diff --git a/modules/discopower/lib/PowerIdPDisco.php b/modules/discopower/lib/PowerIdPDisco.php
index c5ce0a954a091ce38e9a1dbc7b75509fc96b35f0..a25f3df14af75698fa7aa49dbd140221a764f51e 100644
--- a/modules/discopower/lib/PowerIdPDisco.php
+++ b/modules/discopower/lib/PowerIdPDisco.php
@@ -283,17 +283,12 @@ class PowerIdPDisco extends \SimpleSAML\XHTML\IdPDisco
             $t->data['autofocus'] = 'favouritesubmit';
         }
 
-        $search = '<script type="text/javascript">
-            $(document).ready(function() {
-                $("#tabdiv").tabs({ selected: '.$t->data['defaulttab'].' });';
-        $i = 0;
-        foreach ($idpList as $tab => $slist) {
-            $search .= "\n".'$("#query_'.$tab.'").liveUpdate("#list_'.$tab.'")'.
-            (($i++ == 0) && (empty($this->data['faventry'])) ? '.focus()' : '').';';
-        }
-        $search .= "});\n</script>";
+        /* store the tab list in the session */
+        $session = \SimpleSAML\Session::getSessionFromRequest();
+        $session->setData('discopower:tabList', 'faventry', $this->data['faventry']);
+        $session->setData('discopower:tabList', 'tabs', array_keys($idpList));
+        $session->setData('discopower:tabList', 'defaulttab', $t->data['defaulttab']);
 
-        $t->data['search'] = $search;
         $t->data['score'] = $this->discoconfig->getValue('score', 'quicksilver');
         $t->data['tabNames'] = $discoPowerTabs;
         $t->data['preferredidp'] = $preferredIdP;
diff --git a/modules/discopower/templates/disco.tpl.php b/modules/discopower/templates/disco.tpl.php
index 3472a6e30387e0e8539e2db65f1bb906a736bb1d..581b819276e11646c7260142c3e4c0cdc97416e3 100644
--- a/modules/discopower/templates/disco.tpl.php
+++ b/modules/discopower/templates/disco.tpl.php
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ $this->data['head'] .= '<script type="text/javascript" src="'.
     SimpleSAML\Module::getModuleURL('discopower/assets/js/jquery.livesearch.js').'"></script>'."\n";
 $this->data['head'] .= '<script type="text/javascript" src="'.
     SimpleSAML\Module::getModuleURL('discopower/assets/js/'.$this->data['score'].'.js').'"></script>'."\n";
-$this->data['head'] .= $this->data['search'];
+$this->data['head'] .= '<script type="text/javascript" src="'.
+    SimpleSAML\Module::getModuleURL('discopower/assets/js/tablist.js').'"></script>'."\n";
 
 if (!empty($this->data['faventry'])) {
     $this->data['autofocus'] = 'favouritesubmit';
diff --git a/modules/discopower/templates/disco.twig b/modules/discopower/templates/disco.twig
index bd72483935347cd5dff98220a5f1c082fb9c5108..27febae5b5d64e62d5c15253cde854d10478bde4 100644
--- a/modules/discopower/templates/disco.twig
+++ b/modules/discopower/templates/disco.twig
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     <script src="/{{ baseurlpath }}resources/jquery-ui-1.8.js"></script>
     <script src="/{{ baseurlpath }}module.php/discopower/js/jquery.livesearch.js"></script>
     <script src="/{{ baseurlpath }}module.php/discopower/js/{{ score }}.js"></script>
-    {{ search|raw }}
+    <script src="/{{ baseurlpath }}module.php/discopower/js/tablist.js"></script>
 {% endblock %}
 
 {% block content %}
diff --git a/modules/discopower/www/assets/js/tablist.js b/modules/discopower/www/assets/js/tablist.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..789fb5b28f173480a287bc31bd8c62bed3da463b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/discopower/www/assets/js/tablist.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+$(document).ready(function() {
+    $("#tabdiv").tabs();
+    $.getJSON("tablist.php", function(data) {
+        $("#tabdiv").select(data["default"]);
+        for (var i = 0; i < data["tabs"].length; i++) {
+            var tab = data["tabs"][i];
+            $("#query_"+tab).liveUpdate("#list_"+tab);
+            if (data["faventry"] == null && i == 0) {
+                $("#query_"+tab).focus();
+            }
+        }
+    });
+});
diff --git a/modules/discopower/www/tablist.php b/modules/discopower/www/tablist.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9f58fe513bb9d3e9642ab7f347ff7d7dc5927796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/discopower/www/tablist.php
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * An AJAX handler to retrieve a list of disco tabs from the session.
+ * This allows us to dynamically update the tab list without inline javascript.
+ *
+ * @author Guy Halse, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9388-8592
+ * @package SimpleSAMLphp
+ */
+$session = \SimpleSAML\Session::getSessionFromRequest();
+$tabs = $session->getData('discopower:tabList', 'tabs');
+$faventry = $session->getData('discopower:tabList', 'faventry');
+$defaulttab = $session->getData('discopower:tabList', 'defaulttab');
+
+if (!is_array($tabs)) {
+    throw new \SimpleSAML\Error\Exception('Could not get tab list from session');
+}
+
+// handle JSON vs JSONP requests
+if (isset($_REQUEST['callback'])) {
+    if (!preg_match('/^[a-z0-9_]+$/i', $_REQUEST['callback'])) {
+        throw new \SimpleSAML\Error\Exception('Unsafe JSONP callback function name "'.$_REQUEST['callback'].'"');
+    }
+    $jsonp = true;
+    header('Content-Type: application/javascript');
+    echo addslashes($_REQUEST['callback']) . '(';
+} else {
+    $jsonp = false;
+    header('Content-Type: application/json');
+}
+
+echo json_encode(
+    [
+        'faventry' => $faventry,
+        'default' => $defaulttab,
+        'tabs' => $tabs,
+    ]
+);
+
+if ($jsonp) {
+    echo ');';
+}