diff --git a/change_log.txt b/change_log.txt
index fe71d9ab..0855fcd6 100644
--- a/change_log.txt
+++ b/change_log.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 ===== trunk  =====
+24.09.2011
+- removed internal muteExpectedErrors() calls in favor of having the implementor call this once from his application
+- optimized muteExpectedErrors() to pass errors to the latest registered error handler, if appliccable
+
 23.09.2011
 - remove unused properties
 - optimization use real function instead anonymous function for preg_replace_callback
@@ -12,7 +16,6 @@
 - bugfix {foreachelse} does fail if {section} was nested inside {foreach}
 - bugfix debug.tpl did not display correctly when it was compiled with escape_html = true
 
-
 21.09.2011
 - bugfix look for mixed case plugin file names as in 3.0 if not found try all lowercase
 - added $error_muting to suppress error messages even for badly implemented error_handlers
diff --git a/libs/Smarty.class.php b/libs/Smarty.class.php
index 54a92277..a44e4d71 100644
--- a/libs/Smarty.class.php
+++ b/libs/Smarty.class.php
@@ -157,11 +157,11 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
     * assigned global tpl vars
     */
     public static $global_tpl_vars = array();
+    
     /**
-     * Enable error_handler suppression to outsmart badly implemented external error_handlers
-     * @var boolean
+     * error handler returned by set_error_hanlder() in Smarty::muteExpctedErrors()
      */
-    public static $error_muting = true;
+    public static $_previous_error_handler = null;
 
     /**#@+
     * variables
@@ -689,13 +689,10 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
     */
     function clearAllCache($exp_time = null, $type = null)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         // load cache resource and call clearAll
         $_cache_resource = Smarty_CacheResource::load($this, $type);
         Smarty_CacheResource::invalidLoadedCache($this);
-        $t = $_cache_resource->clearAll($this, $exp_time);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
-        return $t;
+        return $_cache_resource->clearAll($this, $exp_time);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -710,13 +707,10 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
     */
     public function clearCache($template_name, $cache_id = null, $compile_id = null, $exp_time = null, $type = null)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         // load cache resource and call clear
         $_cache_resource = Smarty_CacheResource::load($this, $type);
         Smarty_CacheResource::invalidLoadedCache($this);
-        $t = $_cache_resource->clear($this, $template_name, $cache_id, $compile_id, $exp_time);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
-        return $t;
+        return $_cache_resource->clear($this, $template_name, $cache_id, $compile_id, $exp_time);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1301,10 +1295,25 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
      * @param integer $errno Error level
      * @return boolean
      */
-    public static function mutingErrorHandler($errno)
+    public static function mutingErrorHandler($errno, $errstr, $errfile, $errline, $errcontext)
     {
-        // return false if $errno is not 0 and included in current error level
-        return (bool)($errno && $errno & error_reporting());
+        static $directory = null;
+        static $lenght = null;
+        
+        if ($base === null) {
+            $base = realpath(SMARTY_DIR);
+            $length = strlen($base);
+        }
+        
+        // pass to next error handler if this error did not occur inside SMARTY_DIR
+        // or the error was within smarty but masked to be ignored
+        if (strncmp($errfile, $base, $length) || ($errno && $errno & error_reporting())) {
+            if (Smarty::$_previous_error_handler) {
+                return call_user_func(Smarty::$_previous_error_handler, $errno, $errstr, $errfile, $errline, $errcontext);
+            } else {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1330,8 +1339,12 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
                 - between file_exists() and filemtime() a possible race condition is opened,
                   which does not exist using the simple @filemtime() approach.
         */
-        if (self::$error_muting) {
-            set_error_handler(array('Smarty', 'mutingErrorHandler'));
+        $error_handler = array('Smarty', 'mutingErrorHandler');
+        $previous = set_error_handler($error_handler);
+
+        // avoid dead loops
+        if ($previous !== $error_handler) {
+            Smarty::$_previous_error_handler = $previous;
         }
     }
 
@@ -1342,9 +1355,7 @@ class Smarty extends Smarty_Internal_TemplateBase {
      */
     public static function unmuteExpectedErrors()
     {
-        if (self::$error_muting) {
-            restore_error_handler();
-        }
+        restore_error_handler();
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_cacheresource_file.php b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_cacheresource_file.php
index 896c7a41..a5cd9f8b 100644
--- a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_cacheresource_file.php
+++ b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_cacheresource_file.php
@@ -61,9 +61,7 @@ class Smarty_Internal_CacheResource_File extends Smarty_CacheResource {
             $cached->lock_id = $_lock_dir.sha1($_cache_id.$_compile_id.$_template->source->uid).'.lock';
         }
         $cached->filepath = $_cache_dir . $_cache_id . $_compile_id . $_filepath . '.' . basename($_source_file_path) . '.php';
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $cached->timestamp = @filemtime($cached->filepath);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         $cached->exists = !!$cached->timestamp;
     }
 
@@ -75,9 +73,7 @@ class Smarty_Internal_CacheResource_File extends Smarty_CacheResource {
      */
     public function populateTimestamp(Smarty_Template_Cached $cached)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $cached->timestamp = @filemtime($cached->filepath);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         $cached->exists = !!$cached->timestamp;
     }
 
@@ -227,9 +223,7 @@ class Smarty_Internal_CacheResource_File extends Smarty_CacheResource {
         } else {
             clearstatcache();
         }
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $t = @filemtime($cached->lock_id);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         return $t && (time() - $t < $smarty->locking_timeout);
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_file.php b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_file.php
index 66370381..48b391d2 100644
--- a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_file.php
+++ b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_file.php
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_File extends Smarty_Resource {
      */
     public function populate(Smarty_Template_Source $source, Smarty_Internal_Template $_template=null)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $source->filepath = $this->buildFilepath($source, $_template);
 
         if ($source->filepath !== false) {
@@ -40,7 +39,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_File extends Smarty_Resource {
                 $source->exists = !!$source->timestamp;
             }
         }
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -50,9 +48,7 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_File extends Smarty_Resource {
      */
     public function populateTimestamp(Smarty_Template_Source $source)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $source->timestamp = @filemtime($source->filepath);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         $source->exists = !!$source->timestamp;
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_php.php b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_php.php
index 9c79e28d..bfa74d05 100644
--- a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_php.php
+++ b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_resource_php.php
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_PHP extends Smarty_Resource_Uncompiled {
      */
     public function populate(Smarty_Template_Source $source, Smarty_Internal_Template $_template=null)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $source->filepath = $this->buildFilepath($source, $_template);
 
         if ($source->filepath !== false) {
@@ -49,7 +48,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_PHP extends Smarty_Resource_Uncompiled {
                 $source->exists = !!$source->timestamp;
             }
         }
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
     }
     
     /**
@@ -60,9 +58,7 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Resource_PHP extends Smarty_Resource_Uncompiled {
      */
     public function populateTimestamp(Smarty_Template_Source $source)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $source->timestamp = @filemtime($source->filepath);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         $source->exists = !!$source->timestamp;
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_write_file.php b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_write_file.php
index 76715e4c..aae600ee 100644
--- a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_write_file.php
+++ b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_internal_write_file.php
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Write_File {
      */
     public static function writeFile($_filepath, $_contents, Smarty $smarty)
     {
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $_error_reporting = error_reporting();
         error_reporting($_error_reporting & ~E_NOTICE & ~E_WARNING);
         if ($smarty->_file_perms !== null) {
@@ -42,7 +41,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Write_File {
         $_tmp_file = $_dirpath . DS . uniqid('wrt');
         if (!file_put_contents($_tmp_file, $_contents)) {
             error_reporting($_error_reporting);
-            Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
             throw new SmartyException("unable to write file {$_tmp_file}");
             return false;
         }
@@ -54,7 +52,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Write_File {
         $success = rename($_tmp_file, $_filepath);
         if (!$success) {
             error_reporting($_error_reporting);
-            Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
             throw new SmartyException("unable to write file {$_filepath}");
             return false;
         }
@@ -65,7 +62,6 @@ class Smarty_Internal_Write_File {
             umask($old_umask);
         }
         error_reporting($_error_reporting);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         return true;
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_resource.php b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_resource.php
index d0523621..009133cf 100644
--- a/libs/sysplugins/smarty_resource.php
+++ b/libs/sysplugins/smarty_resource.php
@@ -609,9 +609,7 @@ class Smarty_Template_Source {
 
         $compiled = new Smarty_Template_Compiled($this);
         $this->handler->populateCompiledFilepath($compiled, $_template);
-        Smarty::muteExpectedErrors();
         $compiled->timestamp = @filemtime($compiled->filepath);
-        Smarty::unmuteExpectedErrors();
         $compiled->exists = !!$compiled->timestamp;
 
         // runtime cache