diff --git a/rejoiner-guice/src/test/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/RejoinerIntegrationTest.java b/rejoiner-guice/src/test/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/RejoinerIntegrationTest.java
index 42b93e4..dde7f5a 100644
--- a/rejoiner-guice/src/test/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/RejoinerIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/rejoiner-guice/src/test/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/RejoinerIntegrationTest.java
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ public void executionQueryWithAllFields() {
                         .put("intField", (long) 1)
                         .put("RenamedField", "name")
                         .put("testInnerProto", ImmutableMap.of("foo", "foooo"))
-                        .put("bytesField", ByteString.copyFromUtf8("b-y-t-e-s"))
+                        .put("bytesField", "b-y-t-e-s")
                         .build())));
   }
 
diff --git a/rejoiner/src/main/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/ProtoScalars.java b/rejoiner/src/main/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/ProtoScalars.java
index 9a11e2e..ed03ebe 100644
--- a/rejoiner/src/main/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/ProtoScalars.java
+++ b/rejoiner/src/main/java/com/google/api/graphql/rejoiner/ProtoScalars.java
@@ -81,12 +81,12 @@ private ProtoScalars() {}
   public static final GraphQLScalarType BYTES =
       GraphQLScalarType.newScalar()
           .coercing(
-              new Coercing<ByteString, ByteString>() {
+              new Coercing<ByteString, String>() {
                 @Override
-                public ByteString serialize(Object dataFetcherResult)
+                public String serialize(Object dataFetcherResult)
                     throws CoercingSerializeException {
                   if (dataFetcherResult instanceof ByteString) {
-                    return (ByteString) dataFetcherResult;
+                    return ((ByteString) dataFetcherResult).toStringUtf8();
                   } else {
                     throw new CoercingSerializeException(
                         "Invalid value '" + dataFetcherResult + "' for Bytes");
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public ByteString parseLiteral(Object input) throws CoercingParseLiteralExceptio
               })
           .name("Bytes")
           .description(
-              "Scalar for proto type bytes."
+              "Scalar for proto type byte as a utf8-encoded string"
                   + " May contain any arbitrary sequence of bytes no longer than 2^32.")
           .build();
 }