diff --git a/libraries/appbase b/libraries/appbase
index 028da3b1e8a..024ec0da993 160000
--- a/libraries/appbase
+++ b/libraries/appbase
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 028da3b1e8ad612865676734c54db3f6197f338d
+Subproject commit 024ec0da9931700f25a89e8d80e02f555fe1310a
diff --git a/libraries/chain/block_log.cpp b/libraries/chain/block_log.cpp
index 363fa565cdb..038776b4259 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/block_log.cpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/block_log.cpp
@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@ namespace eos { namespace chain {
    }
 
    block_log::~block_log() {
-      flush();
-      my.reset();
+      if (my) {
+         flush();
+         my.reset();
+      }
    }
 
    void block_log::open(const fc::path& file) {
diff --git a/libraries/chain/chain_controller.cpp b/libraries/chain/chain_controller.cpp
index b200ccbe152..ffcd4b2753e 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/chain_controller.cpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/chain_controller.cpp
@@ -939,8 +939,6 @@ void chain_controller::spinup_fork_db()
    fc::optional<signed_block> last_block = _block_log.read_head();
    if(last_block.valid()) {
       _fork_db.start_block(*last_block);
-      idump((last_block->id())(last_block->block_num()));
-      idump((head_block_id())(head_block_num()));
       if (last_block->id() != head_block_id()) {
            FC_ASSERT(head_block_num() == 0, "last block ID does not match current chain state",
                      ("last_block->id", last_block->id())("head_block_num",head_block_num()));
diff --git a/plugins/chain_api_plugin/chain_api_plugin.cpp b/plugins/chain_api_plugin/chain_api_plugin.cpp
index 974d14525b8..c899e609434 100644
--- a/plugins/chain_api_plugin/chain_api_plugin.cpp
+++ b/plugins/chain_api_plugin/chain_api_plugin.cpp
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@ class chain_api_plugin_impl {
 };
 
 
-chain_api_plugin::chain_api_plugin()
-   :my(new chain_api_plugin_impl(app().get_plugin<chain_plugin>().chain())) {}
+chain_api_plugin::chain_api_plugin(){}
 chain_api_plugin::~chain_api_plugin(){}
 
 void chain_api_plugin::set_program_options(options_description&, options_description&) {}
@@ -43,6 +42,7 @@ void chain_api_plugin::plugin_initialize(const variables_map&) {}
 #define CHAIN_RW_CALL(call_name) CALL(chain, rw_api, chain_apis::read_write, call_name)
 
 void chain_api_plugin::plugin_startup() {
+   my.reset(new chain_api_plugin_impl(app().get_plugin<chain_plugin>().chain()));
    auto ro_api = app().get_plugin<chain_plugin>().get_read_only_api();
    auto rw_api = app().get_plugin<chain_plugin>().get_read_write_api();
 
diff --git a/plugins/chain_plugin/chain_plugin.cpp b/plugins/chain_plugin/chain_plugin.cpp
index e1da4000988..24330173656 100644
--- a/plugins/chain_plugin/chain_plugin.cpp
+++ b/plugins/chain_plugin/chain_plugin.cpp
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ void chain_plugin::plugin_initialize(const variables_map& options) {
    }
    if (options.at("resync-blockchain").as<bool>()) {
       ilog("Resync requested: wiping blocks");
+      app().get_plugin<database_plugin>().wipe_database();
       fc::remove_all(my->block_log_file);
    }
 
@@ -84,6 +85,8 @@ void chain_plugin::plugin_initialize(const variables_map& options) {
 
 void chain_plugin::plugin_startup() {
    auto genesis_loader = [this] {
+      if (my->genesis_file.empty())
+         return eos::chain::genesis_state_type();
       return fc::json::from_file(my->genesis_file).as<eos::chain::genesis_state_type>();
    };
    auto& db = app().get_plugin<database_plugin>().db();
@@ -96,6 +99,8 @@ void chain_plugin::plugin_startup() {
       ilog("starting chain in read/write mode");
       my->chain->add_checkpoints(my->loaded_checkpoints);
    }
+
+   ilog("Blockchain started; head block is #${num}", ("num", my->chain->head_block_num()));
 }
 
 void chain_plugin::plugin_shutdown() {
diff --git a/programs/eosd/main.cpp b/programs/eosd/main.cpp
index 2f5aeb36199..6f404c5d233 100644
--- a/programs/eosd/main.cpp
+++ b/programs/eosd/main.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
       app().register_plugin<chain_api_plugin>();
       app().register_plugin<producer_plugin>();
 
-      if(!app().initialize(argc, argv))
+      if(!app().initialize<chain_plugin, p2p_plugin>(argc, argv))
          return -1;
 
       app().startup();