diff --git a/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.cpp b/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.cpp
index 43d09b618..882f0eb27 100644
--- a/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.cpp
+++ b/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.cpp
@@ -375,6 +375,48 @@ CRefMgr::getMakeCookieRef( const char* const connName, HostID hid, bool* isDead
     return cinfo;
 }
 
+CidInfo*
+CRefMgr::getMakeCookieRef( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID srcID )
+{
+    CookieRef* cref = NULL;
+    CidInfo* cinfo = NULL;
+    char curCookie[MAX_INVITE_LEN+1];
+    int curLangCode;
+    int nPlayersT = 0;
+    int nAlreadyHere = 0;
+
+    for ( ; ; ) {               /* for: see comment above */
+        char connName[MAX_CONNNAME_LEN+1] = {0};
+        CookieID cid = m_db->FindGame( clientToken, srcID,
+                                       connName, sizeof(connName),
+                                       curCookie, sizeof(curCookie),
+                                       &curLangCode, &nPlayersT, &nAlreadyHere );
+            // &seed );
+        if ( 0 != cid ) {           /* already open */
+            cinfo = m_cidlock->Claim( cid );
+            if ( NULL == cinfo->GetRef() ) {
+                m_cidlock->Relinquish( cinfo, true );
+                continue;
+            }
+        } else if ( nPlayersT == 0 ) { /* wasn't in the DB */
+                /* do nothing; insufficient info to fake it */
+        } else {
+            cinfo = m_cidlock->Claim();
+            if ( !m_db->AddCID( connName, cinfo->GetCid() ) ) {
+                m_cidlock->Relinquish( cinfo, true );
+                continue;
+            }
+            logf( XW_LOGINFO, "%s(): added cid???", __func__ );
+            cref = AddNew( curCookie, connName, cinfo->GetCid(), curLangCode,
+                           nPlayersT, nAlreadyHere );
+            cinfo->SetRef( cref );
+        }
+        break;
+    }
+    logf( XW_LOGINFO, "%s() => %p", __func__, cinfo );
+    return cinfo;
+}
+
 void 
 CRefMgr::RemoveSocketRefs( const AddrInfo* addr )
 {
@@ -722,6 +764,19 @@ SafeCref::SafeCref( const AddrInfo* addr )
     }
 }
 
+SafeCref::SafeCref( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID srcID )
+    : m_cinfo( NULL )
+    , m_mgr( CRefMgr::Get() )
+    , m_isValid( false )
+{
+    CidInfo* cinfo = m_mgr->getMakeCookieRef( clientToken, srcID );
+    if ( NULL != cinfo && NULL != cinfo->GetRef() ) {
+        m_locked = cinfo->GetRef()->Lock();
+        m_cinfo = cinfo;
+        m_isValid = true;
+    }
+}
+
 SafeCref::~SafeCref()
 {
     if ( m_cinfo != NULL ) {
diff --git a/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.h b/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.h
index 809dea796..7694759dd 100644
--- a/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.h
+++ b/xwords4/relay/crefmgr.h
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ class CRefMgr {
                                bool isPublic, bool* isDead );
 
     CidInfo* getMakeCookieRef( const char* const connName, HostID hid, bool* isDead );
+    CidInfo* getMakeCookieRef( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID srcID );
 
     CidInfo* getCookieRef( CookieID cid, bool failOk = false );
     CidInfo* getCookieRef( const AddrInfo* addr );
@@ -182,6 +183,7 @@ class SafeCref {
     SafeCref( const char* const connName, HostID hid );
     SafeCref( CookieID cid, bool failOk = false );
     SafeCref( const AddrInfo* addr );
+    SafeCref( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID srcID );
     /* SafeCref( CookieRef* cref ); */
     ~SafeCref();
 
diff --git a/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.cpp b/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.cpp
index 47f5da3c8..eb55898cd 100644
--- a/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.cpp
+++ b/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.cpp
@@ -185,6 +185,41 @@ DBMgr::FindGame( const char* connName, HostID hid, char* roomBuf, int roomBufLen
     return cid;
 } /* FindGame */
 
+CookieID
+DBMgr::FindGame( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID hid,
+                 char* connNameBuf, int connNameBufLen,
+                 char* roomBuf, int roomBufLen,
+                 int* langP, int* nPlayersTP, int* nPlayersHP )
+{
+    CookieID cid = 0;
+    const char* fmt = "SELECT room, lang, nTotal, nPerDevice[%d], connname FROM "
+        GAMES_TABLE " WHERE tokens[%d] = %d and NOT dead";
+        // " LIMIT 1"
+        ;
+    StrWPF query;
+    query.catf( fmt, hid, hid, clientToken );
+    logf( XW_LOGINFO, "query: %s", query.c_str() );
+
+    PGresult* result = PQexec( getThreadConn(), query.c_str() );
+    assert( 1 >= PQntuples( result ) );
+    if ( 1 == PQntuples( result ) ) {
+        int col = 0;
+        // room
+        snprintf( roomBuf, roomBufLen, "%s", PQgetvalue( result, 0, col++ ) );
+        // lang
+        *langP = atoi( PQgetvalue( result, 0, col++ ) );
+        *nPlayersTP = atoi( PQgetvalue( result, 0, col++ ) );
+        *nPlayersHP = atoi( PQgetvalue( result, 0, col++ ) );
+        snprintf( connNameBuf, connNameBufLen, "%s", PQgetvalue( result, 0, col++ ) );
+        cid = GetCIDImpl(connNameBuf);
+    }
+    PQclear( result );
+
+    logf( XW_LOGINFO, "%s(ct=%d,hid=%d) => %d (connname=%s)", __func__, clientToken,
+          hid, cid, connNameBuf );
+    return cid;
+}
+
 bool
 DBMgr::FindPlayer( DevIDRelay relayID, AddrInfo::ClientToken token, 
                    string& connName, HostID* hidp, unsigned short* seed )
diff --git a/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.h b/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.h
index 643096057..1185b7d7c 100644
--- a/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.h
+++ b/xwords4/relay/dbmgr.h
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ class DBMgr {
     CookieID FindGame( const char* connName, HostID hid, char* cookieBuf, int bufLen,
                        int* langP, int* nPlayersTP, int* nPlayersHP,
                        bool* isDead );
+    CookieID FindGame( const AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken, HostID hid,
+                       char* connNameBuf, int connNameBufLen,
+                       char* cookieBuf, int cookieBufLen,
+                       int* langP, int* nPlayersTP, int* nPlayersHP );
 
     bool FindGameFor( const char* connName, char* cookieBuf, int bufLen,
                       unsigned short seed, HostID hid,
diff --git a/xwords4/relay/xwrelay.cpp b/xwords4/relay/xwrelay.cpp
index d17da9c06..2bfcfc017 100644
--- a/xwords4/relay/xwrelay.cpp
+++ b/xwords4/relay/xwrelay.cpp
@@ -996,13 +996,13 @@ processReconnect( const uint8_t* bufp, int bufLen, const AddrInfo* addr )
 } /* processReconnect */
 
 static bool
-processAck( const uint8_t* bufp, int bufLen, const AddrInfo* addr )
+processAck( const uint8_t* bufp, int bufLen, AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken )
 {
     bool success = false;
     const uint8_t* end = bufp + bufLen;
     HostID srcID;
     if ( getNetByte( &bufp, end, &srcID ) ) {
-        SafeCref scr( addr );
+        SafeCref scr( clientToken, srcID );
         success = scr.HandleAck( srcID );
     }
     return success;
@@ -1092,7 +1092,8 @@ forwardMessage( const uint8_t* buf, int buflen, const AddrInfo* addr )
 } /* forwardMessage */
 
 static bool
-processMessage( const uint8_t* buf, int bufLen, const AddrInfo* addr )
+processMessage( const uint8_t* buf, int bufLen, const AddrInfo* addr,
+                AddrInfo::ClientToken clientToken )
 {
     bool success = false;            /* default is failure */
     XWRELAY_Cmd cmd = *buf;
@@ -1107,7 +1108,11 @@ processMessage( const uint8_t* buf, int bufLen, const AddrInfo* addr )
         success = processReconnect( buf+1, bufLen-1, addr );
         break;
     case XWRELAY_ACK:
-        success = processAck( buf+1, bufLen-1, addr );
+        if ( clientToken != 0 ) {
+            success = processAck( buf+1, bufLen-1, clientToken );
+        } else {
+            logf( XW_LOGERROR, "%s(): null client token", __func__ );
+        }
         break;
     case XWRELAY_GAME_DISCONNECT:
         success = processDisconnect( buf+1, bufLen-1, addr );
@@ -1468,7 +1473,7 @@ handleProxyMsgs( int sock, const AddrInfo* addr, const uint8_t* bufp,
 static void
 game_thread_proc( UdpThreadClosure* utc )
 {
-    if ( !processMessage( utc->buf(), utc->len(), utc->addr() ) ) {
+    if ( !processMessage( utc->buf(), utc->len(), utc->addr(), 0 ) ) {
         XWThreadPool::GetTPool()->CloseSocket( utc->addr() );
     }
 }
@@ -1756,7 +1761,7 @@ handle_udp_packet( UdpThreadClosure* utc )
             clientToken = ntohl( clientToken );
             if ( AddrInfo::NULL_TOKEN != clientToken ) {
                 AddrInfo addr( g_udpsock, clientToken, utc->saddr() );
-                (void)processMessage( ptr, end - ptr, &addr );
+                (void)processMessage( ptr, end - ptr, &addr, clientToken );
             } else {
                 logf( XW_LOGERROR, "%s: dropping packet with token of 0",
                       __func__ );