diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5a45d86..5f0dbcd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ safe-build: install
 	forge list --private
 	wit-test install --verbose
 	# cd ~/go/src/go.wit.com/lib/xgb/ && time GUIRELEASE_REASON="safe-build" guireleaser --gui gocui --gui-verbose --gui-file ../../toolkits/gocui/gocui.so >/tmp/forge.log 2>&1
-	cd ~/go/src/go.wit.com/lib/xgb/ && time GUIRELEASE_REASON="safe-build" guireleaser --gui andlabs
+	rm -f go.* ; git checkout go.mod ; cd ~/go/src/go.wit.com/lib/xgb/ && time GUIRELEASE_REASON="safe-build" guireleaser --gui andlabs
 
 autocomplete:
 	guireleaser --bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/guireleaser
diff --git a/argv.go b/argv.go
index 515b7a0..8dfaffa 100644
--- a/argv.go
+++ b/argv.go
@@ -14,11 +14,10 @@ type args struct {
 	Verbose  bool      `arg:"--verbose"                         help:"talk alot"`
 	Full     bool      `arg:"--full"                            help:"build every package"`
 	Reason   string    `arg:"--reason"                          help:"tag message"`
+	Force    bool      `arg:"--force"                           help:"try harder than normal"`
 	Port     int       `arg:"--port"     default:"9419"         help:"do fun stuff with curl"`
 	Bash     bool      `arg:"--bash"                            help:"generate bash completion"`
 	BashAuto []string  `arg:"--auto-complete"                   help:"does the actual autocompletion"`
-	// DumpVersions bool     `arg:"--dump-versions"          help:"dump the versions file for go.wit.com"`
-	// Fix          bool     `arg:"--fix"                    help:"run fixGoMod() on startup"`
 }
 
 type QuickCmd struct {
diff --git a/doRelease.go b/doRelease.go
index e2774d5..0847227 100644
--- a/doRelease.go
+++ b/doRelease.go
@@ -99,6 +99,23 @@ func doRelease() error {
 		badExit(errors.New(msg))
 	}
 
+	// this is the final check. even here, just to be a total asshole
+	// I rerun go mod init and go mod tidy
+	// the re-parse all the results
+	// this is the last and final check.
+	// believe it or not, I've seen this fail. It's not worth being careful here
+	// or liberal about it. if it doesn't work, yep, you are stuck here you bastard
+	// (bastard being me. I designed this to be so annoying that if it makes it
+	// past this point it always works. that is the whole point of this code. NEVER
+	// EVER FAIL PAST THIS POINT
+	// )
+	// so let's do it: let's run go-mod-clean strict
+	// then reparse everything
+	_, err := check.RunVerboseOnError([]string{"go-mod-clean", "strict"})
+	if err != nil {
+		badExit(err)
+	}
+
 	var all [][]string
 	var autogen []string
 	all = append(all, []string{"git", "add", "-f", "go.mod"})
@@ -152,9 +169,9 @@ func doRelease() error {
 		time.Sleep(3 * time.Second)
 		// this can fail to update, try it again after sleep(3s)
 		if !doPublishVersion() {
-			log.Info("PUBLISH FAILED")
+			log.Info("PUBLISH FAILED gopath=%s", check.GetGoPath())
 			findOk = false
-			return fmt.Errorf("PUBLISH FAILED %s", check.GetGoPath())
+			return fmt.Errorf("PUBLISH FAILED gopath=%s", check.GetGoPath())
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 063fa2d..aa3fe33 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -106,7 +106,9 @@ func main() {
 
 	if _, count, _, err := me.forge.IsEverythingOnMaster(); err != nil {
 		log.Info("not everything is on the master branch (", count, "repos)")
-		os.Exit(-1)
+		if !argv.Force {
+			os.Exit(-1)
+		}
 	}
 
 	if me.startRepo == nil {
diff --git a/prepareRelease.go b/prepareRelease.go
index ff59fbd..aecac0e 100644
--- a/prepareRelease.go
+++ b/prepareRelease.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func checkpkgcache(repo *gitpb.Repo) error {
 	}
 
 	getpath := repo.GetGoPath() + "@" + repo.GetLastTag()
-	log.Info("MISSING:", getpath)
+	log.Infof("~/go/pkg/mod/ IS MISSING %s so I'm running go get here.", getpath)
 	_, err = me.startRepo.RunVerboseOnError([]string{"go", "get", getpath})
 	return err
 }