diff --git a/src/blockstore/fragment-gateway.ts b/src/blockstore/fragment-gateway.ts
index 848ee114..ed0fe6f0 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/fragment-gateway.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/fragment-gateway.ts
@@ -167,6 +167,14 @@ export class FragmentGateway implements bs.Gateway {
     return Result.Ok(buffer || new Uint8Array(0));
   }
 
+  async subscribe(url: URI, callback: (msg: Uint8Array) => void): Promise<bs.VoidResult> {
+    if (this.innerGW.subscribe) {
+      return this.innerGW.subscribe(url, callback);
+    } else {
+      return Result.Err(this.logger.Error().Msg("Subscribe not supported").AsError());
+    }
+  }
+
   async delete(url: URI): Promise<bs.VoidResult> {
     const rfrags = await getFrags(url, this.innerGW, this.headerSize, this.logger);
     for (const rfrag of rfrags) {
diff --git a/src/blockstore/gateway.ts b/src/blockstore/gateway.ts
index 7c10003c..0d913760 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/gateway.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/gateway.ts
@@ -24,4 +24,6 @@ export interface Gateway {
   // get could return a NotFoundError if the key is not found
   get(url: URI): Promise<GetResult>;
   delete(url: URI): Promise<VoidResult>;
+  // be notified of remote meta
+  subscribe?(url: URI, callback: (meta: Uint8Array) => void): Promise<VoidResult>;
 }
diff --git a/src/blockstore/store-remote.ts b/src/blockstore/store-remote.ts
index ab2ea356..33a997c3 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/store-remote.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/store-remote.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export async function RemoteDataStore(sthis: SuperThis, name: string, url: URI,
   return ds;
 }
 export async function RemoteMetaStore(sthis: SuperThis, name: string, url: URI, opts: StoreOpts) {
-  const ms = new MetaStoreImpl(sthis, name, url, opts);
+  const ms = new MetaStoreImpl(sthis, name, url, opts, true);
   await ms.start();
   return ms;
 }
diff --git a/src/blockstore/store.ts b/src/blockstore/store.ts
index 99e30eaf..db2982f5 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/store.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/store.ts
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
   readonly subscribers = new Map<string, LoadHandler[]>();
   parents: CarClockHead = [];
 
-  constructor(sthis: SuperThis, name: string, url: URI, opts: StoreOpts) {
+  constructor(sthis: SuperThis, name: string, url: URI, opts: StoreOpts, remote?: boolean) {
     // const my = new URL(url.toString());
     // my.searchParams.set("storekey", 'insecure');
     super(
@@ -151,6 +151,10 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
       sthis,
       ensureLogger(sthis, "MetaStoreImpl"),
     );
+    if (remote && opts.gateway.subscribe) {
+      this.logger.Debug().Str("url", url.toString()).Msg("Subscribing to the gateway");
+      opts.gateway.subscribe(url, (byteHead: Uint8Array) => this.handleEventByteHead(byteHead));
+    }
   }
 
   makeHeader({ cars }: DbMeta): ToString<DbMeta> {
@@ -178,8 +182,7 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
 
   async decodeMetaBlock(bytes: Uint8Array): Promise<{ eventCid: CarClockLink; dbMeta: DbMeta; parents: string[] }> {
     const crdtEntry = JSON.parse(this.sthis.txt.decode(bytes)) as { data: string; parents: string[]; cid: string };
-    const eventBytes = decodeFromBase64(crdtEntry.data);
-    const eventBlock = await this.decodeEventBlock(eventBytes);
+    const eventBlock = await this.decodeEventBlock(decodeFromBase64(crdtEntry.data));
     return {
       eventCid: eventBlock.cid as CarClockLink,
       parents: crdtEntry.parents,
@@ -203,7 +206,6 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
 
   async load(): Promise<DbMeta[] | Falsy> {
     const branch = "main";
-    this.logger.Debug().Str("branch", branch).Msg("loading");
     const url = await this.gateway.buildUrl(this.url(), branch);
     if (url.isErr()) {
       throw this.logger.Error().Result("buidUrl", url).Str("branch", branch).Msg("got error from gateway.buildUrl").AsError();
diff --git a/src/crdt.ts b/src/crdt.ts
index fe519a42..96767eb8 100644
--- a/src/crdt.ts
+++ b/src/crdt.ts
@@ -123,7 +123,8 @@ export class CRDT<T extends DocTypes> {
         // await this.clock.ready();
         await Promise.all([this.blockstore.ready(), this.indexBlockstore.ready(), this.clock.ready()]);
       } catch (e) {
-        throw this.logger.Error().Err(e).Msg("CRDT not ready").AsError();
+        const ee = e as Error;
+        throw this.logger.Error().Err(e).Msg(`CRDT is not ready: ${ee.stack}`).AsError();
       }
     });
   }
diff --git a/tests/fireproof/hello.test.ts b/tests/fireproof/hello.test.ts
index ab5025ef..95234816 100644
--- a/tests/fireproof/hello.test.ts
+++ b/tests/fireproof/hello.test.ts
@@ -53,4 +53,11 @@ describe("hello public API", function () {
     expect(query.rows.length).toBe(1);
     expect(query.rows[0].key).toBe("bar");
   });
+  it("should get when you open it again", async function () {
+    await db.close();
+    await db.destroy();
+    const db2 = database("test-public-api");
+    doc = await db2.get("test");
+    expect(doc.foo).toBe("bar");
+  });
 });