diff --git a/lib/libalpm/add.c b/lib/libalpm/add.c
index 3c832b3e..50405895 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/add.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/add.c
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ int _alpm_add_prepare(pmtrans_t *trans, pmdb_t *db, alpm_list_t **data)
 
 		/* look for unsatisfied dependencies */
 		_alpm_log(PM_LOG_DEBUG, "looking for unsatisfied dependencies\n");
-		lp = alpm_checkdeps(db, 1, NULL, trans->packages);
+		lp = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db), 1, NULL, trans->packages);
 		if(lp != NULL) {
 			if(data) {
 				*data = lp;
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/alpm.h b/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
index cdceaf01..382822cc 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
+++ b/lib/libalpm/alpm.h
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ typedef enum _pmdepmod_t {
 } pmdepmod_t;
 
 int alpm_depcmp(pmpkg_t *pkg, pmdepend_t *dep);
-alpm_list_t *alpm_checkdeps(pmdb_t *db, int reversedeps,
+alpm_list_t *alpm_checkdeps(alpm_list_t *pkglist, int reversedeps,
 		alpm_list_t *remove, alpm_list_t *upgrade);
 alpm_list_t *alpm_deptest(pmdb_t *db, alpm_list_t *targets);
 
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ const char *alpm_miss_get_target(const pmdepmissing_t *miss);
 pmdepend_t *alpm_miss_get_dep(pmdepmissing_t *miss);
 const char *alpm_miss_get_causingpkg(const pmdepmissing_t *miss);
 
-alpm_list_t *alpm_checkdbconflicts(pmdb_t *db_local);
+alpm_list_t *alpm_checkconflicts(alpm_list_t *pkglist);
 
 const char *alpm_conflict_get_package1(pmconflict_t *conflict);
 const char *alpm_conflict_get_package2(pmconflict_t *conflict);
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/conflict.c b/lib/libalpm/conflict.c
index a8bcdd59..cae237cf 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/conflict.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/conflict.c
@@ -219,11 +219,11 @@ alpm_list_t *_alpm_outerconflicts(pmdb_t *db, alpm_list_t *packages)
 
 /** Check the package conflicts in a database
  *
- * @param db_local the database to check
+ * @param pkglist the list of packages to check
  * @return an alpm_list_t of pmconflict_t
  */
-alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_checkdbconflicts(pmdb_t *db_local) {
-	return(_alpm_innerconflicts(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db_local)));
+alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_checkconflicts(alpm_list_t *pkglist) {
+	return(_alpm_innerconflicts(pkglist));
 }
 
 /* Returns a alpm_list_t* of file conflicts.
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/deps.c b/lib/libalpm/deps.c
index c667daa2..96c971a2 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/deps.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/deps.c
@@ -229,13 +229,13 @@ alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_deptest(pmdb_t *db, alpm_list_t *targets)
 
 /** Checks dependencies and returns missing ones in a list.
  * Dependencies can include versions with depmod operators.
- * @param db pointer to the local package database
+ * @param pkglist the list of local packages
  * @param reversedeps handles the backward dependencies
  * @param remove an alpm_list_t* of packages to be removed
  * @param upgrade an alpm_list_t* of packages to be upgraded (remove-then-upgrade)
  * @return an alpm_list_t* of pmpkg_t* of missing_t pointers.
  */
-alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_checkdeps(pmdb_t *db, int reversedeps,
+alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_checkdeps(alpm_list_t *pkglist, int reversedeps,
 		alpm_list_t *remove, alpm_list_t *upgrade)
 {
 	alpm_list_t *i, *j;
@@ -245,12 +245,8 @@ alpm_list_t SYMEXPORT *alpm_checkdeps(pmdb_t *db, int reversedeps,
 
 	ALPM_LOG_FUNC;
 
-	if(db == NULL) {
-		return(NULL);
-	}
-
 	targets = alpm_list_join(alpm_list_copy(remove), alpm_list_copy(upgrade));
-	for(i = _alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db); i; i = i->next) {
+	for(i = pkglist; i; i = i->next) {
 		void *pkg = i->data;
 		if(alpm_list_find(targets, pkg, _alpm_pkg_cmp)) {
 			modified = alpm_list_add(modified, pkg);
@@ -572,7 +568,7 @@ int _alpm_resolvedeps(pmdb_t *local, alpm_list_t *dbs_sync, alpm_list_t *list,
 	for(i = list; i; i = i->next) {
 		pmpkg_t *tpkg = i->data;
 		targ = alpm_list_add(NULL, tpkg);
-		deps = alpm_checkdeps(local, 0, remove, targ);
+		deps = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(local), 0, remove, targ);
 		alpm_list_free(targ);
 		for(j = deps; j; j = j->next) {
 			pmdepmissing_t *miss = j->data;
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/remove.c b/lib/libalpm/remove.c
index 864fafaf..f0734902 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/remove.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/remove.c
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ static void remove_prepare_cascade(pmtrans_t *trans, pmdb_t *db,
 		}
 		alpm_list_free_inner(lp, (alpm_list_fn_free)_alpm_depmiss_free);
 		alpm_list_free(lp);
-		lp = alpm_checkdeps(db, 1, trans->packages, NULL);
+		lp = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db), 1, trans->packages, NULL);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static void remove_prepare_keep_needed(pmtrans_t *trans, pmdb_t *db,
 		}
 		alpm_list_free_inner(lp, (alpm_list_fn_free)_alpm_depmiss_free);
 		alpm_list_free(lp);
-		lp = alpm_checkdeps(db, 1, trans->packages, NULL);
+		lp = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db), 1, trans->packages, NULL);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ int _alpm_remove_prepare(pmtrans_t *trans, pmdb_t *db, alpm_list_t **data)
 		EVENT(trans, PM_TRANS_EVT_CHECKDEPS_START, NULL, NULL);
 
 		_alpm_log(PM_LOG_DEBUG, "looking for unsatisfied dependencies\n");
-		lp = alpm_checkdeps(db, 1, trans->packages, NULL);
+		lp = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db), 1, trans->packages, NULL);
 		if(lp != NULL) {
 
 			if(trans->flags & PM_TRANS_FLAG_CASCADE) {
diff --git a/lib/libalpm/sync.c b/lib/libalpm/sync.c
index 22b391bc..96ca6319 100644
--- a/lib/libalpm/sync.c
+++ b/lib/libalpm/sync.c
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ int _alpm_sync_prepare(pmtrans_t *trans, pmdb_t *db_local, alpm_list_t *dbs_sync
 		}
 
 		_alpm_log(PM_LOG_DEBUG, "checking dependencies\n");
-		deps = alpm_checkdeps(db_local, 1, remove, list);
+		deps = alpm_checkdeps(_alpm_db_get_pkgcache(db_local), 1, remove, list);
 		if(deps) {
 			pm_errno = PM_ERR_UNSATISFIED_DEPS;
 			ret = -1;
diff --git a/src/util/testdb.c b/src/util/testdb.c
index 87bfcf96..94f9ad73 100644
--- a/src/util/testdb.c
+++ b/src/util/testdb.c
@@ -135,7 +135,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	/* check dependencies */
 	alpm_list_t *data;
-	data = alpm_checkdeps(db, 0, NULL, alpm_db_getpkgcache(db));
+	alpm_list_t *pkglist = alpm_db_getpkgcache(db);
+	data = alpm_checkdeps(pkglist, 0, NULL, pkglist);
 	for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
 		pmdepmissing_t *miss = alpm_list_getdata(i);
 		pmdepend_t *dep = alpm_miss_get_dep(miss);
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	}
 
 	/* check conflicts */
-	data = alpm_checkdbconflicts(db);
+	data = alpm_checkconflicts(pkglist);
 	for(i = data; i; i = i->next) {
 		pmconflict_t *conflict = alpm_list_getdata(i);
 		printf("%s conflicts with %s\n", alpm_conflict_get_package1(conflict),