diff --git a/src/sync.c b/src/sync.c
index 558fa5b..d311d70 100644
--- a/src/sync.c
+++ b/src/sync.c
@@ -309,8 +309,8 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 	if ((jfp = fopen( jname, "r" ))) {
 		if (!stat( nname, &st )) {
 			debug( "recovering journal ...\n" );
+			srec = 0;
 			line = 0;
-			srec = recs;
 			while (fgets( buf, sizeof(buf), jfp )) {
 				line++;
 				if (!(t = strlen( buf )) || buf[t - 1] != '\n') {
@@ -319,80 +319,79 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 					ret = SYNC_FAIL;
 					goto bail;
 				}
-				if (buf[0] == '^')
-					srec = recs;
-				else {
-					if (buf[0] == '(' || buf[0] == ')' ?
-					        (sscanf( buf + 2, "%d", &t1 ) != 1) :
-					    buf[0] == '-' || buf[0] == '|' ?
-						(sscanf( buf + 2, "%d %d", &t1, &t2 ) != 2) :
-						(sscanf( buf + 2, "%d %d %d", &t1, &t2, &t3 ) != 3))
-					{
-						fprintf( stderr, "Error: malformed journal entry at %s:%d\n", jname, line );
-						fclose( jfp );
-						ret = SYNC_FAIL;
-						goto bail;
-					}
-					if (buf[0] == '(')
-						maxuid[M] = t1;
-					else if (buf[0] == ')')
-						maxuid[S] = t1;
-					else if (buf[0] == '|') {
-						muidval = t1;
-						suidval = t2;
-					} else if (buf[0] == '+') {
-						srec = nfmalloc( sizeof(*srec) );
-						srec->uid[M] = t1;
-						srec->uid[S] = t2;
+				if (buf[0] == '(' || buf[0] == ')' ?
+				        (sscanf( buf + 2, "%d", &t1 ) != 1) :
+				    buf[0] == '-' || buf[0] == '|' ?
+					(sscanf( buf + 2, "%d %d", &t1, &t2 ) != 2) :
+					(sscanf( buf + 2, "%d %d %d", &t1, &t2, &t3 ) != 3))
+				{
+					fprintf( stderr, "Error: malformed journal entry at %s:%d\n", jname, line );
+					fclose( jfp );
+					ret = SYNC_FAIL;
+					goto bail;
+				}
+				if (buf[0] == '(')
+					maxuid[M] = t1;
+				else if (buf[0] == ')')
+					maxuid[S] = t1;
+				else if (buf[0] == '|') {
+					muidval = t1;
+					suidval = t2;
+				} else if (buf[0] == '+') {
+					srec = nfmalloc( sizeof(*srec) );
+					srec->uid[M] = t1;
+					srec->uid[S] = t2;
+					srec->flags = t3;
+					debug( "  new entry(%d,%d,%u)\n", t1, t2, t3 );
+					srec->msg[M] = srec->msg[S] = 0;
+					srec->status = 0;
+					srec->next = 0;
+					*srecadd = srec;
+					srecadd = &srec->next;
+				} else {
+					for (nsrec = srec; srec; srec = srec->next)
+						if (srec->uid[M] == t1 && srec->uid[S] == t2)
+							goto syncfnd;
+					for (srec = recs; srec != nsrec; srec = srec->next)
+						if (srec->uid[M] == t1 && srec->uid[S] == t2)
+							goto syncfnd;
+					fprintf( stderr, "Error: journal entry at %s:%d refers to non-existing sync state entry\n", jname, line );
+					fclose( jfp );
+					ret = SYNC_FAIL;
+					goto bail;
+				  syncfnd:
+					debug( "  entry(%d,%d,%u) ", srec->uid[M], srec->uid[S], srec->flags );
+					switch (buf[0]) {
+					case '-':
+						debug( "killed\n" );
+						srec->status = S_DEAD;
+						break;
+					case '<':
+						debug( "master now %d\n", t3 );
+						srec->uid[M] = t3;
+						break;
+					case '>':
+						debug( "slave now %d\n", t3 );
+						srec->uid[S] = t3;
+						break;
+					case '*':
+						debug( "flags now %d\n", t3 );
 						srec->flags = t3;
-						debug( "  new entry(%d,%d,%u)\n", t1, t2, t3 );
-						srec->msg[M] = srec->msg[S] = 0;
-						srec->status = 0;
-						srec->next = 0;
-						*srecadd = srec;
-						srecadd = &srec->next;
-					} else {
-						for (; srec; srec = srec->next)
-							if (srec->uid[M] == t1 && srec->uid[S] == t2)
-								goto syncfnd;
-						fprintf( stderr, "Error: journal entry at %s:%d refers to non-existing sync state entry\n", jname, line );
+						break;
+					case '~':
+						debug( "expired now %d\n", t3 );
+						if (t3) {
+							if (smaxxuid < t2)
+								smaxxuid = t2;
+							srec->status |= S_EXPIRED;
+						} else
+							srec->status &= ~S_EXPIRED;
+						break;
+					default:
+						fprintf( stderr, "Error: unrecognized journal entry at %s:%d\n", jname, line );
 						fclose( jfp );
 						ret = SYNC_FAIL;
 						goto bail;
-					  syncfnd:
-						debug( "  entry(%d,%d,%u) ", srec->uid[M], srec->uid[S], srec->flags );
-						switch (buf[0]) {
-						case '-':
-							debug( "killed\n" );
-							srec->status = S_DEAD;
-							break;
-						case '<':
-							debug( "master now %d\n", t3 );
-							srec->uid[M] = t3;
-							break;
-						case '>':
-							debug( "slave now %d\n", t3 );
-							srec->uid[S] = t3;
-							break;
-						case '*':
-							debug( "flags now %d\n", t3 );
-							srec->flags = t3;
-							break;
-						case '~':
-							debug( "expired now %d\n", t3 );
-							if (t3) {
-								if (smaxxuid < t2)
-									smaxxuid = t2;
-								srec->status |= S_EXPIRED;
-							} else
-								srec->status &= ~S_EXPIRED;
-							break;
-						default:
-							fprintf( stderr, "Error: unrecognized journal entry at %s:%d\n", jname, line );
-							fclose( jfp );
-							ret = SYNC_FAIL;
-							goto bail;
-						}
 					}
 				}
 			}
@@ -511,7 +510,6 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 				minwuid = srec->uid[M];
 		}
 		debug( "  min non-orphaned master uid is %d\n", minwuid );
-		Fprintf( jfp, "^\n" ); /* if any S_EXP_S */
 		for (srec = recs; srec; srec = srec->next) {
 			if (srec->status & S_DEAD)
 				continue;
@@ -650,7 +648,6 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 	}
 
 	debug( "synchronizing old entries\n" );
-	Fprintf( jfp, "^\n" );
 	for (srec = recs; srec != *osrecadd; srec = srec->next) {
 		if (srec->status & (S_DEAD|S_DONE))
 			continue;
@@ -778,7 +775,6 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 			}
 		}
 		if (delt) {
-			Fprintf( jfp, "^\n" );
 			for (srec = recs; srec; srec = srec->next) {
 				if (srec->status & (S_DEAD|S_EXPIRED))
 					continue;
@@ -868,7 +864,6 @@ sync_boxes( store_t *ctx[], const char *names[], channel_conf_t *chan )
 			debug( "  min non-orphaned master uid is %d\n", minwuid );
 		}
 
-		Fprintf( jfp, "^\n" );
 		for (srec = recs; srec; srec = srec->next) {
 			if (srec->status & S_DEAD)
 				continue;