Index: dbmod.scm
==================================================================
--- dbmod.scm
+++ dbmod.scm
@@ -745,25 +745,25 @@
 		   (if (not (db:repair-db dbdat))
 		       (begin
 			 (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "Failed to rebuild " dbpath ", exiting now.")
 			 (exit)))))
 	       (cons todb slave-dbs))
-     
      0)
    ;; this is the work to be done
    (cond
     ((not fromdb) (debug:print 3 *default-log-port* "WARNING: db:sync-tables called with fromdb missing")
      -1)
     ((not todb)   (debug:print 3 *default-log-port* "WARNING: db:sync-tables called with todb missing")
      -2)
+    ((or (not (file-exists? fromdb))(not (file-exists? todb)))
+     (debug:print-info 0 *default-log-port* "db:sync-tables called but db files do not exist.") 0)
     ((not (sqlite3:database? (db:dbdat-get-db fromdb)))
      (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "db:sync-tables called with fromdb not a database " fromdb)
      -3)
     ((not (sqlite3:database? (db:dbdat-get-db todb)))
      (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "db:sync-tables called with todb not a database " todb)
      -4)
-
     ((not (file-writable? (db:dbdat-get-path todb)))
      (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "db:sync-tables called with todb not a read-only database " todb)
      -5)
     ((not (null? (let ((readonly-slave-dbs
                         (filter

Index: testsmod.scm
==================================================================
--- testsmod.scm
+++ testsmod.scm
@@ -1086,11 +1086,12 @@
 				       #f)))
 		(if (and tcfg cache-file) (hash-table-set! tcfg "have fulldata" #t)) ;; mark this as fully read data
 		(if tcfg (hash-table-set! *testconfigs* test-full-name tcfg))
 		(if (and testexists
 			 cache-file
-			 (file-writable? cache-path)
+			 (and (file-exists? cache-path)
+			      (file-writable? cache-path))
 			 allow-write-cache)
 		    (let ((tpath (conc cache-path "/.testconfig")))
 		      (debug:print-info 1 *default-log-port* "Caching testconfig for " test-name " in " tpath)
                       (if (and tcfg (not (common:in-running-test?)))
                           (configf:write-alist tcfg tpath))))