diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4fd7598..648e166 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -36,6 +36,23 @@ ecosystem get their act together, you'll need to supply patches to the
 misbehaving packages. See `recipies/cargo/cargo_*.bb` for an example of how to
 do this.
 
+## Cargo
+
+Cargo may not work with the latest rust.
+You can either:
+
+  - use the system cargo:
+
+    CARGO_PROVIDED = "cargo-native"
+    ASSUME_PROVIDED += "${CARGO_PROVIDED}"
+
+  - or have cargo use a rust snapshot
+
+    PACKAGECONFIG_append_pn-cargo-native = " rust-snapshot"
+
+For now, we default to using the 'rust-snapshot' PACKAGECONFIG to avoid lots of
+failures.
+
 ## TODO
 
  - Include downloaded stage0 snapshot in `SRC_URI`
diff --git a/conf/layer.conf b/conf/layer.conf
index 61b3352..d65f443 100644
--- a/conf/layer.conf
+++ b/conf/layer.conf
@@ -7,8 +7,3 @@ BBFILES += "${LAYERDIR}/recipes*/*/*.bb ${LAYERDIR}/recipes*/*/*.bbappend"
 BBFILE_COLLECTIONS += "rust-layer"
 BBFILE_PATTERN_rust-layer := "^${LAYERDIR}/"
 BBFILE_PRIORITY_rust-layer = "7"
-
-# cargo generally doesn't work with the latest rust. Default to using the
-# system's own cargo for cargo-native.
-#CARGO_PROVIDED = "cargo-native"
-#ASSUME_PROVIDED += "${CARGO_PROVIDED}"
diff --git a/recipes/cargo/cargo.inc b/recipes/cargo/cargo.inc
index c0f10c4..da66aec 100644
--- a/recipes/cargo/cargo.inc
+++ b/recipes/cargo/cargo.inc
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ PV .= "+git${SRCPV}"
 S = "${WORKDIR}/git"
 B = "${S}"
 
-PACKAGECONFIG ??= ""
+# PACKAGECONFIG is set in .bb files
 PACKAGECONFIG[rust-snapshot] = "--local-rust-root=${B}/rustc"
 
 do_configure () {
@@ -50,10 +50,6 @@ do_configure () {
 }
 
 do_compile () {
-	# env vars are used by gcc-rs
-	# HOST is set once we have this cargo, but we need to manually
-	# set it for the bootstrap.
-	export HOST="${BUILD_SYS}"
 	oe_cargo_fix_env
 	oe_runmake ARGS="--verbose"
 }
diff --git a/recipes/cargo/cargo_git.bb b/recipes/cargo/cargo_git.bb
index 11c602b..9833488 100644
--- a/recipes/cargo/cargo_git.bb
+++ b/recipes/cargo/cargo_git.bb
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 SRCREV_cargo = "e6abfbb959b363248ee03c731a67d2897dd061ce"
+PACKAGECONFIG ??= "rust-snapshot"
+
 require cargo.inc
 
 SRC_URI += " \
@@ -10,7 +12,10 @@ SRC_URI += " \
 	file://ssh2-rs/0001-Unconditionally-depend-on-openssl-sys.patch;patchdir=../ssh2-rs \
 "
 
-SRCREV_curl-rust = "6f4d66ed0bc5e71a0ea86a37f038f7c9f73dc3ae"
+# 0.1.4
+#SRCREV_curl-rust = "6f4d66ed0bc5e71a0ea86a37f038f7c9f73dc3ae"
+# 0.1.3
+SRCREV_curl-rust = "4517ee606c65bbe03e4ad4f661725eb80e667a69"
 SRCREV_ssh2-rs = "509a8459e466ffa4705a0c686b80ac80b499f5d5"
 SRCREV_FORMAT = "cargo_curl-rust_ssh2-rs"
 EXTRA_OECARGO_PATHS = "\
diff --git a/recipes/rust/rust_0.12.0+git.bb b/recipes/rust/rust_0.12.0+git.bb
index a1b69e2..1e573c9 100644
--- a/recipes/rust/rust_0.12.0+git.bb
+++ b/recipes/rust/rust_0.12.0+git.bb
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 SRCREV = "71123902e17ad339649f33423995eac78da40e3c"
+# pre-ascii reform
+#SRCREV = "0201334439393bed205c1148bed425b80aab8c22"
 require rust-git.inc
 
 SRC_URI_append = "\