diff --git a/sarracenia/__init__.py b/sarracenia/__init__.py
index 6dcefd7a5..3d455a2d3 100755
--- a/sarracenia/__init__.py
+++ b/sarracenia/__init__.py
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ def updatePaths(msg, options, new_dir=None, new_file=None):
                 msg[k] = options.fixed_headers[k]
 
         msg['_deleteOnPost'] |= set([
-            'new_dir', 'new_file', 'new_relPath', 'new_baseUrl', 'new_subtopic', 'post_format'
+            'new_dir', 'new_file', 'new_relPath', 'new_baseUrl', 'new_subtopic', 'subtopic', 'post_format'
         ])
         if new_dir:
             msg['new_dir'] = new_dir
diff --git a/sarracenia/flow/__init__.py b/sarracenia/flow/__init__.py
index 7d8c1a670..ad6f79613 100644
--- a/sarracenia/flow/__init__.py
+++ b/sarracenia/flow/__init__.py
@@ -524,7 +524,7 @@ def run(self):
                             m['_deleteOnPost'] |= set(['old_relPath'])
                             m['relPath'] = m['new_relPath']
                             m['old_subtopic'] = m['subtopic']
-                            m['_deleteOnPost'] |= set(['old_subtopic'])
+                            m['_deleteOnPost'] |= set(['old_subtopic','subtopic'])
                             m['subtopic'] = m['new_subtopic']
 
                         if '_format' in m:
diff --git a/sarracenia/moth/mqtt.py b/sarracenia/moth/mqtt.py
index d0851b87b..22025f1e3 100755
--- a/sarracenia/moth/mqtt.py
+++ b/sarracenia/moth/mqtt.py
@@ -375,13 +375,15 @@ def getSetup(self):
                     self.client.connect( self.o['broker'].url.hostname, port=self.__sslClientSetup(), \
                            clean_start=False, properties=props )
                     self.client.enable_logger(logger)
+                    self.client.loop_start()
+                    ebo=1
                     while (self.connect_in_progress) or (self.subscribe_in_progress > 0):
-                         self.client.loop()
-                         time.sleep(0.1)
+                         logger.info( f"waiting for subscription to be set up. (ebo={ebo})")
+                         time.sleep(0.1*ebo)
                          if self.please_stop:
                               break
-                         logger.info("waiting for subscription to be set up.")
-                    self.client.loop_start()
+                         if ebo < 512 :
+                            ebo *= 2
                     self.connected=True
                     break
                 else: # either 'declare' or 'foreground'
@@ -471,12 +473,15 @@ def putSetup(self):
 
                 self.client.loop_start()
 
+                ebo=1
                 while self.connect_in_progress:
-                     time.sleep(0.1)
+                     logger.info( f"waiting for connection to {self.o['broker']} ebo={ebo}")
+                     time.sleep(0.1*ebo)
                      if self.please_stop:
                           break
-                     logger.info( f"waiting for connection to {self.o['broker']}")
-                     self.client.loop()
+                     if ebo < 512:
+                          ebo *= 2
+                    
 
                 if not self.connect_in_progress:
                     self.connected=True
@@ -672,9 +677,6 @@ def putNewMessage(self,
         # The caller probably doesn't expect the message to get modified by this method, so use a copy of the message
         body = copy.deepcopy(body)
 
-        # The caller probably doesn't expect the message to get modified by this method, so use a copy of the message
-        body = copy.deepcopy(body)
-
         postFormat = body['_format']
 
         if '_deleteOnPost' in body:
@@ -683,7 +685,6 @@ def putNewMessage(self,
             # method to build json and _deleteOnPost would be a guide of what to skip.
             # library for that is jsonfile, but not present in repos so far.
             for k in body['_deleteOnPost']:
-                if k == 'subtopic': continue
                 if k in body:
                     del body[k]
             del body['_deleteOnPost']
@@ -723,7 +724,6 @@ def putNewMessage(self,
             topic = topic.replace('+', '%2B')
 
             del headers['topic']
-            del body['subtopic']
 
             if headers:
                 props.UserProperty=list(map( lambda x :  (x,headers[x]) , headers ))
diff --git a/sarracenia/postformat/v03.py b/sarracenia/postformat/v03.py
index 80dcbd63c..fe6697220 100644
--- a/sarracenia/postformat/v03.py
+++ b/sarracenia/postformat/v03.py
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ def importMine(body, headers, options) -> sarracenia.Message:
        """
         msg = sarracenia.Message()
         msg["_format"] = __name__.split('.')[-1].lower()
+
+
         try:
             msg.copyDict(json.loads(body))
         except Exception as ex:
diff --git a/sarracenia/transfer/file.py b/sarracenia/transfer/file.py
index e534570a8..bc05c49c4 100755
--- a/sarracenia/transfer/file.py
+++ b/sarracenia/transfer/file.py
@@ -376,6 +376,7 @@ def file_truncate(options, msg):
             fp.close()
 
         msg['subtopic'] = msg['relPath'].split(os.sep)[1:-1]
+        msg['_deleteOnPost'] |= set(['subtopic'])
         #msg.set_topic(options.post_topicPrefix,msg.target_relpath)
 
     except: