diff --git a/addMutex.go b/addMutex.go
index efa8501..8a4b0f3 100644
--- a/addMutex.go
+++ b/addMutex.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func addMutex(names map[string]string) error {
 			found = true
 			log.Info("FOUND line:", line)
 			fmt.Fprintln(w, line)
-			fmt.Fprintln(w, "\tsync.RWMutex // auto-added by go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb")
+			fmt.Fprintln(w, "\tLock sync.RWMutex // auto-added by go.wit.com/apps/autogenpb")
 			fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 		} else {
 			fmt.Fprintln(w, line)
diff --git a/argv.go b/argv.go
index 472425d..94d047c 100644
--- a/argv.go
+++ b/argv.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ type args struct {
 	Marshal   []string `arg:"--marshal"                 help:"what to marshal on"`
 	NoMarshal bool     `arg:"--no-marshal"              help:"do not make a marshal.pb.go file"`
 	NoSort    bool     `arg:"--no-sort"                 help:"do not make a sort.pb.go file"`
+	Mutex     bool     `arg:"--mutex"                   help:"try mutex hack (breaks proto.Marshal()"`
 	DryRun    bool     `arg:"--dry-run"                 help:"show what would be run"`
 }
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index d9c32e2..00dd720 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -109,15 +109,16 @@ func main() {
 
 		// experiment to add a mutex to the structs.
 		// this might fix my other not so great lock implementation on sort (?)
-		// not sure though because I haven't tried it. leave it here until
-		// I can test it
-		if err := addMutex(sortmap); err == nil {
-			log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
-			sortmap["mutex"] = "true"
-			sortmap["lock"] = "all"
-		} else {
-			log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file did not work")
-			sortmap["mutex"] = "false"
+		// seems to work, but proto.Marshal() breaks with nil reference
+		if argv.Mutex {
+			if err := addMutex(sortmap); err == nil {
+				log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
+				sortmap["mutex"] = "true"
+				sortmap["lock"] = "all"
+			} else {
+				log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file did not work")
+				sortmap["mutex"] = "false"
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/sort.go b/sort.go
index 0b884d9..f7f9ff9 100644
--- a/sort.go
+++ b/sort.go
@@ -153,8 +153,13 @@ func iterSortAll(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "}")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") Len() int {")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	return len(all."+names["Bases"]+")")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "}")
@@ -183,8 +188,13 @@ func iterSortBy(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 func iterEnd(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "// safely returns a slice of pointers to the "+names["Base"]+" protobufs")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") selectAll"+names["Base"]+"() []*"+names["Base"]+" {")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	// Create a new slice to hold pointers to each "+names["Base"]+"")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	var aStuff []*"+names["Base"]+"")
@@ -209,8 +219,13 @@ func iterAppend(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 		// fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") Append(newP *"+names["Base"]+") bool { // todo: make unique name here")
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") AppendUnique"+names["append"]+"(newP *"+names["Base"]+") bool {")
 	}
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Unlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	if names["append"] != "" {
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	for _, p := range all."+names["Bases"]+" {")
@@ -233,8 +248,13 @@ func iterReplace(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "// enforces "+names["append"]+" is unique")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") Replace"+names["append"]+"(newP *"+names["Base"]+") bool { // todo: make unique name here")
 
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Unlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	for _, p := range all."+names["Bases"]+" {")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "		if p."+names["append"]+" == newP."+names["append"]+" {")
@@ -250,8 +270,13 @@ func iterReplace(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 
 func iterDelete(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") DeleteBy"+names["append"]+"(s string) bool {")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Unlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	for i, _ := range all."+names["Bases"]+" {")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "		if all."+names["Bases"]+"[i]."+names["append"]+" == s {")
@@ -268,8 +293,13 @@ func iterDelete(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 // this tries to return the deleted one but is wrong/gives warning if mutex lock is in struct
 func iterDeleteWithCopy(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") DeleteBy"+names["append"]+"(s string) *"+names["Base"]+" {")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Unlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	var newr "+names["Base"])
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
@@ -289,8 +319,13 @@ func iterDeleteWithCopy(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 func iterFind(w io.Writer, names map[string]string) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "// find a dependancy by the go path")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "func (all *"+names["Bases"]+") FindBy"+names["append"]+"(s string) *"+names["Base"]+" {")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock()")
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Unlock()")
+	if sortmap["lock"] == "all" {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".Lock.RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".Lock.RUnlock()")
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	"+names["lock"]+".RLock()")
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, "	defer "+names["lock"]+".RUnlock()")
+	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "	for i, _ := range all."+names["Bases"]+" {")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "		if all."+names["Bases"]+"[i]."+names["append"]+" == s {")