diff --git a/scripts/fail-cleanup-db.sh b/scripts/fail-cleanup-db.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..66ca12d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fail-cleanup-db.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+#
+# This script removes dangling rows from the database, for example 'trace'
+# entries with a variant_id not mentioned in the 'variants' table, or result
+# rows referencing a nonexistent 'fsppilot' entry.  IOW, this script enforces
+# referential integrity as it would be maintained by foreign key constraints
+# (that can only be used with InnoDB tables).
+#
+
+if [ -z "$1" -o -z "$2" ]
+then
+	echo "usage: $0 dbname resulttable" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+DB=$1
+RESULT=$2
+MYSQL=mysql
+
+function table_exists()
+{
+	N=$(echo "SHOW TABLES LIKE '$1'" | $MYSQL $DB | wc -l)
+	[ $N -gt 0 ]
+	return
+}
+
+if table_exists trace
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in trace ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM trace
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists fsppilot
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in fsppilot ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE p FROM fsppilot p
+LEFT JOIN trace t
+  ON p.variant_id = t.variant_id
+ AND p.instr2 = t.instr2
+ AND p.data_address = t.data_address
+WHERE t.variant_id IS NULL;
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists fspgroup
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in fspgroup ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE g FROM fspgroup g
+LEFT JOIN fsppilot p
+  ON g.pilot_id = p.id
+WHERE p.id IS NULL;
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists $RESULT
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in $RESULT ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE r FROM $RESULT r
+LEFT JOIN fsppilot p
+  ON r.pilot_id = p.id
+WHERE p.id IS NULL;
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists objdump
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in objdump ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM objdump
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists fulltrace
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in fulltrace ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM fulltrace
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists dbg_source
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in dbg_source ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM dbg_source
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists dbg_filename
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in dbg_filename ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM dbg_filename
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+if table_exists dbg_mapping
+then
+	echo -n "removing widowed entries in dbg_mapping ..."
+	echo " "$(
+	$MYSQL $DB <<EOT
+DELETE FROM dbg_mapping
+WHERE variant_id NOT IN
+(SELECT id FROM variant);
+SELECT ROW_COUNT() AS "deleted rows:";
+EOT
+	)
+fi
+
+echo "done.  Consider running \`mysqloptimize $DB' now."