--- ./src/lib-dict/dict-client.c.orig
+++ ./src/lib-dict/dict-client.c
@@ -721,6 +721,10 @@ client_dict_init(struct dict *driver, const char *uri,
 	struct ioloop *old_ioloop = current_ioloop;
 	struct client_dict *dict;
 	const char *p, *dest_uri, *path;
+	const char *const *args;
+	unsigned int argc;
+	struct ip_addr ip;
+	in_port_t port=0;
 	unsigned int idle_msecs = DICT_CLIENT_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MSECS;
 	unsigned int warn_slow_msecs = DICT_CLIENT_DEFAULT_WARN_SLOW_MSECS;

@@ -772,7 +776,21 @@ client_dict_init(struct dict *driver, const char *uri,
 	dict->warn_slow_msecs = warn_slow_msecs;
 	i_array_init(&dict->cmds, 32);

-	if (uri[0] == ':') {
+	args = t_strsplit(uri, ":");
+	for(argc=0; args[argc] != NULL; argc++);
+
+	if (argc == 3) {	/* host:ip:somewhere --> argc == 3 */
+		if (net_addr2ip(args[0], &ip) < 0) {
+			*error_r = t_strdup_printf("Invalid IP: %s in URI: %s", args[0], uri);
+			return -1;
+		}
+		if (net_str2port(args[1], &port) < 0) {
+			*error_r = t_strdup_printf("Invalid port: %s in URI: %s", args[1], uri);
+			return -1;
+		}
+		dest_uri = strrchr(uri, ':');
+		i_warning("using TCP URI: %s with %d args", uri, argc);
+	} else if (uri[0] == ':') {
 		/* default path */
 		path = t_strconcat(set->base_dir,
 			"/"DEFAULT_DICT_SERVER_SOCKET_FNAME, NULL);
@@ -784,7 +802,13 @@ client_dict_init(struct dict *driver, const char *uri,
 		path = t_strconcat(set->base_dir, "/",
 			t_strdup_until(uri, dest_uri), NULL);
 	}
-	connection_init_client_unix(dict_connections, &dict->conn.conn, path);
+	if (port > 0) {
+		i_warning("opening TCP connection to URI: %s and port %d", uri, port);
+		connection_init_client_ip(dict_connections, &dict->conn.conn, &ip, port);
+	} else {
+		i_warning("opening UNIX domain socket to path: %s and port %d", path, port);
+		connection_init_client_unix(dict_connections, &dict->conn.conn, path);
+	}
 	dict->uri = i_strdup(dest_uri + 1);

 	dict->ioloop = io_loop_create();