diff --git a/heed b/heed
index 374bba2..9a6d241 100755
--- a/heed
+++ b/heed
@@ -7,11 +7,10 @@ clear
 echo "╻ ╻┏━╸┏━╸╺┳┓         ┏┓ ╻ ╻┏┓╻╻┏ ┏━╸╻ ╻┏━┓╺┳╸"
 echo "┣━┫┣╸ ┣╸  ┃┃   ╺━╸   ┣┻┓┃ ┃┃┗┫┣┻┓┃  ┣━┫┣━┫ ┃ "
 echo "╹ ╹┗━╸┗━╸╺┻┛         ┗━┛┗━┛╹ ╹╹ ╹┗━╸╹ ╹╹ ╹ ╹ "
-
-echo "#######################################################################"
-echo " Take heed, $USER! This is a group chat with everyone on the server!"
-echo " You can view earlier chat with 'scry'!"
-echo "#######################################################################"
+echo "Take heed, $USER! This is a group chat with everyone on the server!"
+echo "You may post in chat with 'proclaim'!"
+echo "You may view old chat with 'scry'!"
+echo "----------------------------------"
 echo
 
 tail -f $chatlog
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index dc110ee..c82315c 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -1,14 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/sh -e
-# install.sh
+
 installtarget=/usr/local/bin
 chatlogdir=/var/log/bunkchat
 chatlog=chat.log
 
-if ! [ "$(id -u)" = 0 ]; then
-    echo "ERROR: please run install with root permission" >&2
-    exit 1
-fi
-
 chattrfailed() {
     set +e
     rm -rf $chatlogdir
@@ -18,26 +13,38 @@ chattrfailed() {
     exit 1
 }
 
-# do this setup first in case chattr fails
-# mk chat directory and touch file
-mkdir $chatlogdir
-chmod 755 $chatlogdir
+prep() {
+    mkdir -p $chatlogdir
+    chmod 755 $chatlogdir
+    touch ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog}
+    chmod 666 ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog}
+    # if chattr +a not supported on this file system, catch error and clean up
+    chattr +a ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog} || chattrfailed
+}
 
-touch ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog}
-chmod 666 ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog}
-# if chattr +a not supported on this file system catch error and clean up
-chattr +a ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog} || chattrfailed
+install() {
+    cp proclaim heed scry $installtarget
+    chmod 755 ${installtarget}/proclaim
+    chmod 755 ${installtarget}/heed
+    chmod 755 ${installtarget}/scry
+    chown root:root ${installtarget}/proclaim
+    chown root:root ${installtarget}/heed
+    chown root:root ${installtarget}/scry
 
-cp proclaim heed scry $installtarget
+    echo "SUCCESS! bunkchat installed!"
+    exit 0
+}
 
-chmod 755 ${installtarget}/proclaim
-chmod 755 ${installtarget}/heed
-chmod 755 ${installtarget}/scry
+# check for root perms
+if ! [ "$(id -u)" = 0 ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: please run install with root permission" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
 
-chown root:root ${installtarget}/proclaim
-chown root:root ${installtarget}/heed
-chown root:root ${installtarget}/scry
-
-
-echo "SUCCESS! bunkchat installed!"
-exit 0
+# if chat.log exists, skip prep
+if [ -f ${chatlogdir}/${chatlog} ]; then
+    install
+else
+    prep
+    install
+fi
diff --git a/proclaim b/proclaim
index b958e0b..1d09759 100755
--- a/proclaim
+++ b/proclaim
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ do
     echo "┏━┓┏━┓┏━┓┏━╸╻  ┏━┓╻┏┳┓         ┏┓ ╻ ╻┏┓╻╻┏ ┏━╸╻ ╻┏━┓╺┳╸"
     echo "┣━┛┣┳┛┃ ┃┃  ┃  ┣━┫┃┃┃┃   ╺━╸   ┣┻┓┃ ┃┃┗┫┣┻┓┃  ┣━┫┣━┫ ┃ "
     echo "╹  ╹┗╸┗━┛┗━╸┗━╸╹ ╹╹╹ ╹         ┗━┛┗━┛╹ ╹╹ ╹┗━╸╹ ╹╹ ╹ ╹ "
+    echo "You may view current chat with 'heed'!"
     echo "You may view old chat with 'scry'!"
     echo "----------------------------------"
     printf "speak to the server: "