diff --git a/src/sort.c b/src/sort.c
index 8608cd8b3..db26da158 100644
--- a/src/sort.c
+++ b/src/sort.c
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ redisSortOperation *createSortOperation(int type, robj *pattern) {
  *
  * The returned object will always have its refcount increased by 1
  * when it is non-NULL. */
-robj *lookupKeyByPattern(redisDb *db, robj *pattern, robj *subst) {
+robj *lookupKeyByPattern(redisDb *db, robj *pattern, robj *subst, int writeflag) {
     char *p, *f, *k;
     sds spat, ssub;
     robj *keyobj, *fieldobj = NULL, *o;
@@ -106,7 +106,10 @@ robj *lookupKeyByPattern(redisDb *db, robj *pattern, robj *subst) {
     decrRefCount(subst); /* Incremented by decodeObject() */
 
     /* Lookup substituted key */
-    o = lookupKeyRead(db,keyobj);
+    if (!writeflag)
+        o = lookupKeyRead(db,keyobj);
+    else
+        o = lookupKeyWrite(db,keyobj);
     if (o == NULL) goto noobj;
 
     if (fieldobj) {
@@ -198,30 +201,12 @@ void sortCommand(client *c) {
     robj *sortval, *sortby = NULL, *storekey = NULL;
     redisSortObject *vector; /* Resulting vector to sort */
 
-    /* Lookup the key to sort. It must be of the right types */
-    sortval = lookupKeyRead(c->db,c->argv[1]);
-    if (sortval && sortval->type != OBJ_SET &&
-                   sortval->type != OBJ_LIST &&
-                   sortval->type != OBJ_ZSET)
-    {
-        addReply(c,shared.wrongtypeerr);
-        return;
-    }
-
     /* Create a list of operations to perform for every sorted element.
      * Operations can be GET */
     operations = listCreate();
     listSetFreeMethod(operations,zfree);
     j = 2; /* options start at argv[2] */
 
-    /* Now we need to protect sortval incrementing its count, in the future
-     * SORT may have options able to overwrite/delete keys during the sorting
-     * and the sorted key itself may get destroyed */
-    if (sortval)
-        incrRefCount(sortval);
-    else
-        sortval = createQuicklistObject();
-
     /* The SORT command has an SQL-alike syntax, parse it */
     while(j < c->argc) {
         int leftargs = c->argc-j-1;
@@ -280,11 +265,33 @@ void sortCommand(client *c) {
 
     /* Handle syntax errors set during options parsing. */
     if (syntax_error) {
-        decrRefCount(sortval);
         listRelease(operations);
         return;
     }
 
+    /* Lookup the key to sort. It must be of the right types */
+    if (storekey)
+        sortval = lookupKeyRead(c->db,c->argv[1]);
+    else
+        sortval = lookupKeyWrite(c->db,c->argv[1]);
+    if (sortval && sortval->type != OBJ_SET &&
+                   sortval->type != OBJ_LIST &&
+                   sortval->type != OBJ_ZSET)
+    {
+        listRelease(operations);
+        addReply(c,shared.wrongtypeerr);
+        return;
+    }
+
+    /* Now we need to protect sortval incrementing its count, in the future
+     * SORT may have options able to overwrite/delete keys during the sorting
+     * and the sorted key itself may get destroyed */
+    if (sortval)
+        incrRefCount(sortval);
+    else
+        sortval = createQuicklistObject();
+
+
     /* When sorting a set with no sort specified, we must sort the output
      * so the result is consistent across scripting and replication.
      *
@@ -452,7 +459,7 @@ void sortCommand(client *c) {
             robj *byval;
             if (sortby) {
                 /* lookup value to sort by */
-                byval = lookupKeyByPattern(c->db,sortby,vector[j].obj);
+                byval = lookupKeyByPattern(c->db,sortby,vector[j].obj,storekey!=NULL);
                 if (!byval) continue;
             } else {
                 /* use object itself to sort by */
@@ -515,7 +522,7 @@ void sortCommand(client *c) {
             while((ln = listNext(&li))) {
                 redisSortOperation *sop = ln->value;
                 robj *val = lookupKeyByPattern(c->db,sop->pattern,
-                    vector[j].obj);
+                    vector[j].obj,storekey!=NULL);
 
                 if (sop->type == SORT_OP_GET) {
                     if (!val) {
@@ -545,7 +552,7 @@ void sortCommand(client *c) {
                 while((ln = listNext(&li))) {
                     redisSortOperation *sop = ln->value;
                     robj *val = lookupKeyByPattern(c->db,sop->pattern,
-                        vector[j].obj);
+                        vector[j].obj,storekey!=NULL);
 
                     if (sop->type == SORT_OP_GET) {
                         if (!val) val = createStringObject("",0);
diff --git a/src/t_set.c b/src/t_set.c
index cbe55aaa4..05d9ee243 100644
--- a/src/t_set.c
+++ b/src/t_set.c
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ void spopWithCountCommand(client *c) {
 
     /* Make sure a key with the name inputted exists, and that it's type is
      * indeed a set. Otherwise, return nil */
-    if ((set = lookupKeyReadOrReply(c,c->argv[1],shared.null[c->resp]))
+    if ((set = lookupKeyWriteOrReply(c,c->argv[1],shared.null[c->resp]))
         == NULL || checkType(c,set,OBJ_SET)) return;
 
     /* If count is zero, serve an empty multibulk ASAP to avoid special