diff --git a/argv.go b/argv.go
index 0e8dd1d..814c75d 100644
--- a/argv.go
+++ b/argv.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ var argv args
 
 type args struct {
 	Checkout *CheckoutCmd `arg:"subcommand:checkout"                  help:"switch branches using 'git checkout'"`
-	Clean    *CleanCmd    `arg:"subcommand:clean"                     help:"start over at the beginning"`
+	Clean    *CleanCmd    `arg:"subcommand:reset"                     help:"reset all git repos to the original state"`
 	Commit   *CommitCmd   `arg:"subcommand:commit"                    help:"'git commit' but errors out if on wrong branch"`
 	Config   *ConfigCmd   `arg:"subcommand:config"                    help:"show your .config/forge/ settings"`
 	Gui      *EmptyCmd    `arg:"subcommand:gui"                       help:"open the gui"`
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ type args struct {
 
 func (args) Examples() string {
 	var out string
-	out += "forge merge --all     # merge all patches to devel & master\n"
 	out += "forge pull --force    # 'git pull' on all repos\n"
-	out += "forge normal          # the defaults for 'normal' forge distributed development\n"
+	out += "forge merge --all     # merge all patches to devel & master\n"
+	out += "forge normal fix      # the defaults for 'normal' forge distributed development (makes local user branches)\n"
+	out += "forge reset fix       # smartly restore all git repos to the upstream state (removes changes forge might have made)\n"
 	return out
 }
 
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ type DevCmd struct {
 
 type CleanCmd struct {
 	Fix  *EmptyCmd `arg:"subcommand:fix"              help:"try to fix problems"`
-	Repo string    `arg:"--repo"                      help:"which repo to look at"`
+	Repo string    `arg:"--repo"                      help:"work on one specific git repository"`
 }
 
 // matches
@@ -205,7 +206,7 @@ func (args) Appname() string {
 
 func (a args) DoAutoComplete(pb *prep.Auto) {
 	if pb.Cmd == "" {
-		pb.Autocomplete3([]string{"checkout", "clean", "commit", "config", "gui", "merge", "normal", "patch", "pull", "show"})
+		pb.Autocomplete3([]string{"checkout", "reset", "commit", "config", "gui", "merge", "normal", "patch", "pull", "show"})
 	} else {
 		pb.SubCommand(pb.Argv...)
 	}
diff --git a/doPatch.go b/doPatch.go
index 8ac79f2..098aa20 100644
--- a/doPatch.go
+++ b/doPatch.go
@@ -100,86 +100,106 @@ func doPatch() error {
 	}
 
 	if argv.Patch.List != nil {
-		var changed bool
-		newpatches := new(forgepb.Set)
-		newpatches.Patches = forgepb.NewPatches()
-		for pset := range me.forge.Patchsets.IterAll() {
-			pset.PrintTable()
-			for patch := range pset.Patches.IterAll() {
-				changed = true
-				if patch.NewHash == "" || patch.NewHash == "na" {
-					if newpatches.Patches.AppendByPatchId(patch) {
-						log.Info("patchId added here", patch.PatchId)
-					} else {
-						log.Info("patchId already here", patch.PatchId)
-					}
-				} else {
-					if err := setNewCommitHash(patch); err != nil {
-						log.Infof("%s bad check on patch failure %v\n", patch.Filename, err)
-						return err
-					}
-					log.Info("newhash set already here", patch.PatchId, patch.NewHash)
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		if changed {
-			if err := me.forge.SavePatchsets(); err != nil {
-				log.Warn("savePatchsets() failed", err)
-			}
-		}
-		log.Info("NEW PATCHES TABLE")
-		newpatches.PrintTable()
-		for patch := range newpatches.Patches.IterAll() {
-			if err := setNewCommitHash(patch); err == nil {
-				log.Info("newhash set already here", patch.PatchId, patch.NewHash)
-				continue
-			}
-			log.Infof("%s is new\n", patch.Filename)
-			repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)
-			if repo == nil {
-				log.Info("\tCould not find namespace:", patch.Namespace)
-				continue
-			}
-			if fhelp.QuestionUser("apply this patch?") {
-				newhash, err := applyAndTrackPatch(repo, patch)
-				log.Info("apply results:", newhash, err)
-			}
-		}
-		return nil
-		/*
-			if newpatches.Len() != 0 {
-				for patch := range newpatches.IterAll() {
-					log.Info("new patch:", patch.CommitHash, patch.NewHash, patch.Filename)
-					repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)
-					if repo == nil {
-						log.Info("\tCould not find namespace:", patch.Namespace)
-						continue
-					}
-				}
-				return log.Errorf("patches need to be applied")
-			}
-
-			// return doPatchList()
-			applied := findApplied()
-			if applied == nil || applied.Len() == 0 {
-				log.Info("no patches have been appled to the devel branch yet")
-				return nil
-			}
-			// for patch := range applied.IterAll() {
-			// 	log.Info("SEND APPLIED: newhash:", patch.NewHash, "commithash:", patch.CommitHash, "patch", patch.Namespace)
-			// }
-			newpb, _, err := applied.HttpPostVerbose(myServer(), "applied")
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			newpb.PrintTable()
-			return nil
-		*/
+		return doPatchList()
 	}
 
-	// if nothing, show patches & dirty repos
-	me.forge.Patchsets.PrintTable()
-	showWorkRepos()
+	// list patches by default
+	return doPatchList()
+}
+
+func doPatchList() error {
+	// if nothing selected, list the patches
+	var changed bool
+	newpatches := new(forgepb.Set)
+	newpatches.Patches = forgepb.NewPatches()
+	for pset := range me.forge.Patchsets.IterAll() {
+		pset.PrintTable()
+		if pset.Patches.Len() == 0 {
+			log.Info("pset is empty")
+			me.forge.Patchsets.Delete(pset)
+			changed = true
+			continue
+		}
+		for patch := range pset.Patches.IterAll() {
+			changed = true
+			if err := isPatchIdApplied(patch); err == nil {
+				log.Info("patchId already applied", patch.PatchId, patch.Filename)
+				pset.Patches.Delete(patch)
+				changed = true
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if patch.NewHash == "" || patch.NewHash == "na" {
+				if newpatches.Patches.AppendByPatchId(patch) {
+					log.Info("patchId added here", patch.PatchId)
+				} else {
+					log.Info("patchId already here", patch.PatchId)
+					pset.Patches.Delete(patch)
+					changed = true
+				}
+			} else {
+				if err := setNewCommitHash(patch); err != nil {
+					log.Infof("%s bad check on patch failure %v\n", patch.Filename, err)
+					return err
+				}
+				log.Info("newhash set already here", patch.PatchId, patch.NewHash)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	log.Info("NEW PATCHES TABLE")
+	newpatches.PrintTable()
+	for patch := range newpatches.Patches.IterAll() {
+		if err := setNewCommitHash(patch); err == nil {
+			log.Info("newhash set already here", patch.PatchId, patch.NewHash)
+			changed = true
+			continue
+		}
+		log.Infof("%s is new\n", patch.Filename)
+		repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)
+		if repo == nil {
+			log.Info("\tCould not find namespace:", patch.Namespace)
+			continue
+		}
+		if fhelp.QuestionUser("apply this patch?") {
+			newhash, err := applyAndTrackPatch(repo, patch)
+			log.Info("apply results:", newhash, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if changed {
+		if err := me.forge.SavePatchsets(); err != nil {
+			log.Warn("savePatchsets() failed", err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+	/*
+		if newpatches.Len() != 0 {
+			for patch := range newpatches.IterAll() {
+				log.Info("new patch:", patch.CommitHash, patch.NewHash, patch.Filename)
+				repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)
+				if repo == nil {
+					log.Info("\tCould not find namespace:", patch.Namespace)
+					continue
+				}
+			}
+			return log.Errorf("patches need to be applied")
+		}
+
+		// return doPatchList()
+		applied := findApplied()
+		if applied == nil || applied.Len() == 0 {
+			log.Info("no patches have been appled to the devel branch yet")
+			return nil
+		}
+		// for patch := range applied.IterAll() {
+		// 	log.Info("SEND APPLIED: newhash:", patch.NewHash, "commithash:", patch.CommitHash, "patch", patch.Namespace)
+		// }
+		newpb, _, err := applied.HttpPostVerbose(myServer(), "applied")
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		newpb.PrintTable()
+		return nil
+	*/
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/helperPatches.go b/helperPatches.go
index 88c301a..7bee637 100644
--- a/helperPatches.go
+++ b/helperPatches.go
@@ -172,6 +172,32 @@ func findCommitBySubject(subject string) (string, error) {
 	return "", fmt.Errorf("no commit found for subject: %s", subject)
 }
 
+func isPatchIdApplied(patch *forgepb.Patch) error {
+	repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)
+	if repo == nil {
+		return log.Errorf("could not find repo %s", patch.Namespace)
+	}
+
+	comment := cleanSubject(patch.Comment)
+
+	os.Chdir(repo.GetFullPath())
+	newhash, err := findCommitBySubject(comment)
+	if err != nil {
+		return log.Errorf("patch: not found hash: %s %s %s %s %v", patch.CommitHash, patch.Namespace, comment, newhash, err)
+	}
+
+	patchId, err := repo.FindPatchId(newhash)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	patch.PatchId = patchId
+	patch.NewHash = newhash
+
+	log.Info("patch: found hash:", patch.CommitHash, newhash, patch.Namespace, comment)
+	return nil
+}
+
 // returns true if PB changed
 func setNewCommitHash(patch *forgepb.Patch) error {
 	repo := me.forge.FindByGoPath(patch.Namespace)