diff --git a/doc/design/encryption.mdwn b/doc/design/encryption.mdwn
index 003336dd3e..43d8119e3b 100644
--- a/doc/design/encryption.mdwn
+++ b/doc/design/encryption.mdwn
@@ -20,6 +20,13 @@ unencrypted, differentiate from those as well.)
 
 At a high level, an encryption backend needs to support these operations:
 
+* Create a new encrypted cipher, or update the cipher. Some input
+  parameters will specifiy things like the gpg public keys that
+  can access the cipher.
+
+* Initialize an instance of the encryption backend, that will use a
+  specified encrypted cipher.
+
 * Given a key/value backend key, produce and return an encrypted key.
   
   The same naming scheme git-annex uses for keys in regular key/value 
@@ -32,8 +39,6 @@ At a high level, an encryption backend needs to support these operations:
 * Given a streaming source of encrypted content, decrypt it, and send
   it in a stream to an anction that consumes the decrypted content.
 
-* Initialize itself.
-
 * Clean up.
 
 * Configure an encryption key to use.