In Gram-negative bacteria, which include some of the most devastating human pathogens, just two mechanisms for the export of polysaccharides have been identified so far. Now a Max Planck research team led by Lotte Søgaard-Andersen has identified an entirely novel third mechanism for how polysaccharides are exported. These findings, published in mBio, pave the way toward a complete understanding of the mechanisms that mediate the protection, motility and interaction of many bacterial pathogens.