diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c7646de..399cb18 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -66,19 +66,19 @@ ot-recorder: recorder.o $(OTR_OBJS)
 ocat: ocat.o $(OTR_OBJS)
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o ocat ocat.o $(OTR_OBJS) $(LIBS)
 
-$(OTR_OBJS): config.mk
+$(OTR_OBJS): config.mk Makefile
 
 recorder.o: recorder.c storage.h util.h Makefile geo.h udata.h json.h http.h gcache.h config.mk hooks.h
-geo.o: geo.h geo.c udata.h Makefile config.mk
-geohash.o: geohash.h geohash.c udata.h Makefile config.mk
+geo.o: geo.h geo.c udata.h
+geohash.o: geohash.h geohash.c udata.h
 base64.o: base64.h base64.c
-gcache.o: gcache.c gcache.h json.h config.mk
-misc.o: misc.c misc.h udata.h Makefile config.mk
-http.o: http.c mongoose.h util.h http.h storage.h config.mk
-util.o: util.c util.h Makefile config.mk
+gcache.o: gcache.c gcache.h json.h
+misc.o: misc.c misc.h udata.h
+http.o: http.c mongoose.h util.h http.h storage.h
+util.o: util.c util.h
 mongoose.o: mongoose.c mongoose.h
-ocat.o: ocat.c storage.h util.h config.mk version.h
-storage.o: storage.c storage.h util.h gcache.h config.mk
+ocat.o: ocat.c storage.h util.h version.h
+storage.o: storage.c storage.h util.h gcache.h
 hooks.o: hooks.c udata.h hooks.h util.h version.h gcache.h
 
 
@@ -93,12 +93,10 @@ mdb/liblmdb.a:
 install: ot-recorder ocat
 	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/bin
 	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/sbin
-	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(STORAGEDEFAULT)/ghash
 	mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(DOCROOT)
 	cp -R docroot/* $(DESTDIR)$(DOCROOT)/
 	install -m 0755 ot-recorder $(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/sbin
 	install -m 0755 ocat $(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/bin
-	$(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/bin/ocat --load=topic2tid < /dev/null
-	$(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/bin/ocat --load=luadb < /dev/null
+	$(DESTDIR)$(INSTALLDIR)/sbin/ot-recorder --initialize
 	# mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)/etc/systemd/system/
 	# install --mode 0644 etc/ot-recorder.service $(DESTDIR)/etc/systemd/system/ot-recorder.service
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c9aa3fe..7e162b4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -230,6 +230,12 @@ Obtain and download the software, either [as a package, if available](https://pa
 
 Type `make` and watch the fun. When that finishes, you should have at least two executable programs called `ot-recorder` which is the _recorder_ proper, and `ocat`. If you want you can install these using `make install`, but this is not necessary: the programs will run from whichever directory you like if you add `--doc-root ./docroot` to the _recorder_ options.
 
+Ensure the LMDB databases are initialized by running the following command which is safe to do, also after an upgrade. (This initialization is non-destructive -- it will not delete any data.)
+
+```
+ot-recorder --initialize
+```
+
 Unless already provided by the package you installed, we recommend you create a shell script with which you hence-force launch the _recorder_. Note that you can have it subscribe to multiple topics, and you can launch sundry instances of the recorder (e.g. for distinct brokers) as long as you ensure:
 
 * that each instance uses a distinct `--storage`
diff --git a/recorder.c b/recorder.c
index 25c315d..78191f9 100644
--- a/recorder.c
+++ b/recorder.c
@@ -741,6 +741,7 @@ void usage(char *prog)
 	printf("  --port		-p     MQTT port (1883)\n");
 	printf("  --logfacility		       syslog facility (local0)\n");
 	printf("  --quiet		       disable printing of messages to stdout\n");
+	printf("  --initialize		       initialize storage\n");
 #ifdef WITH_HTTP
 	printf("  --http-host <host>	       HTTP addr to bind to (localhost)\n");
 	printf("  --http-port <port>	-A     HTTP port (8083); 0 to disable HTTP\n");
@@ -777,7 +778,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	char *luascript = NULL;
 #endif
 	int port = 1883;
-	int rc, i, ch, hosted = FALSE;
+	int rc, i, ch, hosted = FALSE, initialize = FALSE;
 	static struct udata udata, *ud = &udata;
 	struct utsname uts;
 	UT_string *clientid;
@@ -843,6 +844,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			{ "precision",	required_argument,	0, 	5},
 			{ "hosted",	no_argument,		0, 	6},
 			{ "quiet",	no_argument,		0, 	8},
+			{ "initialize",	no_argument,		0, 	9},
 #ifdef WITH_LUA
 			{ "lua-script",	required_argument,	0, 	7},
 #endif
@@ -860,6 +862,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			break;
 
 		switch (ch) {
+			case 9:
+				initialize = TRUE;
+				break;
 			case 8:
 				ud->verbose = FALSE;
 				break;
@@ -929,6 +934,51 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * If requested to, attempt to create ghash storage and
+	 * initialize (non-destructively -- just open for write)
+	 * the LMDB databases.
+	 */
+
+	if (initialize == TRUE) {
+		struct gcache *gt;
+
+		char path[BUFSIZ], *pp;
+		snprintf(path, BUFSIZ, "%s/ghash", STORAGEDIR);
+
+		if (!is_directory(path)) {
+			pp = strdup(path);
+			if (mkpath(pp) < 0) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "Cannot mkdir %s: %s", path, strerror(errno));
+				exit(2);
+			}
+			free(pp);
+
+		}
+
+#ifdef WITH_LMDB
+		if ((gt = gcache_open(path, NULL, FALSE)) == NULL) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "Cannot lmdb-open MainDB\n");
+			exit(2);
+		}
+		gcache_close(gt);
+
+		if ((gt = gcache_open(path, "topic2tid", FALSE)) == NULL) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "Cannot lmdb-open `topic2tid'\n");
+			exit(2);
+		}
+		gcache_close(gt);
+#ifdef WITH_LUA
+		if ((gt = gcache_open(path, "luadb", FALSE)) == NULL) {
+			fprintf(stderr, "Cannot lmdb-open `luadb'\n");
+			exit(2);
+		}
+		gcache_close(gt);
+#endif /* !LUA */
+#endif
+		exit(0);
+	}
+
 	argc -= (optind);
 	argv += (optind);