struct sniffer*) user;
 
+    /* Save the frame exactly as it was captured, before anything is parsed. */
+    if (sniffer->dumper) dumper_write(sniffer->dumper, header, packet);
+
     switch(pcap_datalink((pcap_t*)sniffer->pcap)) {
         case DLT_NULL:
             linkhdr_size = NULL_HDRLEN;
diff --git a/src/sniffer.h b/src/sniffer.h
index c92d800..e6e7308 100644
--- a/src/sniffer.h
+++ b/src/sniffer.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "tcpkit.h"
 #include "stats.h"
 #include "hashtable.h"
+#include "dumper.h"
 
 struct sniffer {
     pcap_t *pcap;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ struct sniffer {
     int expire_primed;
     lua_State *lua_state;
     struct bpf_program *bpf;
+    struct dumper *dumper;
 };
 
 static inline void sniffer_stats_lock(struct sniffer *sniffer) {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/run.sh b/tests/e2e/run.sh
index b73d115..3678e5a 100755
--- a/tests/e2e/run.sh
+++ b/tests/e2e/run.sh
@@ -151,6 +151,26 @@ expect_lines "a udp filter suppresses the redis latency lines" "$out" 0
 replay redis-session.pcap -p redis "tcp port 6379"
 expect_lines "a matching filter keeps the redis latency lines" "$out" 2
 
+echo "== e2e: writing a capture"
+dump="$tmpdir/dumped.pcap"
+tcpkit_run -r fixtures/redis-session.pcap -P "$STATS_PORT" -p raw -w "$dump"
+expect_status "-w alongside -r exits cleanly" "$status" 0
+if [ -s "$dump" ]; then
+    ok "-w writes a capture"
+else
+    fail "-w writes a capture"
+fi
+
+tcpkit_run -r "$dump" -P "$STATS_PORT" -p raw
+expect_lines "the written capture replays identically" "$out" 8
+expect_contains "the written capture keeps the addresses" "$out" \
+    "10.0.0.1.51137 > 10.0.0.2.6379"
+
+tcpkit_run -r fixtures/redis-session.pcap -P "$STATS_PORT" -p raw \
+    -w "$tmpdir/filtered.pcap" udp
+tcpkit_run -r "$tmpdir/filtered.pcap" -P "$STATS_PORT" -p raw
+expect_lines "only the filtered packets are written" "$out" 1
+
 echo "== e2e: error handling"
 replay does-not-exist.pcap -p redis
 expect_status "a missing capture file exits with an error" "$status" 1