diff --git a/importDomain.go b/importDomain.go
index 7ecaa89..3e07eb5 100644
--- a/importDomain.go
+++ b/importDomain.go
@@ -4,48 +4,56 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
+	"os"
 	"time"
 
 	pb "go.wit.com/lib/protobuf/virtbuf"
 	"go.wit.com/lib/virtigolib"
 	"go.wit.com/log"
+
+	// "libvirt.org/go/libvirt"
 	"libvirt.org/go/libvirtxml"
 )
 
-// attempts to create a new virtual machine
+// attempts to import the *libvirt.Domain directly from the hypervisor
 
 func importDomain(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (string, error) {
-	name := r.URL.Query().Get("domainName")
-	if name == "" {
+	domainName := r.URL.Query().Get("domainName")
+	if domainName == "" {
 		result := "importDomain() failed. name is blank " + r.URL.Path
 		log.Warn(result)
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
 		return "", errors.New(result)
 	}
-	log.Warn("importDomain() START name is", name)
-	fmt.Fprintln(w, "importDomain() START name is", name)
 
-	d := me.cluster.FindDropletByName(name)
+	// a LocalOnly record should already have been created by hypervisor.Poll()
+	d := me.cluster.FindDropletByName(domainName)
 	if d == nil {
-		result := "libvirt domain " + name + " could not be found on any hypervisor"
+		result := "libvirt domain " + domainName + " could not be found on any hypervisor"
 		log.Info(result)
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
 		return result, errors.New(result)
 	}
-	start := d.SprintHeader()
+
+	// if it's not local only, don't attempt this for now
 	if d.LocalOnly == "" {
-		result := start + " LocalOnly is blank. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN."
+		result := "LocalOnly is blank. SKIP. merge not supported yet."
 		log.Log(WARN, result)
 		fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
 		return result, errors.New(result)
 	}
-	if d.Current.State != pb.DropletState_OFF {
-		result := "error: libvirt domain " + name + " is not off"
-		log.Info(result)
-		fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
-		return result, errors.New(result)
-	}
 
+	/*
+		// it probably doesn't really matter what the state it
+		if d.Current.State != pb.DropletState_OFF {
+			result := "error: libvirt domain " + name + " is not off"
+			log.Info(result)
+			fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
+			return result, errors.New(result)
+		}
+	*/
+
+	// get the hypervisor record for what it's worth
 	h := findHypervisorByName(d.Current.Hypervisor)
 	if h == nil {
 		result := "unknown hypervisor = " + d.Current.Hypervisor
@@ -54,37 +62,41 @@ func importDomain(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (string, error) {
 		return result, errors.New(result)
 	}
 
-	// attempt to get the domain record from virtigo
-	xml, err := postImportDomain(h.pb.Hostname, name)
+	// exports and builds a libvirt.Domain from the hypervisor
+	domcfg, err := ExportLibvirtDomain(h.pb, domainName)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Log(WARN, err)
-		fmt.Fprintln(w, err)
+		reason := fmt.Sprintf("ExportLibvirtDomain() failed", err)
+		log.Warn(reason)
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, reason)
 		return "", err
 	}
 
-	domcfg := &libvirtxml.Domain{}
-	err = domcfg.Unmarshal(string(xml))
+	// merges and updates the droplet protobuf based on the libvirt XML
+	events, err := virtigolib.MergelibvirtDomain(d, domcfg)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Info("Marshal failed", name, err)
-		log.Warn(string(xml))
-		fmt.Fprintln(w, string(xml))
-		return "", err
+		reason := fmt.Sprintf("MerglibvirtDomain() failed for", d.Hostname, err)
+		log.Warn(reason)
+		fmt.Fprintln(w, reason)
+		return "", errors.New(reason)
 	}
-	// func ImportXML(domcfg *libvirtxml.Domain) (*pb.Droplet, []*pb.Event, error) {
-	d, alle, err := virtigolib.ImportXML(domcfg)
+
+	// check what was non-standard and make a note of it. Save it in the protobuf
+	s, err := virtigolib.DumpNonStandardXML(domcfg)
 	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintln(w, "ImportXML failed with", name, err)
+		reason := s + "\n"
+		reason = fmt.Sprintln("DumpNonStandardXML() on", domcfg.Name, "failed for", err)
+		log.Info(reason)
 		return "", err
 	}
-	if d == nil {
-		fmt.Fprintln(w, "ImportXML d == nil for", name, err)
-		return "", err
-	}
-	for _, e := range alle {
+	log.Warn("bad XML:", s)
+	os.Exit(0)
+
+	// everything worked. add the events
+	for _, e := range events {
 		me.cluster.AddEvent(e)
 	}
 
-	result := fmt.Sprintln("marshal worked", domcfg.Name, domcfg.UUID)
+	result := fmt.Sprintln("importDomain() worked")
 	log.Log(WARN, result)
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, result)
 	return result, nil
@@ -122,6 +134,25 @@ func (h *HyperT) importDomain(d *pb.Droplet) (bool, string) {
 	return true, result
 }
 
+func ExportLibvirtDomain(h *pb.Hypervisor, domainName string) (*libvirtxml.Domain, error) {
+	// attempt to get the domain record from virtigo
+	xml, err := postImportDomain(h.Hostname, domainName)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warn(err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// convert the xml into a libvirt object
+	domcfg := &libvirtxml.Domain{}
+	err = domcfg.Unmarshal(string(xml))
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warn("Unmarshal failed", domainName, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return domcfg, nil
+}
+
 func postImportDomain(hypervisor string, domain string) ([]byte, error) {
 	url := "http://" + hypervisor + ":2520/import?domain=" + domain
 	var msg string
diff --git a/post.go b/post.go
index 9537bc8..8e56b75 100644
--- a/post.go
+++ b/post.go
@@ -15,9 +15,6 @@ func httpPost(url string, data []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	var err error
 	var req *http.Request
 
-	// data := []byte("some junk")
-	// url := "https://go.wit.com/register/"
-
 	req, err = http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, url, bytes.NewBuffer(data))
 
 	usr, _ := user.Current()