diff --git a/src/js/assets.js b/src/js/assets.js
index cf1eb98cc..3b0ef17c7 100644
--- a/src/js/assets.js
+++ b/src/js/assets.js
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ const errorCantConnectTo = vAPI.i18n('errorCantConnectTo');
 
 const api = {};
 
+// A hint for various pieces of code to take measures if possible to save
+// bandwidth of remote servers.
+let remoteServerFriendly = false;
+
 /******************************************************************************/
 
 const observers = [];
@@ -157,14 +161,15 @@ api.fetchText = async function(url) {
     // https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/issues/2592
     //   Force browser cache to be bypassed, but only for resources which have
     //   been fetched more than one hour ago.
-    //
     // https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/issues/682#issuecomment-515197130
     //   Provide filter list authors a way to completely bypass
     //   the browser cache.
     // https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/commit/048bfd251c9b#r37972005
     //   Use modulo prime numbers to avoid generating the same token at the
     //   same time across different days.
-    if ( isExternal ) {
+    // Do not bypass browser cache if we are asked to be gentle on remote
+    // servers.
+    if ( isExternal && remoteServerFriendly !== true ) {
         const cacheBypassToken =
             µBlock.hiddenSettings.updateAssetBypassBrowserCache
                 ? Math.floor(Date.now() /    1000) % 86413
@@ -743,6 +748,19 @@ const getRemote = async function(assetKey) {
         contentURLs = assetDetails.contentURL.slice(0);
     }
 
+    // If asked to be gentle on remote servers, favour using dedicated CDN
+    // servers. If more than one CDN server is present, randomly shuffle the
+    // set of servers so as to spread the bandwidth burden.
+    if ( remoteServerFriendly && Array.isArray(assetDetails.cdnURLs) ) {
+        const cdnURLs = assetDetails.cdnURLs.slice();
+        for ( let i = 0, n = cdnURLs.length; i < n; i++ ) {
+            const j = Math.floor(Math.random() * n);
+            if ( j === i ) { continue; }
+            [ cdnURLs[j], cdnURLs[i] ] = [ cdnURLs[i], cdnURLs[j] ];
+        }
+        contentURLs.unshift(...cdnURLs);
+    }
+
     for ( const contentURL of contentURLs ) {
         if ( reIsExternalPath.test(contentURL) === false ) { continue; }
 
@@ -756,18 +774,17 @@ const getRemote = async function(assetKey) {
             if ( result.statusCode === 0 ) {
                 error = 'network error';
             }
-            registerAssetSource(
-                assetKey,
-                { error: { time: Date.now(), error } }
-            );
+            registerAssetSource(assetKey, {
+                error: { time: Date.now(), error }
+            });
             continue;
         }
 
         // Success
-        assetCacheWrite(
-            assetKey,
-            { content: result.content, url: contentURL }
-        );
+        assetCacheWrite(assetKey, {
+            content: result.content,
+            url: contentURL
+        });
         registerAssetSource(assetKey, { error: undefined });
         return reportBack(result.content);
     }
@@ -835,9 +852,10 @@ const updaterAssetDelayDefault = 120000;
 const updaterUpdated = [];
 const updaterFetched = new Set();
 
-let updaterStatus,
-    updaterTimer,
-    updaterAssetDelay = updaterAssetDelayDefault;
+let updaterStatus;
+let updaterTimer;
+let updaterAssetDelay = updaterAssetDelayDefault;
+let updaterAuto = false;
 
 const updateFirst = function() {
     updaterStatus = 'updating';
@@ -861,25 +879,22 @@ const updateNext = async function() {
         if ( updaterFetched.has(assetKey) ) { continue; }
         const cacheEntry = cacheDict[assetKey];
         if (
-            cacheEntry &&
+            (cacheEntry instanceof Object) &&
             (cacheEntry.writeTime + assetEntry.updateAfter * 86400000) > now
         ) {
             continue;
         }
         if (
-            fireNotification(
-                'before-asset-updated',
-                { assetKey: assetKey,  type: assetEntry.content }
-            ) === true
+            fireNotification('before-asset-updated', {
+                assetKey,
+                type: assetEntry.content
+            }) === true
         ) {
             assetKeyToUpdate = assetKey;
             break;
         }
         // This will remove a cached asset when it's no longer in use.
-        if (
-            cacheEntry &&
-            cacheEntry.readTime < assetCacheRegistryStartTime
-        ) {
+        if ( cacheEntry && cacheEntry.readTime < assetCacheRegistryStartTime ) {
             assetCacheRemove(assetKey);
         }
     }
@@ -888,7 +903,13 @@ const updateNext = async function() {
     }
     updaterFetched.add(assetKeyToUpdate);
 
+    // In auto-update context, be gentle on remote servers.
+    remoteServerFriendly = updaterAuto;
+
     const result = await getRemote(assetKeyToUpdate);
+
+    remoteServerFriendly = false;
+
     if ( result.content !== '' ) {
         updaterUpdated.push(result.assetKey);
         if ( result.assetKey === 'assets.json' ) {
@@ -912,10 +933,11 @@ const updateDone = function() {
 
 api.updateStart = function(details) {
     const oldUpdateDelay = updaterAssetDelay;
-    const newUpdateDelay = typeof details.delay === 'number' ?
-        details.delay :
-        updaterAssetDelayDefault;
+    const newUpdateDelay = typeof details.delay === 'number'
+        ? details.delay
+        : updaterAssetDelayDefault;
     updaterAssetDelay = Math.min(oldUpdateDelay, newUpdateDelay);
+    updaterAuto = details.auto === true;
     if ( updaterStatus !== undefined ) {
         if ( newUpdateDelay < oldUpdateDelay ) {
             clearTimeout(updaterTimer);
diff --git a/src/js/storage.js b/src/js/storage.js
index 48d767648..9672f38f0 100644
--- a/src/js/storage.js
+++ b/src/js/storage.js
@@ -1144,6 +1144,8 @@ self.addEventListener('hiddenSettingsChanged', ( ) => {
         const json = await vAPI.adminStorage.getItem('adminSettings');
         if ( typeof json === 'string' && json !== '' ) {
             data = JSON.parse(json);
+        } else if ( json instanceof Object ) {
+            data = json;
         }
     } catch (ex) {
         console.error(ex);
@@ -1247,7 +1249,7 @@ self.addEventListener('hiddenSettingsChanged', ( ) => {
 
 /******************************************************************************/
 
-µBlock.scheduleAssetUpdater = (function() {
+µBlock.scheduleAssetUpdater = (( ) => {
     let timer, next = 0;
 
     return function(updateDelay) {
@@ -1271,7 +1273,8 @@ self.addEventListener('hiddenSettingsChanged', ( ) => {
             next = 0;
             this.assets.updateStart({
                 delay: this.hiddenSettings.autoUpdateAssetFetchPeriod * 1000 ||
-                       120000
+                       120000,
+                auto: true,
             });
         }, updateDelay);
     };