diff --git a/xwords4/common/device.c b/xwords4/common/device.c
index 2fc8275ca..42cb442cd 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/device.c
+++ b/xwords4/common/device.c
@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@
 #include "nli.h"
 #include "dbgutil.h"
 
+#ifdef DEBUG
+# define MAGIC_INITED 0x8283413F
+# define ASSERT_MAGIC() XP_ASSERT(dutil->magic == MAGIC_INITED)
+#else
+# define ASSERT_MAGIC()
+#endif
+
+#define LAST_REG_KEY FULL_KEY("device_last_reg")
+#define REG_INTERVAL_SECS 60    /* for now. :-) */
+
 static XWStreamCtxt*
 mkStream( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil )
 {
@@ -584,3 +594,55 @@ dvc_parseMQTTPacket( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe, const XP_UCHAR* topic,
     }
     LOG_RETURN_VOID();
 }
+
+static void
+registerIf( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe )
+{
+    XP_U32 prevNow;
+    XP_U32 len = sizeof(prevNow);
+    const XP_UCHAR* keys[] = { LAST_REG_KEY, NULL };
+    dutil_loadPtr( dutil, xwe, keys, &prevNow, &len );
+
+    XP_U32 now = dutil_getCurSeconds( dutil, xwe );
+    if ( prevNow + REG_INTERVAL_SECS < now ) {
+        XP_LOGFF( "been long enough; trying to register" );
+        cJSON* params = cJSON_CreateObject();
+
+        MQTTDevID myID;
+        dvc_getMQTTDevID( dutil, xwe, &myID );
+        XP_UCHAR tmp[32];
+        formatMQTTDevID( &myID, tmp, VSIZE(tmp) );
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject( params, "devid", tmp );
+
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject( params, "gitrev", GITREV_SHORT );
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject( params, "os", "Linux" );
+        /* // PENDING remove me in favor of SDK_INT */
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject( params, "vers", "DEBUG" );
+        /* params.put( "versI", Build.VERSION.SDK_INT ); */
+        /* params.put( "vrntCode", BuildConfig.VARIANT_CODE ); */
+        /* params.put( "vrntName", BuildConfig.VARIANT_NAME ); */
+#ifdef DEBUG
+        cJSON_AddBoolToObject( params, "dbg", XP_TRUE );
+#endif
+        char* loc = getenv("LANG");
+        cJSON_AddStringToObject( params, "loc", loc );
+        /* params.put( "tmpKey", getTmpKey(mContext) ); */
+        /* params.put( "frstV", Utils.getFirstVersion( mContext ) ); */
+
+        cJSON_AddNumberToObject( params, "myNow", now );
+
+        dutil_sendViaWeb( dutil, xwe, "register", params );
+        cJSON_Delete( params );
+
+        // dutil_storePtr( dutil, xwe, keys, &now, sizeof(now) );
+    }
+} /* registerIf */
+
+void
+dvc_init( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe )
+{
+    LOG_FUNC();
+    XP_ASSERT( 00 == dutil->magic );
+    dutil->magic = MAGIC_INITED;
+    registerIf( dutil, xwe );
+}
diff --git a/xwords4/common/device.h b/xwords4/common/device.h
index 86035f9dd..9abd1a55c 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/device.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/device.h
@@ -59,4 +59,8 @@ void dvc_makeMQTTNoSuchGames( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe,
                               XP_U32 gameID );
 void dvc_parseMQTTPacket( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe, const XP_UCHAR* topic,
                           const XP_U8* buf, XP_U16 len );
+
+/* All platforms need to call this shortly after setting up their XW_DUtilCtxt */
+void dvc_init( XW_DUtilCtxt* dutil, XWEnv xwe );
+
 #endif
diff --git a/xwords4/common/dutil.h b/xwords4/common/dutil.h
index 4f4125f2f..739aa5acc 100644
--- a/xwords4/common/dutil.h
+++ b/xwords4/common/dutil.h
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ struct XW_DUtilCtxt {
     pthread_mutex_t kpMutex;
 #endif
     VTableMgr* vtMgr;
+#ifdef DEBUG
+    XP_U32 magic;
+#endif
     MPSLOT
 };
 
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/Makefile b/xwords4/linux/Makefile
index ce6e74dbf..41a86f5b4 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/Makefile
+++ b/xwords4/linux/Makefile
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ CFLAGS += -g $(GPROFFLAG) -Wall -Wunused-parameter -Wcast-align -Werror -O0
 #CFLAGS += -Os -Werror -Wunused
 endif
 
+CFLAGS += -DGITREV_SHORT="\"$(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD)\""
+
 # Getting ready for gtk 3.x
 CFLAGS += -DGTK_DISABLE_SINGLE_INCLUDES
 CFLAGS += -DGDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED -DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/lindutil.c b/xwords4/linux/lindutil.c
index 2c9b39eea..c43a85f66 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/lindutil.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/lindutil.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <curl/curl.h>
 
 #include "dutil.h"
+#include "device.h"
 #include "mempool.h"
 #include "knownplyr.h"
 #include "lindutil.h"
@@ -96,8 +97,8 @@ linux_dutil_notifyPause( XW_DUtilCtxt* XP_UNUSED(duc), XWEnv XP_UNUSED(xwe),
                          const XP_UCHAR* XP_UNUSED_DBG(name),
                          const XP_UCHAR* XP_UNUSED_DBG(msg) )
 {
-    XP_LOGF( "%s(id=%d, turn=%d, name=%s, typ=%d, %s)", __func__, gameID, pauser,
-             name, pauseTyp, msg );
+    XP_LOGFF( "(id=%d, turn=%d, name=%s, typ=%d, %s)", gameID, pauser,
+              name, pauseTyp, msg );
 }
 
 static XP_Bool
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ linux_dutil_onDupTimerChanged( XW_DUtilCtxt* XP_UNUSED(duc), XWEnv XP_UNUSED(xwe
                                XP_U32 XP_UNUSED_DBG(oldVal),
                                XP_U32 XP_UNUSED_DBG(newVal) )
 {
-    XP_LOGF( "%s(id=%d, oldVal=%d, newVal=%d)", __func__, gameID, oldVal, newVal );
+    XP_LOGFF( "(id=%d, oldVal=%d, newVal=%d)", gameID, oldVal, newVal );
 }
 
 static void
@@ -238,6 +239,7 @@ sendViaThreadProc( void* arg )
     snprintf( url, sizeof(url), "%s://%s/xw4/api/v1/%s", proto,
               params->connInfo.mqtt.hostName, svdp->api );
     curl_easy_setopt( curl, CURLOPT_URL, url );
+    XP_LOGFF( "url: %s", url );
 
     curl_easy_setopt( curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, svdp->pstr );
     curl_easy_setopt( curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDSIZE, -1L );
@@ -449,7 +451,7 @@ linux_dutil_getUserString( XW_DUtilCtxt* XP_UNUSED(uc),
         return "%s: %d points\n";
 
     default:
-        XP_LOGF( "%s(code=%d)", __func__, code );
+        XP_LOGFF( "(code=%d)", code );
         return (XP_UCHAR*)"unknown code";
     }
 } /* linux_dutil_getUserString */
@@ -510,7 +512,7 @@ linux_dutil_loadPtr( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv XP_UNUSED(xwe),
         *lenp = 0;              /* doesn't exist */
     }
 
-    XP_LOGF( "%s(key=%s) => len: %d", __func__, keys[0], *lenp );
+    XP_LOGFF( "(key=%s) => len: %d", keys[0], *lenp );
 }
 
 static void
@@ -536,7 +538,7 @@ linux_dutil_phoneNumbersSame( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv XP_UNUSED(xwe),
     LOG_FUNC();
     XP_USE( duc );
     XP_Bool result = 0 == strcmp( p1, p2 );
-    XP_LOGF( "%s(%s, %s) => %d", __func__, p1, p2, result );
+    XP_LOGFF( "(%s, %s) => %d", p1, p2, result );
     return result;
 }
 #endif
@@ -558,12 +560,12 @@ linux_dutil_deviceRegistered( XW_DUtilCtxt* duc, XWEnv XP_UNUSED(xwe), DevIDType
     LaunchParams* params = (LaunchParams*)duc->closure;
     switch( typ ) {
     case ID_TYPE_NONE: /* error case */
-        XP_LOGF( "%s: id rejected", __func__ );
+        XP_LOGFF( "id rejected" );
         params->lDevID = NULL;
         break;
     case ID_TYPE_RELAY:
         if ( !!params->pDb && 0 < strlen( idRelay ) ) {
-            XP_LOGF( "%s: new id: %s", __func__, idRelay );
+            XP_LOGFF( "new id: %s", idRelay );
             gdb_store( params->pDb, KEY_RDEVID, idRelay );
         }
         break;
diff --git a/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c b/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
index 6fc786927..0e7e69daa 100644
--- a/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
+++ b/xwords4/linux/linuxmain.c
@@ -3371,6 +3371,8 @@ main( int argc, char** argv )
 
         XP_ASSERT( !!mainParams.dbName );
         mainParams.pDb = gdb_open( mainParams.dbName );
+
+        dvc_init( mainParams.dutil, NULL_XWE );
         
         if ( mainParams.useCurses ) {
             /* if ( mainParams.needsNewGame ) { */