diff --git a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note-store.ts b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note-store.ts
index 8236e29de..0503d8f70 100644
--- a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note-store.ts
+++ b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note-store.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export class RealtimeNoteStore {
     const realtimeNote = new RealtimeNote(
       noteId,
       initialTextContent,
-      initialYjsState,
+      initialYjsState ? Array.from(new Uint8Array(initialYjsState)) : undefined,
     );
     realtimeNote.on('destroy', () => {
       this.noteIdToRealtimeNote.delete(noteId);
diff --git a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.service.ts b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.service.ts
index e3c064e31..800c1d363 100644
--- a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.service.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export class RealtimeNoteService implements BeforeApplicationShutdown {
         realtimeNote.getRealtimeDoc().getCurrentContent(),
         false,
         undefined,
-        realtimeNote.getRealtimeDoc().encodeStateAsUpdate(),
+        new Uint8Array(realtimeNote.getRealtimeDoc().encodeStateAsUpdate()),
       )
       .then(() => {
         realtimeNote.announceMetadataUpdate();
diff --git a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.ts b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.ts
index f97f85d49..ad6d003c5 100644
--- a/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.ts
+++ b/backend/src/realtime/realtime-note/realtime-note.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export class RealtimeNote extends EventEmitter2<RealtimeNoteEventMap> {
   constructor(
     private readonly noteId: number,
     initialTextContent: string,
-    initialYjsState?: ArrayBuffer,
+    initialYjsState?: number[],
   ) {
     super();
     this.logger = new Logger(`${RealtimeNote.name} ${noteId}`);
diff --git a/commons/src/message-transporters/message.ts b/commons/src/message-transporters/message.ts
index b66b2efc4..1fcb53112 100644
--- a/commons/src/message-transporters/message.ts
+++ b/commons/src/message-transporters/message.ts
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ export enum ConnectionStateEvent {
 }
 
 export interface MessagePayloads {
-  [MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_STATE_REQUEST]: ArrayBuffer
-  [MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_UPDATE]: ArrayBuffer
+  [MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_STATE_REQUEST]: number[]
+  [MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_UPDATE]: number[]
   [MessageType.REALTIME_USER_STATE_SET]: {
     users: RealtimeUser[]
     ownUser: {
diff --git a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.spec.ts b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.spec.ts
index 7743ffeec..dd00e52ed 100644
--- a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.spec.ts
+++ b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.spec.ts
@@ -21,12 +21,12 @@ describe('realtime doc', () => {
   it('restores a yjs state vector update correctly', () => {
     const realtimeDoc = new RealtimeDoc(
       'notTheVectorText',
-      new Uint8Array([
+      [
         1, 1, 221, 208, 165, 230, 3, 0, 4, 1, 15, 109, 97, 114, 107, 100, 111,
         119, 110, 67, 111, 110, 116, 101, 110, 116, 32, 116, 101, 120, 116, 67,
         111, 110, 116, 101, 110, 116, 70, 114, 111, 109, 83, 116, 97, 116, 101,
         86, 101, 99, 116, 111, 114, 85, 112, 100, 97, 116, 101, 0,
-      ]),
+      ],
     )
 
     expect(realtimeDoc.getCurrentContent()).toBe(
diff --git a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.ts b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.ts
index 31db78171..3b8a337db 100644
--- a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.ts
+++ b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/realtime-doc.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
 const MARKDOWN_CONTENT_CHANNEL_NAME = 'markdownContent'
 
 export interface RealtimeDocEvents extends EventMap {
-  update: (update: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown) => void
+  update: (update: number[], origin: unknown) => void
 }
 
 /**
@@ -37,16 +37,26 @@ export class RealtimeDoc extends EventEmitter2<RealtimeDocEvents> {
    * @param initialTextContent the initial text content of the {@link Doc YDoc}
    * @param initialYjsState the initial yjs state. If provided this will be used instead of the text content
    */
-  constructor(initialTextContent?: string, initialYjsState?: ArrayBuffer) {
+  constructor(initialTextContent?: string, initialYjsState?: number[]) {
     super()
-    if (initialYjsState) {
+    console.debug(
+      'Creating new RealtimeDoc',
+      'initialYjsState',
+      initialYjsState,
+      'initialTextContent',
+      initialTextContent,
+    )
+    if (initialYjsState !== undefined) {
+      console.debug('Applying update')
       this.applyUpdate(initialYjsState, this)
-    } else if (initialTextContent) {
+    } else if (initialTextContent !== undefined) {
+      console.debug('Setting initial text content')
       this.getMarkdownContentChannel().insert(0, initialTextContent)
     }
+    console.debug('Setting up listeners')
 
     this.docUpdateListener = (update, origin) => {
-      this.emit('update', update, origin)
+      this.emit('update', Array.from(update), origin)
     }
     this.doc.on('update', this.docUpdateListener)
   }
@@ -77,13 +87,12 @@ export class RealtimeDoc extends EventEmitter2<RealtimeDocEvents> {
    *
    * @param encodedTargetStateVector The current state vector of the other y-doc. If provided the update will contain only the differences.
    */
-  public encodeStateAsUpdate(
-    encodedTargetStateVector?: ArrayBuffer,
-  ): ArrayBuffer {
-    const update = encodedTargetStateVector
-      ? new Uint8Array(encodedTargetStateVector)
-      : undefined
-    return encodeStateAsUpdate(this.doc, update)
+  public encodeStateAsUpdate(encodedTargetStateVector?: number[]): number[] {
+    const update =
+      encodedTargetStateVector !== undefined
+        ? new Uint8Array(encodedTargetStateVector)
+        : undefined
+    return Array.from(encodeStateAsUpdate(this.doc, update))
   }
 
   public destroy(): void {
@@ -97,11 +106,11 @@ export class RealtimeDoc extends EventEmitter2<RealtimeDocEvents> {
    * @param payload The update to apply
    * @param origin A reference that triggered the update
    */
-  public applyUpdate(payload: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown): void {
+  public applyUpdate(payload: number[], origin: unknown): void {
     applyUpdate(this.doc, new Uint8Array(payload), origin)
   }
 
-  public encodeStateVector(): ArrayBuffer {
-    return encodeStateVector(this.doc)
+  public encodeStateVector(): number[] {
+    return Array.from(encodeStateVector(this.doc))
   }
 }
diff --git a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.spec.ts b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.spec.ts
index baf51f6b6..d2c6c9d53 100644
--- a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.spec.ts
+++ b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.spec.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ describe('y-doc-sync-adapter', () => {
       console.log('s>2 is connected'),
     )
 
-    docServer.on('update', (update: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown) => {
+    docServer.on('update', (update: number[], origin: unknown) => {
       const message: Message<MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_UPDATE> = {
         type: MessageType.NOTE_CONTENT_UPDATE,
         payload: update,
@@ -118,12 +118,12 @@ describe('y-doc-sync-adapter', () => {
         messageTransporterServerTo2.sendMessage(message)
       }
     })
-    docClient1.on('update', (update: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown) => {
+    docClient1.on('update', (update: number[], origin: unknown) => {
       if (origin !== messageTransporterClient1) {
         console.log('YDoc on client 1 updated. Sending to Server')
       }
     })
-    docClient2.on('update', (update: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown) => {
+    docClient2.on('update', (update: number[], origin: unknown) => {
       if (origin !== messageTransporterClient2) {
         console.log('YDoc on client 2 updated. Sending to Server')
       }
diff --git a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.ts b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.ts
index b3c77bd28..752692dca 100644
--- a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.ts
+++ b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-adapter.ts
@@ -97,11 +97,11 @@ export abstract class YDocSyncAdapter {
     }
   }
 
-  protected applyIncomingUpdatePayload(update: ArrayBuffer): void {
+  protected applyIncomingUpdatePayload(update: number[]): void {
     this.doc.applyUpdate(update, this)
   }
 
-  private distributeDocUpdate(update: ArrayBuffer, origin: unknown): void {
+  private distributeDocUpdate(update: number[], origin: unknown): void {
     if (!this.isSynced() || origin === this) {
       return
     }
diff --git a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-server-adapter.ts b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-server-adapter.ts
index aa1ec4bc2..396bc19a2 100644
--- a/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-server-adapter.ts
+++ b/commons/src/y-doc-sync/y-doc-sync-server-adapter.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export class YDocSyncServerAdapter extends YDocSyncAdapter {
     this.markAsSynced()
   }
 
-  protected applyIncomingUpdatePayload(update: ArrayBuffer): void {
+  protected applyIncomingUpdatePayload(update: number[]): void {
     if (!this.acceptEditsProvider()) {
       return
     }