diff --git a/db/db.go b/db/db.go
index 958c9c0..254c1da 100644
--- a/db/db.go
+++ b/db/db.go
@@ -66,23 +66,55 @@ func (s *SQL) AddBlob(hash string, length int, isStored bool) error {
 		return errors.Err("not connected")
 	}
 
-	return addBlob(s.conn, hash, length, isStored)
+	_, err := s.insertBlob(hash, length, isStored)
+	return err
 }
 
-func addBlob(e Executor, hash string, length int, isStored bool) error {
+func (s *SQL) insertBlob(hash string, length int, isStored bool) (int64, error) {
 	if length <= 0 {
-		return errors.Err("length must be positive")
+		return 0, errors.Err("length must be positive")
 	}
 
-	err := exec(e,
+	blobID, err := s.exec(
 		"INSERT INTO blob_ (hash, is_stored, length) VALUES (?,?,?) ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE is_stored = (is_stored or VALUES(is_stored))",
 		hash, isStored, length,
 	)
 	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Err(err)
+		return 0, err
 	}
 
-	return nil
+	if blobID == 0 {
+		err = s.conn.QueryRow("SELECT id FROM blob_ WHERE hash = ?", hash).Scan(&blobID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, errors.Err(err)
+		}
+		if blobID == 0 {
+			return 0, errors.Err("blob ID is 0 even after INSERTing and SELECTing")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return blobID, nil
+}
+
+func (s *SQL) insertStream(hash string, sdBlobID int64) (int64, error) {
+	streamID, err := s.exec(
+		"INSERT IGNORE INTO stream (hash, sd_blob_id) VALUES (?,?)",
+		hash, sdBlobID,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, errors.Err(err)
+	}
+
+	if streamID == 0 {
+		err = s.conn.QueryRow("SELECT id FROM stream WHERE sd_blob_id = ?", sdBlobID).Scan(&streamID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, errors.Err(err)
+		}
+		if streamID == 0 {
+			return 0, errors.Err("stream ID is 0 even after INSERTing and SELECTing")
+		}
+	}
+	return streamID, nil
 }
 
 // HasBlob checks if the database contains the blob information.
@@ -157,12 +189,12 @@ func (s *SQL) HasBlobs(hashes []string) (map[string]bool, error) {
 
 // Delete will remove the blob from the db
 func (s *SQL) Delete(hash string) error {
-	err := exec(s.conn, "DELETE FROM stream WHERE sd_hash = ?", hash)
+	_, err := s.exec("DELETE FROM stream WHERE sd_blob_id = (SELECT id FROM blob_ WHERE hash = ?)", hash)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Err(err)
 	}
 
-	err = exec(s.conn, "DELETE FROM blob_ WHERE hash = ?", hash)
+	_, err = s.exec("DELETE FROM blob_ WHERE hash = ?", hash)
 	return errors.Err(err)
 }
 
@@ -214,8 +246,9 @@ func (s *SQL) MissingBlobsForKnownStream(sdHash string) ([]string, error) {
 
 	query := `
 		SELECT b.hash FROM blob_ b
-		INNER JOIN stream_blob sb ON b.hash = sb.blob_hash
-		INNER JOIN stream s ON s.hash = sb.stream_hash AND s.sd_hash = ?
+		INNER JOIN stream_blob sb ON b.id = sb.blob_id
+		INNER JOIN stream s ON s.id = sb.stream_id
+		INNER JOIN blob_ sdb ON sdb.id = s.sd_blob_id AND sdb.hash = ?
 		WHERE b.is_stored = 0
 	`
 	args := []interface{}{sdHash}
@@ -247,27 +280,21 @@ func (s *SQL) MissingBlobsForKnownStream(sdHash string) ([]string, error) {
 	return missingBlobs, errors.Err(err)
 }
 
-// AddSDBlob takes the SD Hash number of blobs and the set of blobs. In a single db tx it inserts the sdblob information
-// into a stream, and inserts the associated blobs' information in the database. If a blob fails the transaction is
-// rolled back and error(s) are returned.
+// AddSDBlob insert the SD blob and all the content blobs. The content blobs are marked as "not stored",
+// but they are tracked so reflector knows what it is missing.
 func (s *SQL) AddSDBlob(sdHash string, sdBlobLength int, sdBlob SdBlob) error {
 	if s.conn == nil {
 		return errors.Err("not connected")
 	}
 
-	// insert sd blob
-	err := addBlob(s.conn, sdHash, sdBlobLength, true)
+	sdBlobID, err := s.insertBlob(sdHash, sdBlobLength, true)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// insert stream
-	err = exec(s.conn,
-		"INSERT IGNORE INTO stream (hash, sd_hash) VALUES (?,?)",
-		sdBlob.StreamHash, sdHash,
-	)
+	streamID, err := s.insertStream(sdBlob.StreamHash, sdBlobID)
 	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Err(err)
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// insert content blobs and connect them to stream
@@ -277,14 +304,14 @@ func (s *SQL) AddSDBlob(sdHash string, sdBlobLength int, sdBlob SdBlob) error {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		err := addBlob(s.conn, contentBlob.BlobHash, contentBlob.Length, false)
+		blobID, err := s.insertBlob(contentBlob.BlobHash, contentBlob.Length, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		err = exec(s.conn,
-			"INSERT IGNORE INTO stream_blob (stream_hash, blob_hash, num) VALUES (?,?,?)",
-			sdBlob.StreamHash, contentBlob.BlobHash, contentBlob.BlobNum,
+		_, err = s.exec(
+			"INSERT IGNORE INTO stream_blob (stream_id, blob_id, num) VALUES (?,?,?)",
+			streamID, blobID, contentBlob.BlobNum,
 		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return errors.Err(err)
@@ -408,53 +435,67 @@ func closeRows(rows *sql.Rows) {
 	}
 }
 
-type Executor interface {
-	Exec(query string, args ...interface{}) (sql.Result, error)
-}
-
-func exec(e Executor, query string, args ...interface{}) error {
+func (s *SQL) exec(query string, args ...interface{}) (int64, error) {
 	logQuery(query, args...)
 	attempt, maxAttempts := 0, 3
-	var err error
 Retry:
 	attempt++
-	_, err = e.Exec(query, args...)
-	if e, ok := err.(*mysql.MySQLError); ok && e.Number == 1205 {
+	result, err := s.conn.Exec(query, args...)
+	if isLockTimeoutError(err) {
 		if attempt <= maxAttempts {
 			//Error 1205: Lock wait timeout exceeded; try restarting transaction
 			goto Retry
 		}
-		err = errors.Prefix("Timed out query "+query, err)
+		err = errors.Prefix("Lock timeout for query "+query, err)
 	}
-	return errors.Err(err)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, errors.Err(err)
+	}
+
+	lastID, err := result.LastInsertId()
+	return lastID, errors.Err(err)
+}
+
+func isLockTimeoutError(err error) bool {
+	e, ok := err.(*mysql.MySQLError)
+	return ok && e != nil && e.Number == 1205
 }
 
 /*  SQL schema
 
 in prod, set tx_isolation to READ-COMMITTED to improve db performance
+make sure you use latin1 or utf8 charset, NOT utf8mb4. that's a waste of space.
+
+todo: could add UNIQUE KEY (stream_hash, num) to stream_blob ...
 
 CREATE TABLE blob_ (
+  id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT UNIQUE,
   hash char(96) NOT NULL,
   is_stored TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
   length bigint(20) unsigned DEFAULT NULL,
-  PRIMARY KEY (hash)
+  PRIMARY KEY (id),
+  UNIQUE KEY blob_hash_idx (hash)
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE stream (
+  id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT UNIQUE,
   hash char(96) NOT NULL,
-  sd_hash char(96) NOT NULL,
-  PRIMARY KEY (hash),
-  KEY sd_hash_idx (sd_hash),
-  FOREIGN KEY (sd_hash) REFERENCES blob_ (hash) ON DELETE RESTRICT ON UPDATE CASCADE
+  sd_blob_id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
+  PRIMARY KEY (id),
+  UNIQUE KEY stream_hash_idx (hash),
+  KEY stream_sd_blob_id_idx (sd_blob_id),
+  FOREIGN KEY (sd_blob_id) REFERENCES blob_ (id) ON DELETE RESTRICT ON UPDATE CASCADE
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE stream_blob (
-  stream_hash char(96) NOT NULL,
-  blob_hash char(96) NOT NULL,
+  stream_id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
+  blob_id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
   num int NOT NULL,
-  PRIMARY KEY (stream_hash, blob_hash),
-  FOREIGN KEY (stream_hash) REFERENCES stream (hash) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE,
-  FOREIGN KEY (blob_hash) REFERENCES blob_ (hash) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE
+  PRIMARY KEY (stream_id, blob_id),
+  KEY stream_blob_blob_id_idx (blob_id),
+  FOREIGN KEY (stream_id) REFERENCES stream (id) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE,
+  FOREIGN KEY (blob_id) REFERENCES blob_ (id) ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE
 );
 
 CREATE TABLE blocked (
@@ -462,6 +503,4 @@ CREATE TABLE blocked (
   PRIMARY KEY (hash)
 );
 
-could add UNIQUE KEY (stream_hash, num) to stream_blob ...
-
 */