diff --git a/doc/forum/How_to_register_arguments_for_an_external_special_remote__63__.mdwn b/doc/forum/How_to_register_arguments_for_an_external_special_remote__63__.mdwn
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+I am investigating how to create special remotes using the library  Lykos153 / AnnexRemote. I have copied [this file](https://github.com/Lykos153/AnnexRemote/blob/master/examples/git-annex-remote-directory) locally, renamed it, set it up as needed, but can not initialise a remote with it. 
+
+I get this:
+
+    git annex initremote foo type=external externaltype=precomp encryption=none folder=/z/old/1111   
+    initremote foo 
+    git-annex: Unexpected parameters: folder
+    failed
+    git-annex: initremote: 1 failed
+
+The order of the arguments make no difference. Do I need to somehow register parameters now, that was not required before? Or something else?
diff --git a/doc/todo/external_backends/comment_13_6e8452f06da80458bb2cccde05cc9813._comment b/doc/todo/external_backends/comment_13_6e8452f06da80458bb2cccde05cc9813._comment
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+++ b/doc/todo/external_backends/comment_13_6e8452f06da80458bb2cccde05cc9813._comment
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+[[!comment format=mdwn
+ username="Ilya_Shlyakhter"
+ avatar="http://cdn.libravatar.org/avatar/1647044369aa7747829c38b9dcc84df0"
+ subject="external backend protocol"
+ date="2020-07-21T17:43:27Z"
+ content="""
+1. What is the advantage of a separate `VERIFYCONTENT` request, vs calling `GENKEY` and comparing the result?
+2. Can the protocol specify that the file passed to `GENKEY` may be a named pipe?  Or, add a `CANPIPE` request where the external backend program tells git-annex that it can take pipes; if the program can't, git-annex can always drain the pipe to a tempfile before passing it to the program.
+3. \"While stderr is connected to the console and so visible to the user, the program should avoid using it\" -- then maybe add `DEBUG` and `INFO` requests as in the [[design/external_special_remote_protocol]]?
+"""]]