diff --git a/src/pacman/pacman.h b/src/pacman/pacman.h
index 762e112d..8bb9cb27 100644
--- a/src/pacman/pacman.h
+++ b/src/pacman/pacman.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ int pacman_query(alpm_list_t *targets);
 int pacman_remove(alpm_list_t *targets);
 /* sync.c */
 int pacman_sync(alpm_list_t *targets);
+int sync_prepare_execute(void);
 /* upgrade.c */
 int pacman_upgrade(alpm_list_t *targets);
 
diff --git a/src/pacman/sync.c b/src/pacman/sync.c
index 5e1643e4..42a99020 100644
--- a/src/pacman/sync.c
+++ b/src/pacman/sync.c
@@ -712,9 +712,6 @@ cleanup:
 
 static int sync_trans(alpm_list_t *targets)
 {
-	int retval = 0;
-	alpm_list_t *data = NULL;
-	alpm_list_t *packages = NULL;
 	alpm_list_t *i;
 
 	/* Step 1: create a new transaction... */
@@ -726,8 +723,8 @@ static int sync_trans(alpm_list_t *targets)
 	for(i = targets; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
 		char *targ = alpm_list_getdata(i);
 		if(process_target(targ) == 1) {
-			retval = 1;
-			goto cleanup;
+			trans_release();
+			return 1;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -736,11 +733,19 @@ static int sync_trans(alpm_list_t *targets)
 		alpm_logaction(config->handle, "starting full system upgrade\n");
 		if(alpm_sync_sysupgrade(config->handle, config->op_s_upgrade >= 2) == -1) {
 			pm_fprintf(stderr, ALPM_LOG_ERROR, "%s\n", alpm_strerror(alpm_errno(config->handle)));
-			retval = 1;
-			goto cleanup;
+			trans_release();
+			return 1;
 		}
 	}
 
+	return sync_prepare_execute();
+}
+
+int sync_prepare_execute(void)
+{
+	alpm_list_t *i, *packages, *data = NULL;
+	int retval = 0;
+
 	/* Step 2: "compute" the transaction based on targets and flags */
 	if(alpm_trans_prepare(config->handle, &data) == -1) {
 		enum _alpm_errno_t err = alpm_errno(config->handle);
diff --git a/src/pacman/upgrade.c b/src/pacman/upgrade.c
index a99b1370..e4b2e2bf 100644
--- a/src/pacman/upgrade.c
+++ b/src/pacman/upgrade.c
@@ -41,9 +41,8 @@
  */
 int pacman_upgrade(alpm_list_t *targets)
 {
-	alpm_list_t *i, *data = NULL;
+	alpm_list_t *i;
 	alpm_siglevel_t level = alpm_option_get_default_siglevel(config->handle);
-	int retval = 0;
 
 	if(targets == NULL) {
 		pm_printf(ALPM_LOG_ERROR, _("no targets specified (use -h for help)\n"));
@@ -91,115 +90,8 @@ int pacman_upgrade(alpm_list_t *targets)
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* Step 2: "compute" the transaction based on targets and flags */
-	/* TODO: No, compute nothing. This is stupid. */
-	if(alpm_trans_prepare(config->handle, &data) == -1) {
-		enum _alpm_errno_t err = alpm_errno(config->handle);
-		pm_fprintf(stderr, ALPM_LOG_ERROR, _("failed to prepare transaction (%s)\n"),
-		        alpm_strerror(err));
-		switch(err) {
-			case ALPM_ERR_PKG_INVALID_ARCH:
-				for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
-					char *pkg = alpm_list_getdata(i);
-					printf(_(":: package %s does not have a valid architecture\n"), pkg);
-				}
-				break;
-			case ALPM_ERR_UNSATISFIED_DEPS:
-				for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
-					alpm_depmissing_t *miss = alpm_list_getdata(i);
-					char *depstring = alpm_dep_compute_string(miss->depend);
-
-					/* TODO indicate if the error was a virtual package or not:
-					 *		:: %s: requires %s, provided by %s
-					 */
-					printf(_(":: %s: requires %s\n"), miss->target, depstring);
-					free(depstring);
-				}
-				break;
-			case ALPM_ERR_CONFLICTING_DEPS:
-				for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
-					alpm_conflict_t *conflict = alpm_list_getdata(i);
-					if(strcmp(conflict->package1, conflict->reason) == 0 ||
-							strcmp(conflict->package2, conflict->reason) == 0) {
-						printf(_(":: %s and %s are in conflict\n"),
-								conflict->package1, conflict->package2);
-					} else {
-						printf(_(":: %s and %s are in conflict (%s)\n"),
-								conflict->package1, conflict->package2, conflict->reason);
-					}
-				}
-				break;
-			default:
-				break;
-		}
-		trans_release();
-		FREELIST(data);
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	/* Step 3: perform the installation */
-	alpm_list_t *packages = alpm_trans_get_add(config->handle);
-
-	if(config->print) {
-		print_packages(packages);
-		trans_release();
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	/* print targets and ask user confirmation */
-	if(packages == NULL) { /* we are done */
-		printf(_(" there is nothing to do\n"));
-		trans_release();
-		return retval;
-	}
-	display_targets(alpm_trans_get_remove(config->handle), 0);
-	display_targets(alpm_trans_get_add(config->handle), 1);
-	printf("\n");
-	int confirm = yesno(_("Proceed with installation?"));
-	if(!confirm) {
-		trans_release();
-		return retval;
-	}
-
-	if(alpm_trans_commit(config->handle, &data) == -1) {
-		enum _alpm_errno_t err = alpm_errno(config->handle);
-		pm_fprintf(stderr, ALPM_LOG_ERROR, _("failed to commit transaction (%s)\n"),
-				alpm_strerror(err));
-		switch(err) {
-			case ALPM_ERR_FILE_CONFLICTS:
-				for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
-					alpm_fileconflict_t *conflict = alpm_list_getdata(i);
-					switch(conflict->type) {
-						case ALPM_FILECONFLICT_TARGET:
-							printf(_("%s exists in both '%s' and '%s'\n"),
-									conflict->file, conflict->target, conflict->ctarget);
-							break;
-						case ALPM_FILECONFLICT_FILESYSTEM:
-							printf(_("%s: %s exists in filesystem\n"),
-									conflict->target, conflict->file);
-							break;
-					}
-				}
-				break;
-			case ALPM_ERR_PKG_INVALID:
-			case ALPM_ERR_DLT_INVALID:
-				for(i = data; i; i = alpm_list_next(i)) {
-					char *filename = alpm_list_getdata(i);
-					printf(_("%s is invalid or corrupted\n"), filename);
-				}
-				break;
-			default:
-				break;
-		}
-		FREELIST(data);
-		trans_release();
-		return 1;
-	}
-
-	if(trans_release() == -1) {
-		retval = 1;
-	}
-	return retval;
+	/* now that targets are resolved, we can hand it all off to the sync code */
+	return sync_prepare_execute();
 }
 
 /* vim: set ts=2 sw=2 noet: */