diff --git a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4 b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
index 76bbe3fdbf..1d799708f6 100755
--- a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
+++ b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
@@ -580,7 +580,8 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
                 optparse.make_option("--silent", dest="silent", action="store_true"),
                 optparse.make_option("--detect-labels", dest="detectLabels", action="store_true"),
                 optparse.make_option("--verbose", dest="verbose", action="store_true"),
-                optparse.make_option("--import-local", dest="importIntoRemotes", action="store_false"),
+                optparse.make_option("--import-local", dest="importIntoRemotes", action="store_false",
+                                     help="Import into refs/heads/ , not refs/remotes"),
                 optparse.make_option("--max-changes", dest="maxChanges"),
                 optparse.make_option("--keep-path", dest="keepRepoPath", action='store_true')
         ]
@@ -680,41 +681,22 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
         if not specs:
             return
 
-        data = read_pipe('p4 print %s' % ' '.join(['"%s"' % path
-                                                   for (path, info) in specs]))
+        filedata = p4CmdList('print %s' % ' '.join(['"%s"' % path
+                                                for (path, info) in specs]))
 
-        idx = 0
-        for j in range(0, len(specs)):
-            (pathrev, info) = specs[j]
+        j = 0;
+        contents = {}
+        while filedata[j:]:
+            stat = filedata[j]
+            text = filedata[j+1]
+            j += 2
 
-            assert idx < len(data)
-            if data[idx:idx + len(pathrev)] != pathrev:
-                assert False
-            idx = data.find ('\n', idx)
-            assert idx > 0
-            idx += 1
+            assert stat['code'] == 'stat' and text['code'] == 'text'
+            contents[stat['depotFile']] = text['data']
 
-            start = idx
-
-            end = -1
-            if j < len(specs)-1:
-                (next_pathrev, next_info) = specs[j+1]
-                end = data.find(next_pathrev, start)
-
-                if end < 0:
-                    print 'j'
-                    print 'PATHREV', pathrev, specs[j]
-                    print 'nextpathrev', next_pathrev, specs[j+1]
-                    print 'start', start, len(data)
-                    print 'end', end
-
-                assert end >= 0
-            else:
-                end = len(data)
-
-            info['data'] = data[start:end]
-            idx = end
-        assert idx == len(data)
+        for f in files:
+            assert not f.has_key('data')
+            f['data'] = contents[f['path']]
 
     def commit(self, details, files, branch, branchPrefixes, parent = ""):
         epoch = details["time"]
@@ -1158,8 +1140,12 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
                                                % (p, self.revision)
                                                for p in self.depotPaths])):
 
-                if not info.has_key("change"):
-                    print info
+                if info['code'] == 'error':
+                    sys.stderr.write("p4 returned an error: %s\n"
+                                     % info['data'])
+                    sys.exit(1)
+
+
                 change = int(info["change"])
                 if change > newestRevision:
                     newestRevision = change