diff --git a/FEATURES.md b/FEATURES.md
index 4aceb8f0f22..2367449c356 100644
--- a/FEATURES.md
+++ b/FEATURES.md
@@ -44,5 +44,17 @@ for a detailed explanation.
 
 * `ember-runtime-enumerable-includes`
 
-Deprecates `Enumerable#contains` and `Array#contains` in favor of `Enumerable#includes` and `Array#includes` 
+Deprecates `Enumerable#contains` and `Array#contains` in favor of `Enumerable#includes` and `Array#includes`
 to stay in line with ES standards (see [RFC](https://github.com/emberjs/rfcs/blob/master/text/0136-contains-to-includes.md)).
+
+* `ember-string-ishtmlsafe`
+
+  Introduces an API to detect if strings are decorated as htmlSafe. Example:
+
+  ```javascript
+  var plainString = 'plain string',
+      safeString = Ember.String.htmlSafe('<div>someValue</div>');
+
+  Ember.String.isHtmlSafe(plainString); // false
+  Ember.String.isHtmlSafe(safeString);  // true
+  ```
diff --git a/features.json b/features.json
index 38503f53568..46025e329a6 100644
--- a/features.json
+++ b/features.json
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
     "ember-glimmer": null,
     "ember-runtime-computed-uniq-by": true,
     "ember-improved-instrumentation": null,
-    "ember-runtime-enumerable-includes": null
+    "ember-runtime-enumerable-includes": null,
+    "ember-string-ishtmlsafe": null
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fd1b600395c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import EmberHandlebars from 'ember-htmlbars/compat';
+import { isHtmlSafe } from 'ember-htmlbars/utils/string';
+import { TestCase } from '../utils/abstract-test-case';
+import { moduleFor } from '../utils/test-case';
+
+
+moduleFor('compat - SafeString', class extends TestCase {
+  ['@test using new results in a deprecation']() {
+    let result;
+
+    expectDeprecation(() => {
+      result = new EmberHandlebars.SafeString('<b>test</b>');
+    }, 'Ember.Handlebars.SafeString is deprecated in favor of Ember.String.htmlSafe');
+
+    this.assert.equal(result.toHTML(), '<b>test</b>');
+
+    // Ensure this functionality is maintained for backwards compat, but also deprecated.
+    expectDeprecation(() => {
+      this.assert.ok(result instanceof EmberHandlebars.SafeString);
+    }, 'Ember.Handlebars.SafeString is deprecated in favor of Ember.String.htmlSafe');
+  }
+
+  ['@test isHtmlSafe should detect SafeString']() {
+    let safeString;
+
+    expectDeprecation(() => {
+      safeString = new EmberHandlebars.SafeString('<b>test</b>');
+    }, 'Ember.Handlebars.SafeString is deprecated in favor of Ember.String.htmlSafe');
+
+    this.assert.ok(isHtmlSafe(safeString));
+  }
+});
diff --git a/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/utils/string-test.js b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/utils/string-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..770d79bf3fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/utils/string-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import SafeString from 'htmlbars-util/safe-string';
+import { htmlSafe, isHtmlSafe } from 'ember-htmlbars/utils/string';
+import isEnabled from 'ember-metal/features';
+import { TestCase } from './abstract-test-case';
+import { moduleFor } from './test-case';
+
+moduleFor('SafeString', class extends TestCase {
+  ['@test htmlSafe should return an instance of SafeString']() {
+    let safeString = htmlSafe('you need to be more <b>bold</b>');
+
+    this.assert.ok(safeString instanceof SafeString, 'should be a SafeString');
+  }
+
+  ['@test htmlSafe should return an empty string for null']() {
+    let safeString = htmlSafe(null);
+
+    this.assert.equal(safeString instanceof SafeString, true, 'should be a SafeString');
+    this.assert.equal(safeString.toString(), '', 'should return an empty string');
+  }
+
+  ['@test htmlSafe should return an instance of SafeString']() {
+    let safeString = htmlSafe();
+
+    this.assert.equal(safeString instanceof SafeString, true, 'should be a SafeString');
+    this.assert.equal(safeString.toString(), '', 'should return an empty string');
+  }
+});
+
+if (isEnabled('ember-string-ishtmlsafe')) {
+  moduleFor('SafeString isHtmlSafe', class extends TestCase {
+    ['@test isHtmlSafe should detect SafeString']() {
+      let safeString = htmlSafe('<em>Emphasize</em> the important things.');
+
+      this.assert.ok(isHtmlSafe(safeString));
+    }
+
+    ['@test isHtmlSafe should not detect SafeString on primatives']() {
+      this.assert.notOk(isHtmlSafe('Hello World'));
+      this.assert.notOk(isHtmlSafe({}));
+      this.assert.notOk(isHtmlSafe([]));
+      this.assert.notOk(isHtmlSafe(10));
+      this.assert.notOk(isHtmlSafe(null));
+    }
+  });
+}
diff --git a/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/compat.js b/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/compat.js
index aadd0790049..457f8abfc12 100644
--- a/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/compat.js
+++ b/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/compat.js
@@ -1,12 +1,27 @@
 import Ember from 'ember-metal/core'; // for Handlebars export
+import { deprecate } from 'ember-metal/debug';
 import {
   SafeString,
   escapeExpression
 } from 'ember-htmlbars/utils/string';
 
-const EmberHandlebars = Ember.Handlebars = Ember.Handlebars || {};
+let EmberHandlebars = Ember.Handlebars = Ember.Handlebars || {};
+Object.defineProperty(EmberHandlebars, 'SafeString', {
+  get() {
+    deprecate(
+      'Ember.Handlebars.SafeString is deprecated in favor of Ember.String.htmlSafe',
+      false,
+      {
+        id: 'ember-htmlbars.ember-handlebars-safestring',
+        until: '3.0.0',
+        url: 'http://emberjs.com/deprecations/v2.x#toc_use-ember-string-htmlsafe-over-ember-handlebars-safestring'
+      }
+    );
+
+    return SafeString;
+  }
+});
 
-EmberHandlebars.SafeString = SafeString;
 EmberHandlebars.Utils =  {
   escapeExpression: escapeExpression
 };
diff --git a/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/utils/string.js b/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/utils/string.js
index 931b20cb8ca..2ac45d4e1ce 100644
--- a/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/utils/string.js
+++ b/packages/ember-htmlbars/lib/utils/string.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import { ENV } from 'ember-environment';
 import EmberStringUtils from 'ember-runtime/system/string';
 import { SafeString, escapeExpression } from 'htmlbars-util';
+import isEnabled from 'ember-metal/features';
 
 /**
   Mark a string as safe for unescaped output with Ember templates. If you
@@ -38,8 +39,34 @@ if (ENV.EXTEND_PROTOTYPES.String) {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+  Detects if a string was decorated using `Ember.String.htmlSafe`.
+
+  ```javascript
+  var plainString = 'plain string',
+      safeString = Ember.String.htmlSafe('<div>someValue</div>');
+
+  Ember.String.isHtmlSafe(plainString); // false
+  Ember.String.isHtmlSafe(safeString);  // true
+  ```
+
+  @method isHtmlSafe
+  @for Ember.String
+  @static
+  @return {Boolean} `true` if the string was decorated with `htmlSafe`, `false` otherwise.
+  @public
+*/
+function isHtmlSafe(str) {
+  return str && typeof str.toHTML === 'function';
+}
+
+if (isEnabled('ember-string-ishtmlsafe')) {
+  EmberStringUtils.isHtmlSafe = isHtmlSafe;
+}
+
 export {
   SafeString,
   htmlSafe,
+  isHtmlSafe,
   escapeExpression
 };
diff --git a/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js b/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js
new file mode 120000
index 00000000000..0da6de8626a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../../../ember-glimmer/tests/compat/safe-string-test.js
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string-test.js b/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string-test.js
new file mode 120000
index 00000000000..abe85d22cb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../../../ember-glimmer/tests/utils/string-test.js
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string_test.js b/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string_test.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 4aa0f0e533f..00000000000
--- a/packages/ember-htmlbars/tests/utils/string_test.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-import SafeString from 'htmlbars-util/safe-string';
-import { htmlSafe } from 'ember-htmlbars/utils/string';
-
-QUnit.module('ember-htmlbars: SafeString');
-
-QUnit.test('htmlSafe should return an instance of SafeString', function() {
-  let safeString = htmlSafe('you need to be more <b>bold</b>');
-
-  ok(safeString instanceof SafeString, 'should be a SafeString');
-});
-
-QUnit.test('htmlSafe should return an empty string for null', function() {
-  let safeString = htmlSafe(null);
-
-  equal(safeString instanceof SafeString, true, 'should be a SafeString');
-  equal(safeString.toString(), '', 'should return an empty string');
-});
-
-QUnit.test('htmlSafe should return an empty string for undefined', function() {
-  let safeString = htmlSafe();
-
-  equal(safeString instanceof SafeString, true, 'should be a SafeString');
-  equal(safeString.toString(), '', 'should return an empty string');
-});