diff --git a/src/ckpool.c b/src/ckpool.c
index 77bf20cf..2793f258 100644
--- a/src/ckpool.c
+++ b/src/ckpool.c
@@ -507,110 +507,18 @@ out:
 	return buf;
 }
 
-static const char *invalid_unknown = " (unknown reason)";
-static const char *invalid_toodeep = " >9 levels, recursion?";
-
-#define first_invalid(_json_data) _first_invalid(_json_data, 0)
-
-static char *_first_invalid(json_t *json_data, int level)
-{
-	const char *json_key, *json_str;
-	json_t *json_value;
-	void *json_iter;
-	int json_typ;
-	char buf[512], *inside;
-	bool found;
-
-	if (level > 9)
-		return strdup(invalid_toodeep);
-
-	buf[0] = '\0';
-	found = false;
-	json_iter = json_object_iter(json_data);	
-	while (!found && json_iter) {
-		json_key = json_object_iter_key(json_iter);
-		json_value = json_object_iter_value(json_iter);
-		json_typ = json_typeof(json_value);
-		switch(json_typ) {
-			case JSON_STRING:
-				json_str = json_string_value(json_value);
-				if (json_str == NULL) {
-					snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
-						 " %s is NULL", json_key);
-					found = true;
-				}
-				break;
-			case JSON_REAL:
-			case JSON_INTEGER:
-			case JSON_TRUE:
-			case JSON_FALSE:
-				break;
-			case JSON_ARRAY:
-				inside = _first_invalid(json_value, level+1);
-				if (inside != invalid_unknown) {
-					snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
-						 " %s : [%s ]", json_key, inside);
-					free(inside);
-					found = true;
-				}
-				break;
-			case JSON_NULL:
-				snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
-					 " %s is NULL", json_key);
-				found = true;
-				break;
-			default:
-				snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf),
-					 " unknown type %d for %s",
-					 json_typ, json_key);
-				found = true;
-				break;
-		}
-		if (!found)
-			json_iter = json_object_iter_next(json_data, json_iter);
-	}
-
-	if (!*buf) {
-		if (level > 0)
-			return (char *)invalid_unknown;
-		else
-			return strdup(invalid_unknown);
-	} else
-		return strdup(buf);
-}
-
-/* Send a json msg to ckdb with its idmsg and return the response, consuming
- * the json on success */
-char *_json_ckdb_call(const ckpool_t *ckp, const char *idmsg, json_t *val, bool logged,
-		      const char *file, const char *func, const int line)
+/* Send a json msg to ckdb and return the response */
+char *_ckdb_msg_call(const ckpool_t *ckp, char *msg,  const char *file, const char *func,
+		     const int line)
 {
-	char *msg = NULL, *dump, *buf = NULL;
-
-	dump = json_dumps(val, JSON_COMPACT);
-	if (unlikely(!dump)) {
-		char *invalid = first_invalid(val);
-		LOGWARNING("Json dump failed in json_ckdb_call from %s %s:%d%s", file, func, line, invalid);
-		free(invalid);
-		return buf;
-	}
-	ASPRINTF(&msg, "%s.id.json=%s", idmsg, dump);
-	if (!logged) {
-		char logname[512];
+	char *buf = NULL;
 
-		snprintf(logname, 511, "%s%s", ckp->logdir, ckp->ckdb_name);
-		rotating_log(logname, msg);
-	}
-	free(dump);
 	LOGDEBUG("Sending ckdb: %s", msg);
 	buf = _send_recv_ckdb(ckp, msg, file, func, line);
 	LOGDEBUG("Received from ckdb: %s", buf);
-	free(msg);
-	if (likely(buf))
-		json_decref(val);
 	return buf;
 }
 
-
 json_t *json_rpc_call(connsock_t *cs, const char *rpc_req)
 {
 	char *http_req = NULL;
diff --git a/src/ckpool.h b/src/ckpool.h
index 43b14fab..c27c042b 100644
--- a/src/ckpool.h
+++ b/src/ckpool.h
@@ -174,9 +174,9 @@ char *_send_recv_proc(proc_instance_t *pi, const char *msg, const char *file, co
 #define send_recv_proc(pi, msg) _send_recv_proc(pi, msg, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__)
 char *_send_recv_ckdb(const ckpool_t *ckp, const char *msg, const char *file, const char *func, const int line);
 #define send_recv_ckdb(ckp, msg) _send_recv_ckdb(ckp, msg, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__)
-char *_json_ckdb_call(const ckpool_t *ckp, const char *idmsg, json_t *val, bool logged,
-		      const char *file, const char *func, const int line);
-#define json_ckdb_call(ckp, idmsg, val, logged) _json_ckdb_call(ckp, idmsg, val, logged, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__)
+char *_ckdb_msg_call(const ckpool_t *ckp, char *msg,  const char *file, const char *func,
+		     const int line);
+#define ckdb_msg_call(ckp, msg) _ckdb_msg_call(ckp, msg, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__)
 
 json_t *json_rpc_call(connsock_t *cs, const char *rpc_req);
 
diff --git a/src/stratifier.c b/src/stratifier.c
index ed49e38c..c8383eba 100644
--- a/src/stratifier.c
+++ b/src/stratifier.c
@@ -170,13 +170,6 @@ struct json_params {
 
 typedef struct json_params json_params_t;
 
-struct ckdb_msg {
-	json_t *val;
-	int idtype;
-};
-
-typedef struct ckdb_msg ckdb_msg_t;
-
 /* Stratum json messages with their associated client id */
 struct smsg {
 	json_t *json_msg;
@@ -415,12 +408,32 @@ static void purge_share_hashtable(int64_t wb_id)
 
 static char *status_chars = "|/-\\";
 
+/* Absorbs the json and generates a ckdb json message, logs it to the ckdb
+ * log and returns the malloced message. */
+static char *ckdb_msg(ckpool_t *ckp, json_t *val, const int idtype)
+{
+	char *json_msg = json_dumps(val, JSON_COMPACT);
+	char logname[512];
+	char *ret = NULL;
+
+	if (unlikely(!json_msg))
+		goto out;
+	ASPRINTF(&ret, "%s.id.json=%s", ckdb_ids[idtype], json_msg);
+	free(json_msg);
+out:
+	json_decref(val);
+	snprintf(logname, 511, "%s%s", ckp->logdir, ckp->ckdb_name);
+	rotating_log(logname, ret);
+	return ret;
+}
+
 static void _ckdbq_add(ckpool_t *ckp, const int idtype, json_t *val, const char *file,
 		      const char *func, const int line)
 {
-	static int counter = 0;
 	static time_t time_counter;
-	ckdb_msg_t *msg;
+	static int counter = 0;
+
+	char *json_msg;
 	time_t now_t;
 	char ch;
 
@@ -441,10 +454,13 @@ static void _ckdbq_add(ckpool_t *ckp, const int idtype, json_t *val, const char
 	if (ckp->standalone)
 		return json_decref(val);
 
-	msg = ckalloc(sizeof(ckdb_msg_t));
-	msg->val = val;
-	msg->idtype = idtype;
-	ckmsgq_add(ckdbq, msg);
+	json_msg = ckdb_msg(ckp, val, idtype);
+	if (unlikely(!json_msg)) {
+		LOGWARNING("Failed to dump json from %s %s:%d", file, func, line);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	ckmsgq_add(ckdbq, json_msg);
 }
 
 #define ckdbq_add(ckp, idtype, val) _ckdbq_add(ckp, idtype, val, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__)
@@ -1252,10 +1268,10 @@ static user_instance_t *authorise_user(const char *workername)
 static bool send_recv_auth(stratum_instance_t *client)
 {
 	ckpool_t *ckp = client->ckp;
+	char *buf, *json_msg;
 	char cdfield[64];
 	bool ret = false;
 	json_t *val;
-	char *buf;
 	ts_t now;
 
 	ts_realtime(&now);
@@ -1272,7 +1288,13 @@ static bool send_recv_auth(stratum_instance_t *client)
 			"createby", "code",
 			"createcode", __func__,
 			"createinet", client->address);
-	buf = json_ckdb_call(ckp, ckdb_ids[ID_AUTH], val, false);
+	json_msg = ckdb_msg(ckp, val, ID_AUTH);
+	if (unlikely(!json_msg)) {
+		LOGWARNING("Failed to dump json in send_recv_auth");
+		return ret;
+	}
+	buf = ckdb_msg_call(ckp, json_msg);
+	free(json_msg);
 	if (likely(buf)) {
 		char *secondaryuserid, *response = alloca(128);
 
@@ -1286,10 +1308,8 @@ static bool send_recv_auth(stratum_instance_t *client)
 			client->secondaryuserid = strdup(secondaryuserid);
 			ret = true;
 		}
-	} else {
+	} else
 		LOGWARNING("Got no auth response from ckdb :(");
-		json_decref(val);
-	}
 
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -2158,14 +2178,13 @@ out:
 
 }
 
-static void ckdbq_process(ckpool_t *ckp, ckdb_msg_t *data)
+static void ckdbq_process(ckpool_t *ckp, char *msg)
 {
 	static bool failed = false;
-	bool logged = false;
 	char *buf = NULL;
 
 	while (!buf) {
-		buf = json_ckdb_call(ckp, ckdb_ids[data->idtype], data->val, logged);
+		buf = ckdb_msg_call(ckp, msg);
 		if (unlikely(!buf)) {
 			if (!failed) {
 				failed = true;
@@ -2173,13 +2192,13 @@ static void ckdbq_process(ckpool_t *ckp, ckdb_msg_t *data)
 			}
 			sleep(5);
 		}
-		logged = true;
 	}
+	free(msg);
 	if (failed) {
 		failed = false;
 		LOGWARNING("Successfully resumed talking to ckdb");
 	}
-	LOGINFO("Got %s ckdb response: %s", ckdb_ids[data->idtype], buf);
+	LOGINFO("Got ckdb response: %s", buf);
 	free(buf);
 }