diff --git a/lib/backupds/log.go b/lib/backupds/log.go
index 3a39604e4..99b7b7c95 100644
--- a/lib/backupds/log.go
+++ b/lib/backupds/log.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package backupds
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
@@ -9,11 +10,14 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"golang.org/x/xerrors"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-datastore"
 )
 
+var loghead = datastore.NewKey("/backupds/log/head") // string([logfile base name];[uuid];[unix ts])
+
 func (d *Datastore) startLog(logdir string) error {
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(logdir, 0755); err != nil && !os.IsExist(err) {
 		return xerrors.Errorf("mkdir logdir ('%s'): %w", logdir, err)
@@ -46,17 +50,21 @@ func (d *Datastore) startLog(logdir string) error {
 
 	var l *logfile
 	if latest == "" {
-		l, err = d.createLog(logdir)
+		l, latest, err = d.createLog(logdir)
 		if err != nil {
 			return xerrors.Errorf("creating log: %w", err)
 		}
 	} else {
-		l, err = openLog(filepath.Join(logdir, latest))
+		l, err = d.openLog(filepath.Join(logdir, latest))
 		if err != nil {
 			return xerrors.Errorf("opening log: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
 
+	if err := l.writeLogHead(latest, d.child); err != nil {
+		return xerrors.Errorf("writing new log head: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	go func() {
 		defer close(d.closed)
 		for {
@@ -86,45 +94,66 @@ type logfile struct {
 	file *os.File
 }
 
-func (d *Datastore) createLog(logdir string) (*logfile, error) {
+func (d *Datastore) createLog(logdir string) (*logfile, string, error) {
 	p := filepath.Join(logdir, strconv.FormatInt(time.Now().Unix(), 10)+".log.cbor")
 	log.Infow("creating log", "file", p)
 
 	f, err := os.OpenFile(p, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE|os.O_EXCL, 0644)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, "", err
 	}
 
 	if err := d.Backup(f); err != nil {
-		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("writing log base: %w", err)
+		return nil, "", xerrors.Errorf("writing log base: %w", err)
 	}
 	if err := f.Sync(); err != nil {
-		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("sync log base: %w", err)
+		return nil, "", xerrors.Errorf("sync log base: %w", err)
 	}
 	log.Infow("log opened", "file", p)
 
-	// todo: maybe write a magic 'opened at' entry; pad the log to filesystem page to prevent more exotic types of corruption
-
 	return &logfile{
 		file: f,
-	}, nil
+	}, filepath.Base(p), nil
 }
 
-func openLog(p string) (*logfile, error) {
+func (d *Datastore) openLog(p string) (*logfile, error) {
 	log.Infow("opening log", "file", p)
+	lh, err := d.child.Get(loghead)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("checking log head (logfile '%s'): %w", p, err)
+	}
+
+	lhp := strings.Split(string(lh), ";")
+	if len(lhp) != 3 {
+		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("expected loghead to have 3 parts")
+	}
+
+	if lhp[0] != filepath.Base(p) {
+		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("loghead log file doesn't match, opening %s, expected %s", p, lhp[0])
+	}
+
 	f, err := os.OpenFile(p, os.O_RDWR, 0644)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	var lastLogHead string
+	var openCount, logvals int64
 	// check file integrity
-	err = ReadBackup(f, func(_ datastore.Key, _ []byte) error {
+	err = ReadBackup(f, func(k datastore.Key, v []byte) error {
+		logvals++
+		if k == loghead {
+			lastLogHead = string(v)
+			openCount++
+		}
 		return nil
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("reading backup part of the logfile: %w", err)
 	}
-	log.Infow("log opened", "file", p)
+	if string(lh) != lastLogHead {
+		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("loghead didn't match, expected '%s', last in logfile '%s'", string(lh), lastLogHead)
+	}
 
 	// make sure we're at the end of the file
 	at, err := f.Seek(0, io.SeekCurrent)
@@ -139,6 +168,8 @@ func openLog(p string) (*logfile, error) {
 		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("logfile %s validated %d bytes, but the file has %d bytes (%d more)", p, at, end, end-at)
 	}
 
+	log.Infow("log opened", "file", p, "openCount", openCount, "logValues", logvals)
+
 	// todo: maybe write a magic 'opened at' entry; pad the log to filesystem page to prevent more exotic types of corruption
 
 	return &logfile{
@@ -146,6 +177,27 @@ func openLog(p string) (*logfile, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func (l *logfile) writeLogHead(logname string, ds datastore.Batching) error {
+	lval := []byte(fmt.Sprintf("%s;%s;%d", logname, uuid.New(), time.Now().Unix()))
+
+	err := l.writeEntry(&Entry{
+		Key:       loghead.Bytes(),
+		Value:     lval,
+		Timestamp: time.Now().Unix(),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return xerrors.Errorf("writing loghead to the log: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := ds.Put(loghead, lval); err != nil {
+		return xerrors.Errorf("writing loghead to the datastore: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	log.Infow("now log head", "loghead", string(lval))
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (l *logfile) writeEntry(e *Entry) error {
 	// todo: maybe marshal to some temp buffer, then put into the file?
 	if err := e.MarshalCBOR(l.file); err != nil {