diff --git a/core/ssb.js b/core/ssb.js
index bbd2e7c9..acde2ede 100644
--- a/core/ssb.js
+++ b/core/ssb.js
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ async function followingDeep(db, seed_ids, depth) {
 	var f = await Promise.all(seed_ids.map(x => following(db, x)));
 	var ids = [].concat(...f);
 	var x = await followingDeep(db, [...new Set(ids)].sort(), depth - 1);
-	x = [].concat(...x, ...seed_ids);
+	x = [...new Set([].concat(...x, ...seed_ids))].sort();
 	return x;
 }
 
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ function get_latest_sequence_for_author(author) {
 ssb.registerConnectionsChanged(function(change, connection) {
 	if (change == 'add') {
 		var sequence = get_latest_sequence_for_author(connection.id);
-		connection.send_json({'name': ['createHistoryStream'], 'type': 'source', 'args': [{'id': connection.id, 'seq': sequence, 'live': true}]}, function(message) {
-			ssb.storeMessage(message.message.value);
+		connection.send_json({'name': ['createHistoryStream'], 'type': 'source', 'args': [{'id': connection.id, 'seq': sequence, 'live': true, keys: false}]}, function(message) {
+			ssb.storeMessage(message.message.value ? message.message.value : message.message);
 		});
 		connection.send_json({'name': ['blobs', 'createWants'], 'type': 'source', 'args': []}, function(message) {
 			Object.keys(message.message).forEach(function(id) {
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ ssb.registerConnectionsChanged(function(change, connection) {
 		followingDeep(g_database, [ssb.whoami()], 2).then(function(ids) {
 			for (let id of ids) {
 				var sequence = get_latest_sequence_for_author(id);
-				connection.send_json({'name': ['createHistoryStream'], 'type': 'source', 'args': [{'id': id, 'seq': sequence}]}, function(message) {
-					ssb.storeMessage(message.message.value);
+				connection.send_json({'name': ['createHistoryStream'], 'type': 'source', 'args': [{'id': id, 'seq': sequence, 'live': true, 'keys': false}]}, function(message) {
+					ssb.storeMessage(message.message.value ? message.message.value : message.message);
 				});
 			}
 		});
@@ -143,13 +143,27 @@ ssb.registerRpc(['blobs', 'get'], function(request) {
 ssb.registerRpc(['createHistoryStream'], function(request) {
 	var id = request.args[0].id;
 	var seq = request.args[0].seq;
+	var keys = request.args[0].keys || request.args[0].keys === undefined;
 	ssb.sqlStream(
 		'SELECT previous, id, sequence, timestamp, hash, content, signature FROM messages WHERE author = ?1 AND sequence >= ?2 ORDER BY sequence',
 		[id, seq ?? 0],
 		function(row) {
-			var message = {
-				key: row.id + '.' + row.hash,
-				value: {
+			if (keys) {
+				var message = {
+					key: row.id,
+					value: {
+						previous: row.previous,
+						author: id,
+						sequence: row.sequence,
+						timestamp: row.timestamp,
+						hash: row.hash,
+						content: JSON.parse(row.content),
+						signature: row.signature,
+					},
+					timestamp: row.timestamp,
+				};
+			} else {
+				var message = {
 					previous: row.previous,
 					author: id,
 					sequence: row.sequence,
@@ -157,9 +171,8 @@ ssb.registerRpc(['createHistoryStream'], function(request) {
 					hash: row.hash,
 					content: JSON.parse(row.content),
 					signature: row.signature,
-				},
-				timestamp: row.timestamp,
-			};
+				};
+			}
 			request.send_json(message);
 		});
 });
diff --git a/src/ssb.c b/src/ssb.c
index 0d378d93..86865d92 100644
--- a/src/ssb.c
+++ b/src/ssb.c
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ bool tf_ssb_verify_and_strip_signature(JSContext* context, JSValue val, char* ou
 			verified = r == 0;
 			if (!verified)
 			{
-				printf("crypto_sign_verify_detached fail\n");
+				printf("crypto_sign_verify_detached fail (r=%d)\n", r);
 			}
 		}
 		else
@@ -1115,12 +1115,10 @@ void tf_ssb_append_message(tf_ssb_t* ssb, JSValue message)
 	len = 0;
 	json = JS_ToCStringLen(context, &len, jsonval);
 
-	printf("appending message %.*s\n", (int)len, json);
-
 	JS_FreeCString(context, json);
 	JS_FreeValue(context, jsonval);
 
-	char id[sodium_base64_ENCODED_LEN(crypto_hash_sha256_BYTES, sodium_base64_VARIANT_ORIGINAL) + 1];
+	char id[sodium_base64_ENCODED_LEN(crypto_hash_sha256_BYTES, sodium_base64_VARIANT_ORIGINAL) + 7 + 1];
 	tf_ssb_calculate_message_id(ssb->context, root, id, sizeof(id));
 	if (valid &&
 		!tf_ssb_db_store_message(ssb, ssb->context, id, root, signature_base64))