diff --git a/CHANGELIST b/CHANGELIST
index d672f28..cc740ba 100644
--- a/CHANGELIST
+++ b/CHANGELIST
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+1.4.6 added a mollyguard to syncoid to help newbies who try to zfs create a new target dataset
+      before doing an initial replication, instead of letting the replication itself create
+      the target.
+
+      added "==0 or die" to all system() calls in syncoid.
+
 1.4.5 altered shebang to '#!/usr/bin/env perl' for enhanced FreeBSD compatibility
 
 1.4.4 merged pull requests from jjlawren for OmniOS compatibility, added --configdir=/path/to/configs CLI option to sanoid at jjlawrens' request presumably for same
@@ -5,16 +11,18 @@
 1.4.3 added SSH persistence to syncoid - using socket speeds up SSH overhead 300%! =)
       one extra commit to get rid of the "Exit request sent." SSH noise at the end.
 
-1.4.2 removed -r flag for zfs destroy of pruned snapshots in sanoid, which unintentionally caused same-name child snapshots to be deleted - thank you Lenz Weber!
+1.4.2 removed -r flag for zfs destroy of pruned snapshots in sanoid, which unintentionally caused same-name 
+      child snapshots to be deleted - thank you Lenz Weber!
 
 1.4.1 updated check_zpool() in sanoid to parse zpool list properly both pre- and post- ZoL v0.6.4
 
-1.4.0 added findoid tool - find and list all versions of a given file in all available ZFS snapshots. use: findoid /path/to/file
+1.4.0 added findoid tool - find and list all versions of a given file in all available ZFS snapshots. 
+      use: findoid /path/to/file
 
 1.3.1 whoops - prevent process_children_only from getting set from blank value in defaults
 
-1.3.0 changed monitor_children_only to process_children_only. which keeps sanoid from messing around with empty parent datasets at all.
-      also more thoroughly documented features in default config files.
+1.3.0 changed monitor_children_only to process_children_only. which keeps sanoid from messing around with 
+      empty parent datasets at all. also more thoroughly documented features in default config files.
 
 1.2.0 added monitor_children_only parameter to sanoid.conf for use with recursive definitions - in cases where container dataset is kept empty
 
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index e516bb9..c514bd8 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.4.5
+1.4.6
diff --git a/findoid b/findoid
index e49c887..b19dfba 100755
--- a/findoid
+++ b/findoid
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use warnings;
 my $zfs = '/sbin/zfs';
 my %args = getargs(@ARGV);
 
-my $progversion = '1.4.5';
+my $progversion = '1.4.6';
 
 if ($args{'version'}) { print "$progversion\n"; exit 0; }
 
diff --git a/sanoid b/sanoid
index 8ab0e9e..d44b576 100755
--- a/sanoid
+++ b/sanoid
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # from http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html on 2014-11-17.  A copy should also be available in this
 # project's Git repository at https://github.com/jimsalterjrs/sanoid/blob/master/LICENSE.
 
-my $version = '1.4.5';
+my $version = '1.4.6';
 
 use strict;
 use Config::IniFiles;   # read samba-style conf file
@@ -332,7 +332,8 @@ sub take_snapshots {
 		foreach my $snap ( @newsnaps ) {
 			if ($args{'verbose'}) { print "taking snapshot $snap\n"; }
 			if (!$args{'readonly'}) { 
-				system($zfs, "snapshot", "$snap");
+				system($zfs, "snapshot", "$snap") == 0
+					or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $zfs snapshot $snap failed, $?";
 				# make sure we don't end up with multiple snapshots with the same ctime
 				sleep 1;
 			}
diff --git a/syncoid b/syncoid
index 593ab08..a397c0b 100755
--- a/syncoid
+++ b/syncoid
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # from http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html on 2014-11-17.  A copy should also be available in this
 # project's Git repository at https://github.com/jimsalterjrs/sanoid/blob/master/LICENSE.
 
-my $version = '1.4.5';
+my $version = '1.4.6';
 
 use strict;
 use Data::Dumper;
@@ -56,7 +56,9 @@ my %avail = checkcommands();
 
 my %snaps;
 
-## break here to call replication individually so that we can loop across children separately, for recursive replication ##
+## break here to call replication individually so that we ##
+## can loop across children separately, for recursive     ##
+## replication                                            ##
 
 if (! $args{'recursive'}) {
 	syncdataset($sourcehost, $sourcefs, $targethost, $targetfs);
@@ -167,7 +169,8 @@ sub syncdataset {
 		if (iszfsbusy($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot)) {
 			die "Cannot sync now: $targetfs is already target of a zfs receive process.\n";
 		}
-		system($synccmd);
+		system($synccmd) == 0 
+			or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $synccmd failed: $?";
 	
 		# now do an -I to the new sync snapshot, assuming there were any snapshots
 		# other than the new sync snapshot to begin with, of course
@@ -190,7 +193,8 @@ sub syncdataset {
 	
 			print "INFO: Updating new target filesystem with incremental $sourcefs\@$oldestsnap ... $newsyncsnap (~ $disp_pvsize):\n";
 			if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: $synccmd\n"; }
-			system($synccmd);
+			system($synccmd) == 0 
+				or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $synccmd failed: $?";
 	
 			# restore original readonly value to target after sync complete
 			setzfsvalue($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot,'readonly',$originaltargetreadonly);			
@@ -202,8 +206,9 @@ sub syncdataset {
 		# get current readonly status of target, then set it to on during sync
 		$originaltargetreadonly = getzfsvalue($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot,'readonly');
 		setzfsvalue($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot,'readonly','on');
+		my $targetsize = getzfsvalue($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot,'-p used');
 	
-		my $matchingsnap = getmatchingsnapshot(\%snaps);
+		my $matchingsnap = getmatchingsnapshot($targetsize, \%snaps);
 	
 		# make sure target is (still) not currently in receive.
 		if (iszfsbusy($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot)) {
@@ -229,7 +234,8 @@ sub syncdataset {
 
 		print "Sending incremental $sourcefs\@$matchingsnap ... $newsyncsnap (~ $disp_pvsize):\n";
 		if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: $synccmd\n"; }
-		system("$synccmd");
+		system("$synccmd") == 0 
+			or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $synccmd failed: $?";
 	
 		# restore original readonly value to target after sync complete
 		setzfsvalue($targethost,$targetfs,$targetisroot,'readonly',$originaltargetreadonly);			
@@ -489,7 +495,8 @@ sub setzfsvalue {
 	my $mysudocmd;
 	if ($isroot) { $mysudocmd = ''; } else { $mysudocmd = $sudocmd; }
 	if ($debug) { print "$rhost $mysudocmd $zfscmd set $property=$value $fs\n"; }
-	system("$rhost $mysudocmd $zfscmd set $property=$value $fs");
+	system("$rhost $mysudocmd $zfscmd set $property=$value $fs") == 0
+		or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $rhost $mysudocmd $zfscmd set $property=$value $fs died: $?";
 	return;
 }
 
@@ -628,7 +635,8 @@ sub pruneoldsyncsnaps {
 			if ($rhost ne '') { $prunecmd = '"' . $prunecmd . '"'; }
 			if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: pruning up to $maxsnapspercmd obsolete sync snapshots...\n"; }
 			if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: $rhost $prunecmd\n"; }
-			system("$rhost $prunecmd");
+			system("$rhost $prunecmd") == 0 
+				or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $rhost $prunecmd failed: $?";
 			$prunecmd = '';
 			$counter = 0;
 		}
@@ -640,19 +648,36 @@ sub pruneoldsyncsnaps {
 		if ($rhost ne '') { $prunecmd = '"' . $prunecmd . '"'; }
 		if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: pruning up to $maxsnapspercmd obsolete sync snapshots...\n"; }
 		if ($debug) { print "DEBUG: $rhost $prunecmd\n"; }
-		system("$rhost $prunecmd"); 
+		system("$rhost $prunecmd") == 0 
+			or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $rhost $prunecmd failed: $?"; 
 	}
 	return;
 }
 
 sub getmatchingsnapshot {
-	my $snaps = shift;
+	my ($targetsize, $snaps) = shift;
 	foreach my $snap ( sort { $snaps{'source'}{$b}{'ctime'}<=>$snaps{'source'}{$a}{'ctime'} } keys %{ $snaps{'source'} }) {
 		if ($snaps{'source'}{$snap}{'ctime'} == $snaps{'target'}{$snap}{'ctime'}) {
 			return $snap;
 		}
 	}
-	print "UNEXPECTED ERROR: target exists but has no matching snapshots!\n";
+
+	# if we got this far, we failed to find a matching snapshot.
+
+	print "\n";
+	print "CRITICAL ERROR: Target exists but has no matching snapshots!\n";
+	print "                Replication to target would require destroying existing\n";
+	print "                target. Cowardly refusing to destroy your existing target.\n\n";
+
+	# experience tells me we need a mollyguard for people who try to 
+	# zfs create targetpool/targetsnap ; syncoid sourcepool/sourcesnap targetpool/targetsnap ...
+
+	if ( $targetsize < (64*1024*1024) ) {
+		print "          NOTE: Target dataset is < 64MB used - did you mistakenly run\n";
+		print "                \`zfs create $args{'target'}\` on the target? ZFS initial\n";
+		print "                replication must be to a NON EXISTENT DATASET, which will\n";
+		print "                then be CREATED BY the initial replication process.\n\n";
+	}
 	exit 256;
 }
 
@@ -665,7 +690,8 @@ sub newsyncsnap {
 	my %date = getdate();
 	my $snapname = "syncoid\_$hostid\_$date{'stamp'}";
 	my $snapcmd = "$rhost $mysudocmd $zfscmd snapshot $fs\@$snapname\n";
-	system($snapcmd);
+	system($snapcmd) == 0 
+		or die "CRITICAL ERROR: $snapcmd failed: $?";
 	return $snapname;
 }