diff --git a/features.in/Makefile b/features.in/Makefile
index 80485d4a..7dca9d4c 100644
--- a/features.in/Makefile
+++ b/features.in/Makefile
@@ -5,25 +5,29 @@ ifndef BUILDDIR
 $(error BUILDDIR not defined)
 endif
 
--include $(BUILDDIR)/distcfg.mk
+include $(BUILDDIR)/distcfg.mk
 
-# first rsync what's static, and make backups --
+# first rsync what's static, and make backups (*~) --
 # these might signal of file clashes (or plain dirt);
 # then handle two more ways of implementing a feature
-# NB: subprofile can be specified as src/dest
+# NB: some subprofiles will be specified as src/dest
 all:
 	@echo "** starting feature configuration"
-	@if test -n "$(GLOBAL_DEBUG)"; then echo "** requested: $(FEATURES)"; fi
+	@if test -n "$(GLOBAL_DEBUG)"; then \
+		echo "** target subprofiles: $(notdir $(SUBPROFILES))"; \
+		echo "** requested features: $(FEATURES)"; \
+	fi
 	@for dir in $(FEATURES); do \
 		for sub in $(SUBPROFILES); do \
 			dst="$${sub#*/}" && \
 			if test -d "$$dir/$$dst/"; then \
-				if rsync -ab "$$dir/$$dst/" "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst/"; \
+				if rsync -qab "$$dir/$$dst/" \
+					"$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst/"; \
 				then \
 					type -t git >&/dev/null && \
 					pushd "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst/" && \
 					git add . && \
-					git commit -qam "$@/$$dir/$$dst" ||:; \
+					git commit -qam "$$dir feature ($$dst subprofile part)" ||:; \
 					popd; \
 				fi; \
 			fi; \
@@ -36,8 +40,16 @@ all:
 		if test -s "$$dir/generate.mk"; then \
 			$(MAKE) -C "$$dir" -f generate.mk; \
 		fi; \
+		type -t git >&/dev/null && \
+		pushd "$(BUILDDIR)/" && \
+		git add . && \
+		git commit -qam "$$dir feature generation complete" ||:; \
+		popd; \
 	done
+	@find "$(BUILDDIR)/" -name '*~' \
+	| sed "s,$(BUILDDIR)/,** warning: file clash: ," >&2
 
-help:
-	@echo "** available features:"
-	@grep -h '^use/' */config.mk
+# FIXME: drop or fix regarding undefined BUILDDIR being ok
+#help:
+#	@echo "** available features:"
+#	@grep -h '^use/' */config.mk | fmt -sw"$$((COLUMNS>>1))" | column -t
diff --git a/image.in/.gitignore b/image.in/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..751b1d07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/image.in/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+build.log
diff --git a/image.in/scripts.d/00-cleanup b/image.in/scripts.d/00-cleanup
index 431a6c92..a71b290b 100755
--- a/image.in/scripts.d/00-cleanup
+++ b/image.in/scripts.d/00-cleanup
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # TODO: invent some way to remove this inter-subprofile thing
 
-rm -vf $WORKDIR/{squashcfg.mk,initfs}
+rm -vf $WORKDIR/{squashcfg.mk,initfs,.gitignore}
diff --git a/image.in/scripts.d/01-genbasedir b/image.in/scripts.d/01-genbasedir
index 59ec56c4..eeb7ff9e 100755
--- a/image.in/scripts.d/01-genbasedir
+++ b/image.in/scripts.d/01-genbasedir
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/sh
+# FIXME: bring to common style
 
 verbose()
 {
diff --git a/pkg.in/Makefile b/pkg.in/Makefile
index d462ac9b..c4d25f3f 100644
--- a/pkg.in/Makefile
+++ b/pkg.in/Makefile
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ ifndef BUILDDIR
 $(error BUILDDIR not defined)
 endif
 
+# sequential execution, no reason to haste
 all:
 	@for dir in lists groups; do \
 		$(MAKE) -C $$dir; \
diff --git a/pkg.in/groups/Makefile b/pkg.in/groups/Makefile
index 1faae094..dfada64f 100644
--- a/pkg.in/groups/Makefile
+++ b/pkg.in/groups/Makefile
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ all: $(GLOBAL_DEBUG)
 		type -t git >&/dev/null && \
 		cd $(TARGET) && \
 		git add . && \
-		git commit -qam "$(SUFFIX)"; \
+		git commit -qam "requested $(SUFFIX) copied over"; \
 		cd - >&/dev/null; \
 	fi
 
diff --git a/pkg.in/lists/Makefile b/pkg.in/lists/Makefile
index 18c7f4e0..bdb7c01e 100644
--- a/pkg.in/lists/Makefile
+++ b/pkg.in/lists/Makefile
@@ -18,30 +18,36 @@ all: $(TARGET) $(GLOBAL_DEBUG)
 				-- $(value $V))))
 	# construct .base packagelist for alterator-pkg
 	@( \
-		echo "### generated via pkg.in/lists/Makefile" && \
-		echo "### BASE_LISTS" && \
-		cat $(BASE_LISTS) /dev/null && \
-		echo "### branding" && \
-		echo "branding-$(BRANDING)-release" && \
-		echo "### COMMON_PACKAGES" && \
-		echo "$(COMMON_PACKAGES)" && \
-		echo "### BASE_PACKAGES" && \
-		echo "$(BASE_PACKAGES)" \
+		echo "## generated via pkg.in/lists/Makefile"; \
+		[ -n "$(BRANDING)" ] && { \
+			echo "branding-$(BRANDING)-release"; \
+		}; \
+		[ -n "$(BASE_LISTS)" ] && { \
+			echo "### BASE_LISTS"; \
+			cat $(BASE_LISTS); \
+		}; \
+		[ -n "$(COMMON_PACKAGES)" ] && { \
+			echo "## COMMON_PACKAGES"; \
+			echo "$(COMMON_PACKAGES)"; \
+		}; \
+		[ -n "$(BASE_PACKAGES)" ] && { \
+			echo "## BASE_PACKAGES"; \
+			echo "$(BASE_PACKAGES)"; \
+		}; \
 	) | sed -re '/^[^[:space:]#]/ s/[[:space:]]+/\n/g' >$(TARGET)/.base
-	@[ -z $(GROUPS) ] || cp -at $(TARGET) $(GROUPS)
+	@[ -z "$(GROUPS)" ] || cp -at $(TARGET) $(GROUPS)
 	@type -t git >&/dev/null && \
 	cd $(TARGET) && \
 	git add . && \
-	git commit -qam "$(SUFFIX)";
+	git commit -qam "requested $(SUFFIX) copied over" ||:
 
 # do beforehand as foreach gets expanded before recipe execution
 $(TARGET):
 	@mkdir -p $(TARGET)
 
+# figure out *_LISTS variables and print them out nicely
 debug:
-	@$(foreach V, \
+	@echo -e $(foreach V, \
 		$(filter %_LISTS,$(sort $(.VARIABLES))), \
 		$(if $(filter environment% file,$(origin $V)),\
-			$(warning $V=$(value $V))))
-	@echo "** LISTS: -- see above"
-	@echo "** GROUPS: $(GROUPS)"
+			$(shell echo '\\n"**"' $V: $(value $V)))) '\n'
diff --git a/profile.mk b/profile.mk
index 83ef4c4a..4993b5b0 100644
--- a/profile.mk
+++ b/profile.mk
@@ -9,16 +9,16 @@ BUILDDIR := $(shell [ -s build ] \
         || bin/mktmpdir mkimage-profiles.build)
 endif
 
-# holds a postprocessor; shell test executes in particular situation
-# NB: not exported, for toplevel use only
-SHORTEN = $(shell [ "$(DEBUG)" != 2 -a -s build ] \
-	  && echo "| sed 's,$(BUILDDIR),build,'")
-
 # even smart caching only hurts when every build goes from scratch
 NO_CACHE ?= 1
 
 export BUILDDIR NO_CACHE
 
+# holds a postprocessor; shell test executes in particular situation
+# NB: not exported, for toplevel use only
+SHORTEN = $(shell [ "$(DEBUG)" != 2 -a -s build ] \
+	  && echo "| sed 's,$(BUILDDIR),build,'")
+
 # step 1: initialize the off-tree mkimage profile (BUILDDIR)
 profile/init: distclean
 	@echo -n "** initializing BUILDDIR: "
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ profile/init: distclean
 		cd $(BUILDDIR) && \
 		git init -q && \
 		git add . && \
-		git commit -qam 'init'
+		git commit -qam 'distribution profile initialized'
 	@rm -f build && \
 		if [ -w . ]; then \
 			ln -sf "$(BUILDDIR)" build && \
diff --git a/sub.in/Makefile b/sub.in/Makefile
index 562677a3..286133a8 100644
--- a/sub.in/Makefile
+++ b/sub.in/Makefile
@@ -12,19 +12,20 @@ all:
 	@for sub in $(SUBPROFILES); do \
 		src="$${sub%/*}" && \
 		dst="$${sub#*/}" && \
+		neq="$${src#$$dst}" && \
 		rsync -a "$$src/" "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst/" && \
 		type -t git >&/dev/null && \
 		cd "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst/" && \
 		git add . && \
-		git commit -qam "$$sub"; \
+		git commit -qam "$$dst subprofile initialized$${neq:+ (using $$src)}"; \
 		cd - >&/dev/null; \
 	done
 
 clean:
 	@for sub in $(SUBPROFILES); do \
 		dst="${sub#*/}" && \
-		if [ -n "$$dst" ]; then \
-			rm -rf "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst" && \
+		if [ -n "$$dst" -a -n "$(BUILDDIR)" ]; then \
+			rm -r "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst" && \
 			mkdir -p "$(BUILDDIR)/$$dst"; \
 		fi; \
 	done