diff --git a/copyparty/__main__.py b/copyparty/__main__.py
index 8fbaf4bf..6ff0439a 100644
--- a/copyparty/__main__.py
+++ b/copyparty/__main__.py
@@ -376,6 +376,7 @@ def run_argparse(argv, formatter):
     ap2.add_argument("--no-fpool", action="store_true", help="disable file-handle pooling -- instead, repeatedly close and reopen files during upload")
     ap2.add_argument("--use-fpool", action="store_true", help="force file-handle pooling, even if copyparty thinks you're better off without")
     ap2.add_argument("--no-symlink", action="store_true", help="duplicate file contents instead")
+    ap2.add_argument("--reg-cap", metavar="N", type=int, default=9000, help="max number of uploads to keep in memory when running without -e2d")
 
     ap2 = ap.add_argument_group('network options')
     ap2.add_argument("-i", metavar="IP", type=u, default="0.0.0.0", help="ip to bind (comma-sep.)")
@@ -520,7 +521,7 @@ def main(argv=None):
     if HAVE_SSL:
         ensure_cert()
 
-    for k, v in zip(argv, argv[1:]):
+    for k, v in zip(argv[1:], argv[2:]):
         if k == "-c":
             supp = args_from_cfg(v)
             argv.extend(supp)
diff --git a/copyparty/up2k.py b/copyparty/up2k.py
index caeae0eb..58dea1bf 100644
--- a/copyparty/up2k.py
+++ b/copyparty/up2k.py
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class Up2k(object):
         self.need_rescan = {}
         self.dupesched = {}
         self.registry = {}
+        self.droppable = {}
         self.entags = {}
         self.flags = {}
         self.cur = {}
@@ -125,11 +126,11 @@ class Up2k(object):
         all_vols = self.asrv.vfs.all_vols
         have_e2d = self.init_indexes(all_vols)
 
-        if have_e2d:
-            thr = threading.Thread(target=self._snapshot, name="up2k-snapshot")
-            thr.daemon = True
-            thr.start()
+        thr = threading.Thread(target=self._snapshot, name="up2k-snapshot")
+        thr.daemon = True
+        thr.start()
 
+        if have_e2d:
             thr = threading.Thread(target=self._hasher, name="up2k-hasher")
             thr.daemon = True
             thr.start()
@@ -295,7 +296,8 @@ class Up2k(object):
     def _vis_reg_progress(self, reg):
         ret = []
         for _, job in reg.items():
-            ret.append(self._vis_job_progress(job))
+            if job["need"]:
+                ret.append(self._vis_job_progress(job))
 
         return ret
 
@@ -483,12 +485,19 @@ class Up2k(object):
             self.log("/{} {}".format(vpath, " ".join(sorted(a))), "35")
 
         reg = {}
+        drp = None
         path = os.path.join(histpath, "up2k.snap")
-        if "e2d" in flags and bos.path.exists(path):
+        if bos.path.exists(path):
             with gzip.GzipFile(path, "rb") as f:
                 j = f.read().decode("utf-8")
 
             reg2 = json.loads(j)
+            try:
+                drp = reg2["droppable"]
+                reg2 = reg2["registry"]
+            except:
+                pass
+
             for k, job in reg2.items():
                 path = os.path.join(job["ptop"], job["prel"], job["name"])
                 if bos.path.exists(path):
@@ -498,12 +507,19 @@ class Up2k(object):
                 else:
                     self.log("ign deleted file in snap: [{}]".format(path))
 
-            m = "loaded snap {} |{}|".format(path, len(reg.keys()))
+            if drp is None:
+                drp = [k for k, v in reg.items() if not v.get("need", [])]
+            else:
+                drp = [x for x in drp if x in reg]
+
+            m = "loaded snap {} |{}| ({})".format(path, len(reg.keys()), len(drp or []))
             m = [m] + self._vis_reg_progress(reg)
             self.log("\n".join(m))
 
         self.flags[ptop] = flags
         self.registry[ptop] = reg
+        self.droppable[ptop] = drp or []
+        self.regdrop(ptop, None)
         if not HAVE_SQLITE3 or "e2d" not in flags or "d2d" in flags:
             return None
 
@@ -1494,7 +1510,7 @@ class Up2k(object):
                 return ret, src
 
             if self.args.nw:
-                # del self.registry[ptop][wark]
+                self.regdrop(ptop, wark)
                 return ret, dst
 
             # windows cant rename open files
@@ -1526,9 +1542,9 @@ class Up2k(object):
         a = [job[x] for x in "ptop wark prel name lmod size addr".split()]
         a += [job.get("at") or time.time()]
         if self.idx_wark(*a):
-            # self.log("pop " + wark + "  " + dst + " finish_upload idx_wark", 4)
             del self.registry[ptop][wark]
-            # in-memory registry is reserved for unfinished uploads
+        else:
+            self.regdrop(ptop, wark)
 
         dupes = self.dupesched.pop(dst, [])
         if not dupes:
@@ -1548,6 +1564,21 @@ class Up2k(object):
         if cur:
             cur.connection.commit()
 
+    def regdrop(self, ptop, wark):
+        t = self.droppable[ptop]
+        if wark:
+            t.append(wark)
+
+        if len(t) <= self.args.reg_cap:
+            return
+
+        n = len(t) - int(self.args.reg_cap / 2)
+        m = "up2k-registry [{}] has {} droppables; discarding {}"
+        self.log(m.format(ptop, len(t), n))
+        for k in t[:n]:
+            self.registry[ptop].pop(k, None)
+        self.droppable[ptop] = t[n:]
+
     def idx_wark(self, ptop, wark, rd, fn, lmod, sz, ip, at):
         cur = self.cur.get(ptop)
         if not cur:
@@ -2063,7 +2094,8 @@ class Up2k(object):
         bos.makedirs(histpath)
 
         path2 = "{}.{}".format(path, os.getpid())
-        j = json.dumps(reg, indent=2, sort_keys=True).encode("utf-8")
+        body = {"droppable": self.droppable[ptop], "registry": reg}
+        j = json.dumps(body, indent=2, sort_keys=True).encode("utf-8")
         with gzip.GzipFile(path2, "wb") as f:
             f.write(j)