diff --git a/lib/couchrest/core/database.rb b/lib/couchrest/core/database.rb
index 1e7ecb3..baa9257 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/core/database.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/core/database.rb
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ module CouchRest
     end
     
     def clear_extended_doc_fresh_cache
-      ::CouchRest::ExtendedDocument.subclasses.each{|klass| klass.design_doc_fresh = false if klass.respond_to?(:design_doc_fresh=) }
+      ::CouchRest::ExtendedDocument.subclasses.each{|klass| klass.req_design_doc_refresh if klass.respond_to?(:req_design_doc_refresh)}
     end
 
     def uri_for_attachment(doc, name)
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/mixins/class_proxy.rb b/lib/couchrest/mixins/class_proxy.rb
index 5f7bd5b..40f593a 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/mixins/class_proxy.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/mixins/class_proxy.rb
@@ -107,16 +107,12 @@ module CouchRest
           @klass.design_doc
         end
         
-        def design_doc_fresh
-          @klass.design_doc_fresh
-        end
-        
         def refresh_design_doc
-          @klass.refresh_design_doc_on(@database)
+          @klass.refresh_design_doc(@database)
         end
         
         def save_design_doc
-          @klass.save_design_doc_on(@database)
+          @klass.save_design_doc(@database)
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/mixins/design_doc.rb b/lib/couchrest/mixins/design_doc.rb
index 35729a7..1624244 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/mixins/design_doc.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/mixins/design_doc.rb
@@ -9,23 +9,23 @@ module CouchRest
       end
       
       module ClassMethods
-        attr_accessor :design_doc, :design_doc_slug_cache, :design_doc_fresh
         
         def design_doc
           @design_doc ||= Design.new(default_design_doc)
         end
+    
+        # Use when something has been changed, like a view, so that on the next request
+        # the design docs will be updated.
+        def req_design_doc_refresh
+          @design_doc_fresh = { }
+        end
         
         def design_doc_id
           "_design/#{design_doc_slug}"
         end
 
         def design_doc_slug
-          return design_doc_slug_cache if (design_doc_slug_cache && design_doc_fresh)
-          funcs = []
-          design_doc['views'].each do |name, view|
-            funcs << "#{name}/#{view['map']}#{view['reduce']}"
-          end
-          self.design_doc_slug_cache = self.to_s
+          self.to_s
         end
 
         def default_design_doc
@@ -43,45 +43,44 @@ module CouchRest
           }
         end
 
-        def refresh_design_doc
-          reset_design_doc
-          save_design_doc
-        end
-
-        def refresh_design_doc_on(db)
-          reset_design_doc
-          save_design_doc_on(db)
-        end
-
-        # Save the design doc onto the default database, and update the
-        # design_doc attribute
-        def save_design_doc
-          reset_design_doc unless design_doc_fresh
-          self.design_doc = update_design_doc(design_doc)
+        def refresh_design_doc(db = database)
+          unless design_doc_fresh(db)
+            reset_design_doc(db)
+            save_design_doc(db)
+          end
         end
 
         # Save the design doc onto a target database in a thread-safe way,
         # not modifying the model's design_doc
-        def save_design_doc_on(db)
+        def save_design_doc(db = database)
           update_design_doc(Design.new(design_doc), db)
         end
 
-        private
-        
-        def reset_design_doc
-          current = self.database.get(design_doc_id) rescue nil
+        protected
+
+        def design_doc_fresh(db, fresh = nil)
+          @design_doc_fresh ||= {}
+          if fresh.nil? 
+            @design_doc_fresh[db.uri] || false
+          else
+            @design_doc_fresh[db.uri] = fresh
+          end
+        end
+
+        def reset_design_doc(db)
+          current = db.get(design_doc_id) rescue nil
           design_doc['_id']  = design_doc_id
           if current.nil?
             design_doc.delete('_rev')
           else
             design_doc['_rev'] = current['_rev']
           end
-          self.design_doc_fresh = true
+          design_doc_fresh(db, true)
         end
 
         # Writes out a design_doc to a given database, returning the
         # updated design doc
-        def update_design_doc(design_doc, db = database)
+        def update_design_doc(design_doc, db)
           saved = db.get(design_doc['_id']) rescue nil
           if saved
             design_doc['views'].each do |name, view|
@@ -100,4 +99,4 @@ module CouchRest
       
     end
   end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/mixins/views.rb b/lib/couchrest/mixins/views.rb
index 6c95066..8543b1c 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/mixins/views.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/mixins/views.rb
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ module CouchRest
             opts[:guards].push "(doc['couchrest-type'] == '#{self.to_s}')"
           end
           keys.push opts
-          self.design_doc.view_by(*keys)
-          self.design_doc_fresh = false
+          design_doc.view_by(*keys)
+          req_design_doc_refresh
         end
 
         # returns stored defaults if the there is a view named this in the design doc
@@ -96,9 +96,7 @@ module CouchRest
         # Dispatches to any named view.
         def view(name, query={}, &block)
           db = query.delete(:database) || database
-          unless design_doc_fresh            
-            refresh_design_doc_on(db)
-          end
+          refresh_design_doc(db)
           query[:raw] = true if query[:reduce]        
           raw = query.delete(:raw)
           fetch_view_with_docs(db, name, query, raw, &block)
@@ -119,13 +117,6 @@ module CouchRest
           end
         end
 
-        # Deletes the current design doc for the current class.
-        # Running it to early could mean that live code has to regenerate
-        # potentially large indexes.
-        def cleanup_design_docs!(db = database)
-          save_design_doc_on(db)
-        end
-
         private
 
         def fetch_view_with_docs(db, name, opts, raw=false, &block)
@@ -156,7 +147,7 @@ module CouchRest
             # the design doc may not have been saved yet on this database
           rescue HttpAbstraction::ResourceNotFound => e
             if retryable
-              save_design_doc_on(db)
+              save_design_doc(db)
               retryable = false
               retry
             else
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
index 3500d05..87581d8 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_spec.rb
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument" do
   
   describe "finding all instances of a model" do
     before(:all) do
-      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.design_doc_fresh = false
+      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.req_design_doc_refresh
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.all.map{|o| o.destroy(true)}
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.database.bulk_delete
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.new('important-field' => '1').save
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument" do
   describe "counting all instances of a model" do
     before(:each) do
       @db = reset_test_db!
-      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.design_doc_fresh = false
+      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.req_design_doc_refresh
     end
     
     it ".count should return 0 if there are no docuemtns" do
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument" do
   describe "finding the first instance of a model" do
     before(:each) do      
       @db = reset_test_db!
-      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.design_doc_fresh = false
+      WithTemplateAndUniqueID.req_design_doc_refresh
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.new('important-field' => '1').save
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.new('important-field' => '2').save
       WithTemplateAndUniqueID.new('important-field' => '3').save
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_subclass_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_subclass_spec.rb
index 6a9bdc9..a516f76 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_subclass_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_subclass_spec.rb
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ describe "Subclassing an ExtendedDocument" do
   
   it "should have its own design_doc_fresh" do
     Animal.refresh_design_doc
-    Dog.design_doc_fresh.should_not == true
+    Dog.send(:design_doc_fresh, Dog.database).should_not == true
     Dog.refresh_design_doc
-    Dog.design_doc_fresh.should == true
+    Dog.send(:design_doc_fresh, Dog.database).should == true
   end
   
   it "should not add views to the parent's design_doc" do
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_view_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_view_spec.rb
index f622d7d..7d6ef08 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_view_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/more/extended_doc_view_spec.rb
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument views" do
       lambda{Unattached.all}.should raise_error
     end
     it "should query all" do
-      Unattached.cleanup_design_docs!(@db)
+      # Unattached.cleanup_design_docs!(@db)
       rs = Unattached.all :database => @db
       rs.length.should == 4
     end
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ describe "ExtendedDocument views" do
       Unattached.view_by :questions
       Unattached.by_questions(:database => @db)
       original_revision = Unattached.model_design_doc(@db)['_rev']
-      Unattached.cleanup_design_docs!(@db)
+      Unattached.save_design_doc(@db)
       Unattached.model_design_doc(@db)['_rev'].should_not == original_revision
     end
   end