diff --git a/cmd/camtool/sync.go b/cmd/camtool/sync.go
index bcf46134e..2472c477e 100644
--- a/cmd/camtool/sync.go
+++ b/cmd/camtool/sync.go
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ type syncCmd struct {
 	verbose   bool
 	all       bool
 	removeSrc bool
+	wipe      bool
 
 	logger *log.Logger
 }
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ func init() {
 
 		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.loop, "loop", false, "Create an associate a new permanode for the uploaded file or directory.")
 		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.verbose, "verbose", false, "Be verbose.")
+		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.wipe, "wipe", false, "If dest is an index, drop it and repopulate it from scratch. NOOP for now.")
 		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.all, "all", false, "Discover all sync destinations configured on the source server and run them.")
 		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.removeSrc, "removesrc", false, "Remove each blob from the source after syncing to the destination; for queue processing.")
 
@@ -283,6 +285,12 @@ func (c *syncCmd) doPass(src, dest, thirdLeg blobserver.Storage) (stats SyncStat
 		return
 	}
 
+	if c.wipe {
+		// TODO(mpl): dest is a client. make it send a "wipe" request?
+		// upon reception its server then wipes itself if it is a wiper.
+		log.Print("Index wiping not yet supported.")
+	}
+
 	go func() {
 		destErr <- enumerateAllBlobs(ctx, dest, destBlobs)
 	}()
diff --git a/pkg/client/client.go b/pkg/client/client.go
index 4e2dce64f..6261207b5 100644
--- a/pkg/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client.go
@@ -347,8 +347,9 @@ func (c *Client) StorageGeneration() (string, error) {
 // SyncInfo holds the data that were acquired with a discovery
 // and that are relevant to a syncHandler.
 type SyncInfo struct {
-	From string
-	To   string
+	From    string
+	To      string
+	ToIndex bool // whether this sync is from a blob storage to an index
 }
 
 // SyncHandlers returns the server's sync handlers "from" and
@@ -640,8 +641,12 @@ func (c *Client) doDiscovery() {
 				c.discoErr = fmt.Errorf("client: invalid %q \"to\" sync; failed to resolve", to)
 				return
 			}
-			c.syncHandlers = append(c.syncHandlers,
-				&SyncInfo{From: ufrom.String(), To: uto.String()})
+			toIndex, _ := vmap["toIndex"].(bool)
+			c.syncHandlers = append(c.syncHandlers, &SyncInfo{
+				From:    ufrom.String(),
+				To:      uto.String(),
+				ToIndex: toIndex,
+			})
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/server/sync.go b/pkg/server/sync.go
index 58aac38db..a9d6b38fb 100644
--- a/pkg/server/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/server/sync.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blob"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/blobserver"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/context"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/index"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/jsonconfig"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/readerutil"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/sorted"
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ type SyncHandler struct {
 	from             blobserver.Storage
 	to               blobserver.BlobReceiver
 	queue            sorted.KeyValue
+	toIndex          bool // whether this sync is from a blob storage to an index
 
 	idle bool // if true, the handler does nothing other than providing the discovery.
 
@@ -123,6 +125,7 @@ func newSyncFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (http.Handler,
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	isToIndex := false
 	fromBs, err := ld.GetStorage(from)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -131,8 +134,13 @@ func newSyncFromConfig(ld blobserver.Loader, conf jsonconfig.Obj) (http.Handler,
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if _, ok := fromBs.(*index.Index); !ok {
+		if _, ok := toBs.(*index.Index); ok {
+			isToIndex = true
+		}
+	}
 
-	sh, err := createSyncHandler(from, to, fromBs, toBs, q)
+	sh, err := createSyncHandler(from, to, fromBs, toBs, q, isToIndex)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -180,7 +188,7 @@ type timestampedError struct {
 
 func createSyncHandler(fromName, toName string,
 	from blobserver.Storage, to blobserver.BlobReceiver,
-	queue sorted.KeyValue) (*SyncHandler, error) {
+	queue sorted.KeyValue, isToIndex bool) (*SyncHandler, error) {
 
 	h := &SyncHandler{
 		copierPoolSize: 3,
@@ -189,6 +197,7 @@ func createSyncHandler(fromName, toName string,
 		fromName:       fromName,
 		toName:         toName,
 		queue:          queue,
+		toIndex:        isToIndex,
 		blobc:          make(chan blob.SizedRef, 8),
 		status:         "not started",
 		blobStatus:     make(map[string]fmt.Stringer),
@@ -209,8 +218,9 @@ func createIdleSyncHandler(fromName, toName string) (*SyncHandler, error) {
 func (sh *SyncHandler) discoveryMap() map[string]interface{} {
 	// TODO(mpl): more status info
 	return map[string]interface{}{
-		"from": sh.fromName,
-		"to":   sh.toName,
+		"from":    sh.fromName,
+		"to":      sh.toName,
+		"toIndex": sh.toIndex,
 	}
 }