diff --git a/rpm/cvmfs-servermon.spec b/rpm/cvmfs-servermon.spec
index 988808e..9c4e2e4 100644
--- a/rpm/cvmfs-servermon.spec
+++ b/rpm/cvmfs-servermon.spec
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Summary: CernVM File System Server Monitoring
 Name: cvmfs-servermon
-Version: 1.27
+Version: 1.28
 # The release_prefix macro is used in the OBS prjconf, don't change its name
 %define release_prefix 1
 Release: %{release_prefix}%{?dist}
@@ -68,9 +68,12 @@ setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1 2>/dev/null || true
 /usr/share/cvmfs-servermon
 
 %changelog
-# - Remove old workaround added in version 1.12 because it incorrectly
-#   reported the status of a repo without an initial snapshot but with 
-#   a completed gc.
+Mon Sep  2 2024 Dave Dykstra <dwd@fnal.gov> - 1.28-1
+- Prevent json pretty printer from breaking up long strings, the way
+  pyhon2 did it.
+- Remove old workaround added in version 1.12 because it incorrectly
+  reported the status of a repo without an initial snapshot but with 
+  a completed gc.
 
 * Mon Oct 23 2023 Dave Dykstra <dwd@fnal.gov> - 1.27-1
 - Correct inconsistent tab/space which python3 rejected.
diff --git a/webapi/cvmfsmon_api.py b/webapi/cvmfsmon_api.py
index 6574e07..a3de935 100644
--- a/webapi/cvmfsmon_api.py
+++ b/webapi/cvmfsmon_api.py
@@ -138,6 +138,19 @@ def domontest(testname, montests):
         return True
     return False
 
+# from https://stackoverflow.com/a/55619288
+# simulate python2 pretty printer by not breaking up strings
+class Python2PrettyPrinter(pprint.PrettyPrinter):
+    class _fake_short_str(str):
+        def __len__(self):
+            return 1 if super().__len__() else 0
+
+    def format(self, object, context, maxlevels, level):
+        res = super().format(object, context, maxlevels, level)
+        if isinstance(object, str):
+            return (self._fake_short_str(res[0]), ) + res[1:]
+        return res
+
 def dispatch(version, montests, parameters, start_response, environ):
     global last_config_time
     now = time.time()
@@ -311,7 +324,7 @@ def dispatch(version, montests, parameters, start_response, environ):
                 details[status][test] = [repomsg]
 
         output = StringIO()
-        pprint.pprint(details, output)
+        Python2PrettyPrinter(stream=output).pprint(details)
         body = output.getvalue()
         output.close()
         body = body.replace("'", '"')