diff --git a/ntcore/src/main/native/cpp/LocalStorage.cpp b/ntcore/src/main/native/cpp/LocalStorage.cpp
index 75806bfbaa..9ec17d6240 100644
--- a/ntcore/src/main/native/cpp/LocalStorage.cpp
+++ b/ntcore/src/main/native/cpp/LocalStorage.cpp
@@ -34,6 +34,15 @@ static constexpr size_t kMaxListeners = 512;
 
 namespace {
 
+static constexpr bool IsSpecial(std::string_view name) {
+  return name.empty() ? false : name.front() == '$';
+}
+
+static constexpr bool PrefixMatch(std::string_view name,
+                                  std::string_view prefix, bool special) {
+  return (!special || !prefix.empty()) && wpi::starts_with(name, prefix);
+}
+
 // Utility wrapper for making a set-like vector
 template <typename T>
 class VectorSet : public std::vector<T> {
@@ -66,7 +75,7 @@ struct TopicData {
   static constexpr auto kType = Handle::kTopic;
 
   TopicData(NT_Topic handle, std::string_view name)
-      : handle{handle}, name{name} {}
+      : handle{handle}, name{name}, special{IsSpecial(name)} {}
 
   bool Exists() const { return onNetwork || !localPublishers.empty(); }
 
@@ -75,6 +84,7 @@ struct TopicData {
   // invariants
   wpi::SignalObject<NT_Topic> handle;
   std::string name;
+  bool special;
 
   Value lastValue;  // also stores timestamp
   Value lastValueNetwork;
@@ -179,6 +189,8 @@ struct MultiSubscriberData {
     }
   }
 
+  bool Matches(std::string_view name, bool special);
+
   // invariants
   wpi::SignalObject<NT_MultiSubscriber> handle;
   std::vector<std::string> prefixes;
@@ -188,6 +200,15 @@ struct MultiSubscriberData {
   VectorSet<NT_Listener> valueListeners;
 };
 
+bool MultiSubscriberData::Matches(std::string_view name, bool special) {
+  for (auto&& prefix : prefixes) {
+    if (PrefixMatch(name, prefix, special)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 struct ListenerData {
   ListenerData(NT_Listener handle, SubscriberData* subscriber,
                unsigned int eventMask, bool subscriberOwned)
@@ -403,6 +424,7 @@ void SubscriberData::UpdateActive() {
 }
 
 void LSImpl::NotifyTopic(TopicData* topic, unsigned int eventFlags) {
+  DEBUG4("NotifyTopic({}, {})\n", topic->name, eventFlags);
   auto topicInfo = topic->GetTopicInfo();
   if (!topic->listeners.empty()) {
     m_listenerStorage.Notify(topic->listeners, eventFlags, topicInfo);
@@ -410,12 +432,9 @@ void LSImpl::NotifyTopic(TopicData* topic, unsigned int eventFlags) {
 
   wpi::SmallVector<NT_Listener, 32> listeners;
   for (auto listener : m_topicPrefixListeners) {
-    if (listener->multiSubscriber) {
-      for (auto&& prefix : listener->multiSubscriber->prefixes) {
-        if (wpi::starts_with(topic->name, prefix)) {
-          listeners.emplace_back(listener->handle);
-        }
-      }
+    if (listener->multiSubscriber &&
+        listener->multiSubscriber->Matches(topic->name, topic->special)) {
+      listeners.emplace_back(listener->handle);
     }
   }
   if (!listeners.empty()) {
@@ -874,7 +893,7 @@ MultiSubscriberData* LSImpl::AddMultiSubscriber(
   // subscribe to any already existing topics
   for (auto&& topic : m_topics) {
     for (auto&& prefix : prefixes) {
-      if (wpi::starts_with(topic->name, prefix)) {
+      if (PrefixMatch(topic->name, prefix, topic->special)) {
         topic->multiSubscribers.Add(subscriber);
         break;
       }
@@ -995,10 +1014,8 @@ void LSImpl::AddListenerImpl(NT_Listener listenerHandle,
   if ((eventMask & NT_EVENT_IMMEDIATE) != 0 &&
       (eventMask & (NT_EVENT_PUBLISH | NT_EVENT_VALUE_ALL)) != 0) {
     for (auto&& topic : m_topics) {
-      for (auto&& prefix : subscriber->prefixes) {
-        if (wpi::starts_with(topic->name, prefix) && topic->Exists()) {
-          topics.emplace_back(topic.get());
-        }
+      if (topic->Exists() && subscriber->Matches(topic->name, topic->special)) {
+        topics.emplace_back(topic.get());
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1124,11 +1141,8 @@ TopicData* LSImpl::GetOrCreateTopic(std::string_view name) {
     topic = m_topics.Add(m_inst, name);
     // attach multi-subscribers
     for (auto&& sub : m_multiSubscribers) {
-      for (auto&& prefix : sub->prefixes) {
-        if (wpi::starts_with(name, prefix)) {
-          topic->multiSubscribers.Add(sub.get());
-          break;
-        }
+      if (sub->Matches(name, topic->special)) {
+        topic->multiSubscribers.Add(sub.get());
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/ntcore/src/test/native/cpp/LocalStorageTest.cpp b/ntcore/src/test/native/cpp/LocalStorageTest.cpp
index cb4d22b325..ebe098fe66 100644
--- a/ntcore/src/test/native/cpp/LocalStorageTest.cpp
+++ b/ntcore/src/test/native/cpp/LocalStorageTest.cpp
@@ -789,6 +789,34 @@ TEST_F(LocalStorageNumberVariantsTest, ReadQueue) {
   }
 }
 
+TEST_F(LocalStorageTest, MultiSubSpecial) {
+  EXPECT_CALL(network, Subscribe(_, _, _)).Times(2);
+  EXPECT_CALL(network, Publish(_, _, _, _, _, _)).Times(2);
+  EXPECT_CALL(network, SetValue(_, _)).Times(2);
+  EXPECT_CALL(listenerStorage, Activate(_, _, _)).Times(2);
+
+  auto subnormal = storage.SubscribeMultiple({{""}}, {});
+  auto subspecial = storage.SubscribeMultiple({{"", "$"}}, {});
+  auto pubnormal = storage.Publish(fooTopic, NT_DOUBLE, "double", {}, {});
+  auto specialTopic = storage.GetTopic("$topic");
+  auto pubspecial = storage.Publish(specialTopic, NT_DOUBLE, "double", {}, {});
+  storage.AddListener(1, subnormal, NT_EVENT_VALUE_ALL);
+  storage.AddListener(2, subspecial, NT_EVENT_VALUE_ALL);
+
+  EXPECT_CALL(
+      listenerStorage,
+      Notify(wpi::SpanEq(std::span<const NT_Listener>{{2}}), _, _, _, _));
+  storage.SetEntryValue(pubspecial, Value::MakeDouble(1.0, 30));
+
+  EXPECT_CALL(
+      listenerStorage,
+      Notify(wpi::SpanEq(std::span<const NT_Listener>{{1}}), _, _, _, _));
+  EXPECT_CALL(
+      listenerStorage,
+      Notify(wpi::SpanEq(std::span<const NT_Listener>{{2}}), _, _, _, _));
+  storage.SetEntryValue(pubnormal, Value::MakeDouble(2.0, 40));
+}
+
 TEST_F(LocalStorageTest, NetworkDuplicateDetect) {
   EXPECT_CALL(network, Publish(_, _, _, _, _, _));
   auto pub = storage.Publish(fooTopic, NT_DOUBLE, "double", {}, {});