diff --git a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/PyFilterLexer.java b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/PyFilterLexer.java
index 7c3b01026c87..78cf7ef397aa 100644
--- a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/PyFilterLexer.java
+++ b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/PyFilterLexer.java
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ public class PyFilterLexer extends BaseFilterLexer {
     }
     else if (PyTokenTypes.STRING_NODES.contains(tokenType)) {
       scanWordsInToken(UsageSearchContext.IN_STRINGS | UsageSearchContext.IN_FOREIGN_LANGUAGES, false, true);
+      if (tokenType == PyTokenTypes.DOCSTRING) {
+        advanceTodoItemCountsInToken();
+      }
     }
     else if (PyIndexPatternBuilder.COMMENTS.contains(tokenType)) {
       scanWordsInToken(UsageSearchContext.IN_COMMENTS, false, false);
diff --git a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyTodoTest.java b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyTodoTest.java
index 99bcb099acd6..aee0f41158ae 100644
--- a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyTodoTest.java
+++ b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyTodoTest.java
@@ -44,4 +44,23 @@ public class PyTodoTest extends LightPlatformCodeInsightFixtureTestCase {
       todo.setTodoPatterns(oldPatterns);
     }
   }
+
+  public void testTodoInDocstrings() {
+    myFixture.configureByText(PythonFileType.INSTANCE, "''' TODO: return dead parrot '''");
+    TodoItem[] items = PsiTodoSearchHelper.SERVICE.getInstance(getProject()).findTodoItems(myFixture.getFile());
+    assertEquals(1, items.length);
+  }
+
+  public void testTodoInDocstrings2() {
+    myFixture.configureByText(PythonFileType.INSTANCE, "def foo():\n''' TODO: return dead parrot '''");
+    TodoItem[] items = PsiTodoSearchHelper.SERVICE.getInstance(getProject()).findTodoItems(myFixture.getFile());
+    assertEquals(1, items.length);
+  }
+
+  public void testTodoInTripleQuotedString() {
+    myFixture.configureByText(PythonFileType.INSTANCE, "s = ''' TODO: return dead parrot '''");
+    TodoItem[] items = PsiTodoSearchHelper.SERVICE.getInstance(getProject()).findTodoItems(myFixture.getFile());
+    assertEquals(0, items.length); // no todo in normal triple quoted strings
+  }
+
 }