diff --git a/include/openspace/network/parallelconnection.h b/include/openspace/network/parallelconnection.h
index f13037a842..5297654c31 100644
--- a/include/openspace/network/parallelconnection.h
+++ b/include/openspace/network/parallelconnection.h
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ namespace openspace{
             
             bool isHost();
             
-            void requestHostship();
+            void requestHostship(const std::string &password);
 
 			void setPassword(const std::string &password);
             
diff --git a/src/network/parallelconnection.cpp b/src/network/parallelconnection.cpp
index 87857de2d5..26329206e7 100644
--- a/src/network/parallelconnection.cpp
+++ b/src/network/parallelconnection.cpp
@@ -855,13 +855,18 @@ namespace openspace {
             return _isHost.load();
         }
         
-        void ParallelConnection::requestHostship(){
+        void ParallelConnection::requestHostship(const std::string &password){
             std::vector<char> buffer;
             buffer.reserve(headerSize());
           
+            uint32_t passcode = hash(password);
+            
             //write header
             writeHeader(buffer, MessageTypes::HostshipRequest);
             
+            //write passcode
+            buffer.insert(buffer.end(), reinterpret_cast<char*>(&passcode), reinterpret_cast<char*>(&passcode) + sizeof(uint32_t));
+            
             //send message
 			queueMessage(buffer);
         }
@@ -1136,7 +1141,7 @@ namespace openspace {
                     {
                         "requestHostship",
                         &luascriptfunctions::requestHostship,
-                        "",
+                        "string",
                         "Request to be the host for this session"
                     },
                 }
diff --git a/src/network/parallelconnection_lua.inl b/src/network/parallelconnection_lua.inl
index caff3a2f56..059129e20a 100644
--- a/src/network/parallelconnection_lua.inl
+++ b/src/network/parallelconnection_lua.inl
@@ -160,12 +160,27 @@ int disconnect(lua_State* L) {
 
 int requestHostship(lua_State* L) {
     
-    int nArguments = lua_gettop(L);
-    if (nArguments != 0)
-    return luaL_error(L, "Expected %i arguments, got %i", 0, nArguments);
-    if(OsEng.isMaster()){
-        OsEng.parallelConnection()->requestHostship();
+    const bool isFunction = (lua_isfunction(L, -1) != 0);
+    if (isFunction) {
+        // If the top of the stack is a function, it is ourself
+        const char* msg = lua_pushfstring(L, "method called without argument");
+        return luaL_error(L, "bad argument (%s)", msg);
     }
+    
+    const int type = lua_type(L, -1);
+    if (type == LUA_TSTRING) {
+        std::string pwd = luaL_checkstring(L, -1);
+        if(OsEng.isMaster()){
+            OsEng.parallelConnection()->requestHostship(pwd);
+        }
+        return 0;
+    }
+    else {
+        const char* msg = lua_pushfstring(L, "%s expected, got %s",
+        lua_typename(L, LUA_TSTRING), luaL_typename(L, -1));
+        return luaL_error(L, "bad argument #%d (%s)", 1, msg);
+    }
+    
     return 0;
 }