diff --git a/base/dataset_prepare.go b/base/dataset_prepare.go
index f1ca63ac9..6ca401212 100644
--- a/base/dataset_prepare.go
+++ b/base/dataset_prepare.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ func PrepareSaveRef(
 		}
 
 		// we have a valid previous reference & an initID, return!
-		log.Debugf("PrepareSaveRef found previous initID=%q", ref.InitID)
+		log.Debugw("PrepareSaveRef found previous initID", "initID", ref.InitID, "path", ref.Path)
 		return ref, false, nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/base/save.go b/base/save.go
index f72cbf73a..9fb55d50b 100644
--- a/base/save.go
+++ b/base/save.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/qri-io/qri/dsref"
 	"github.com/qri-io/qri/profile"
 	"github.com/qri-io/qri/repo"
+	"github.com/qri-io/qri/transform/run"
 )
 
 // SaveSwitches is an alias for the switches that control how saves happen
@@ -19,7 +20,16 @@ type SaveSwitches = dsfs.SaveSwitches
 var ErrNameTaken = fmt.Errorf("name already in use")
 
 // SaveDataset saves a version of the dataset for the given initID at the current path
-func SaveDataset(ctx context.Context, r repo.Repo, writeDest qfs.Filesystem, initID, prevPath string, changes *dataset.Dataset, sw SaveSwitches) (ds *dataset.Dataset, err error) {
+func SaveDataset(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	r repo.Repo,
+	writeDest qfs.Filesystem,
+	initID string,
+	prevPath string,
+	changes *dataset.Dataset,
+	runState *run.State,
+	sw SaveSwitches,
+) (ds *dataset.Dataset, err error) {
 	log.Debugf("SaveDataset initID=%q prevPath=%q", initID, prevPath)
 	var pro *profile.Profile
 	if pro, err = r.Profile(ctx); err != nil {
@@ -103,6 +113,10 @@ func SaveDataset(ctx context.Context, r repo.Repo, writeDest qfs.Filesystem, ini
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// Write the save to logbook
+	if err = r.Logbook().WriteVersionSave(ctx, initID, ds, runState); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	return ds, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/base/test_runner_test.go b/base/test_runner_test.go
index b2cab7a24..93c12a81b 100644
--- a/base/test_runner_test.go
+++ b/base/test_runner_test.go
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func (run *TestRunner) saveDataset(ds *dataset.Dataset, sw SaveSwitches) (dsref.
 		return dsref.Ref{}, err
 	}
 
-	ds, err := SaveDataset(run.Context, run.Repo, run.Repo.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, sw)
+	ds, err := SaveDataset(run.Context, run.Repo, run.Repo.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, nil, sw)
 	if err != nil {
 		return dsref.Ref{}, err
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/test_runner_test.go b/cmd/test_runner_test.go
index efa1afc9a..de4ef26c6 100644
--- a/cmd/test_runner_test.go
+++ b/cmd/test_runner_test.go
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ func (run *TestRunner) AddDatasetToRefstore(t *testing.T, refStr string, ds *dat
 	// No existing commit
 	emptyHeadRef := ""
 
-	if _, err = base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), initID, emptyHeadRef, ds, base.SaveSwitches{}); err != nil {
+	if _, err = base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), initID, emptyHeadRef, ds, nil, base.SaveSwitches{}); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/datasets.go b/lib/datasets.go
index 1d511a28d..d02f3649b 100644
--- a/lib/datasets.go
+++ b/lib/datasets.go
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ func (p *SaveParams) SetNonZeroDefaults() {
 
 // Save adds a history entry, updating a dataset
 func (m *DatasetMethods) Save(ctx context.Context, p *SaveParams) (*dataset.Dataset, error) {
-	log.Debugf("DatasetMethods.Save p=%v", p)
+	log.Debugw("DatasetMethods.Save", "params", p)
 	res := &dataset.Dataset{}
 
 	if m.inst.http != nil {
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ func (m *DatasetMethods) Save(ctx context.Context, p *SaveParams) (*dataset.Data
 		NewName:             p.NewName,
 		Drop:                p.Drop,
 	}
-	savedDs, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, m.inst.repo, writeDest, ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, switches)
+	savedDs, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, m.inst.repo, writeDest, ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, runState, switches)
 	if err != nil {
 		// datasets that are unchanged & have a runState record a record of no-changes
 		// to logbook
@@ -955,11 +955,6 @@ func (m *DatasetMethods) Save(ctx context.Context, p *SaveParams) (*dataset.Data
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	// Write the save to logbook
-	if err = m.inst.logbook.WriteVersionSave(ctx, ref.InitID, savedDs, runState); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
 	success = true
 
 	// TODO (b5) - this should be integrated into base.SaveDataset
diff --git a/lib/datasets_test.go b/lib/datasets_test.go
index 6dd2c3262..2440c1fa9 100644
--- a/lib/datasets_test.go
+++ b/lib/datasets_test.go
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ func TestDatasetRequestsForceSave(t *testing.T) {
 		Force: true,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("expected empty save with flag to not error. got: %s", err.Error())
+		t.Errorf("expected empty save with force flag to not error. got: %q", err.Error())
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/lib.go b/lib/lib.go
index a7d39e6bd..d1e143b4b 100644
--- a/lib/lib.go
+++ b/lib/lib.go
@@ -663,10 +663,11 @@ func NewInstanceFromConfigAndNodeAndBus(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.Config,
 		cancel: cancel,
 		doneCh: make(chan struct{}),
 
-		cfg:     cfg,
-		node:    node,
-		dscache: dc,
-		logbook: r.Logbook(),
+		cfg:       cfg,
+		node:      node,
+		dscache:   dc,
+		logbook:   r.Logbook(),
+		transform: transform.NewService(ctx),
 	}
 
 	inst.stats = stats.New(nil)
diff --git a/lib/lib_test.go b/lib/lib_test.go
index ff3121af3..f17c7e18e 100644
--- a/lib/lib_test.go
+++ b/lib/lib_test.go
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ func saveDataset(ctx context.Context, r repo.Repo, ds *dataset.Dataset, sw base.
 	if err != nil {
 		return dsref.Ref{}, err
 	}
-	res, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, sw)
+	res, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), ref.InitID, ref.Path, ds, nil, sw)
 	if err != nil {
 		return dsref.Ref{}, err
 	}
diff --git a/lib/transform_test.go b/lib/transform_test.go
index 480f64775..03cef6e62 100644
--- a/lib/transform_test.go
+++ b/lib/transform_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func TestApplyTransform(t *testing.T) {
 		BodyPath: "testdata/cities_2/body.csv",
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		t.Error(err)
+		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	// Apply a transformation
diff --git a/logbook/logbook.go b/logbook/logbook.go
index 6800f1bd1..adaaad5f2 100644
--- a/logbook/logbook.go
+++ b/logbook/logbook.go
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ func (book *Book) WriteVersionSave(ctx context.Context, initID string, ds *datas
 		return ErrNoLogbook
 	}
 
-	log.Debugf("WriteVersionSave: %s", initID)
+	log.Debugw("WriteVersionSave", "initID", initID)
 	branchLog, err := book.branchLog(ctx, initID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -610,9 +610,12 @@ func (book *Book) appendTransformRun(blog *BranchLog, rs *run.State) int {
 		Ref:   rs.ID,
 		Name:  fmt.Sprintf("%d", rs.Number),
 
-		Timestamp: rs.StartTime.UnixNano(),
-		Size:      int64(rs.Duration),
-		Note:      string(rs.Status),
+		Size: int64(rs.Duration),
+		Note: string(rs.Status),
+	}
+
+	if rs.StartTime != nil {
+		op.Timestamp = rs.StartTime.UnixNano()
 	}
 
 	blog.Append(op)
@@ -871,10 +874,12 @@ func (book *Book) ResolveRef(ctx context.Context, ref *dsref.Ref) (string, error
 
 	var branchLog *BranchLog
 	if ref.Path == "" {
+		log.Debugw("finding branch log", "initID", initID)
 		branchLog, err = book.branchLog(ctx, initID)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
+		log.Debugw("found branch log", "initID", initID, "size", branchLog.Size(), "latestSavePath", book.latestSavePath(branchLog.l))
 		ref.Path = book.latestSavePath(branchLog.l)
 	}
 
diff --git a/remote/remote_test.go b/remote/remote_test.go
index 75e26fe27..0e0585030 100644
--- a/remote/remote_test.go
+++ b/remote/remote_test.go
@@ -524,7 +524,7 @@ func saveDataset(ctx context.Context, r repo.Repo, peername string, ds *dataset.
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	res, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), initID, headRef, ds, base.SaveSwitches{})
+	res, err := base.SaveDataset(ctx, r, r.Filesystem().DefaultWriteFS(), initID, headRef, ds, nil, base.SaveSwitches{})
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}