if (tmpret >= 0) {
                // successfully sent and received
                ret = status;  // this is already a dlm_status
+               if (ret == DLM_RECOVERING) {
+                       mlog(ML_ERROR, "%s:%.*s: BUG.  this is a stale lockres "
+                            "no longer owned by %u.  that node is coming back "
+                            "up currently.\n", dlm->name, create.namelen,
+                            create.name, res->owner);
+                       dlm_print_one_lock_resource(res);
+                       BUG();
+               }
        } else {
                mlog_errno(tmpret);
                if (dlm_is_host_down(tmpret)) {
        if (!dlm_grab(dlm))
                return DLM_REJECTED;
 
-       mlog_bug_on_msg(!dlm_domain_fully_joined(dlm),
-                       "Domain %s not fully joined!\n", dlm->name);
-
        name = create->name;
        namelen = create->namelen;
+       status = DLM_RECOVERING;
+       if (!dlm_domain_fully_joined(dlm)) {
+               mlog(ML_ERROR, "Domain %s not fully joined, but node %u is "
+                    "sending a create_lock message for lock %.*s!\n",
+                    dlm->name, create->node_idx, namelen, name);
+               dlm_error(status);
+               goto leave;
+       }
 
        status = DLM_IVBUFLEN;
        if (namelen > DLM_LOCKID_NAME_MAX) {