diff --git a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4 b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
index 1d799708f6..cc0b7013da 100755
--- a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
+++ b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
@@ -16,40 +16,44 @@ from sets import Set;
 
 verbose = False
 
+def die(msg):
+    if verbose:
+        raise Exception(msg)
+    else:
+        sys.stderr.write(msg + "\n")
+        sys.exit(1)
+
 def write_pipe(c, str):
     if verbose:
-        sys.stderr.write('writing pipe: %s\n' % c)
+        sys.stderr.write('Writing pipe: %s\n' % c)
 
     pipe = os.popen(c, 'w')
     val = pipe.write(str)
     if pipe.close():
-        sys.stderr.write('Command failed: %s' % c)
-        sys.exit(1)
+        die('Command failed: %s' % c)
 
     return val
 
 def read_pipe(c, ignore_error=False):
     if verbose:
-        sys.stderr.write('reading pipe: %s\n' % c)
+        sys.stderr.write('Reading pipe: %s\n' % c)
 
     pipe = os.popen(c, 'rb')
     val = pipe.read()
     if pipe.close() and not ignore_error:
-        sys.stderr.write('Command failed: %s\n' % c)
-        sys.exit(1)
+        die('Command failed: %s' % c)
 
     return val
 
 
 def read_pipe_lines(c):
     if verbose:
-        sys.stderr.write('reading pipe: %s\n' % c)
+        sys.stderr.write('Reading pipe: %s\n' % c)
     ## todo: check return status
     pipe = os.popen(c, 'rb')
     val = pipe.readlines()
     if pipe.close():
-        sys.stderr.write('Command failed: %s\n' % c)
-        sys.exit(1)
+        die('Command failed: %s' % c)
 
     return val
 
@@ -105,10 +109,6 @@ def p4Where(depotPath):
         clientPath = clientPath[:-3]
     return clientPath
 
-def die(msg):
-    sys.stderr.write(msg + "\n")
-    sys.exit(1)
-
 def currentGitBranch():
     return read_pipe("git name-rev HEAD").split(" ")[1].strip()
 
@@ -583,7 +583,8 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
                 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')
+                optparse.make_option("--keep-path", dest="keepRepoPath", action='store_true',
+                                     help="Keep entire BRANCH/DIR/SUBDIR prefix during import")
         ]
         self.description = """Imports from Perforce into a git repository.\n
     example:
@@ -876,10 +877,14 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
         if self.verbose:
             print "Label changes: %s" % self.labels.keys()
 
+    def guessProjectName(self):
+        for p in self.depotPaths:
+            return p [p.strip().rfind("/") + 1:]
+
     def getBranchMapping(self):
 
         ## FIXME - what's a P4 projectName ?
-        self.projectName = self.depotPath[self.depotPath.strip().rfind("/") + 1:]
+        self.projectName = self.guessProjectName()
 
         for info in p4CmdList("branches"):
             details = p4Cmd("branch -o %s" % info["branch"])
@@ -911,9 +916,11 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
 
         for line in read_pipe_lines(cmdline):
             line = line.strip()
-            if self.importIntoRemotes and ((not line.startswith("p4/")) or line == "p4/HEAD"):
-                continue
 
+            ## only import to p4/
+            if not line.startswith('p4/'):
+                continue
+            branch = line
             if self.importIntoRemotes:
                 # strip off p4
                 branch = re.sub ("^p4/", "", line)
@@ -923,7 +930,8 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
 
     def createOrUpdateBranchesFromOrigin(self):
         if not self.silent:
-            print "Creating/updating branch(es) in %s based on origin branch(es)" % self.refPrefix
+            print ("Creating/updating branch(es) in %s based on origin branch(es)"
+                   % self.refPrefix)
 
         for line in read_pipe_lines("git rev-parse --symbolic --remotes"):
             line = line.strip()
@@ -998,7 +1006,7 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
             system("git fetch origin")
 
         if len(self.branch) == 0:
-            self.branch = self.refPrefix + "master"
+            self.branch = self.refPrefix + "p4/master"
             if gitBranchExists("refs/heads/p4") and self.importIntoRemotes:
                 system("git update-ref %s refs/heads/p4" % self.branch)
                 system("git branch -D p4");
@@ -1023,6 +1031,7 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
 
             p4Change = 0
             for branch in self.p4BranchesInGit:
+                print self.p4BranchesInGit
                 logMsg =  extractLogMessageFromGitCommit(self.refPrefix + branch)
 
                 settings = extractSettingsGitLog(logMsg)
@@ -1125,7 +1134,7 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
         self.gitStream = importProcess.stdin
         self.gitError = importProcess.stderr
 
-        if len(self.revision) > 0:
+        if self.revision:
             print "Doing initial import of %s from revision %s" % (' '.join(self.depotPaths), self.revision)
 
             details = { "user" : "git perforce import user", "time" : int(time.time()) }
@@ -1183,7 +1192,7 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
                 changes.sort()
             else:
                 if self.verbose:
-                    print "Getting p4 changes for %s...%s" % (`self.depotPaths`,
+                    print "Getting p4 changes for %s...%s" % (', '.join(self.depotPaths),
                                                               self.changeRange)
                 assert self.depotPaths
                 output = read_pipe_lines("p4 changes " + ' '.join (["%s...%s" % (p, self.changeRange)
@@ -1344,7 +1353,7 @@ class P4Clone(P4Sync):
         if not self.cloneDestination:
             self.cloneDestination = self.defaultDestination()
 
-        print "Importing from %s into %s" % (`depotPaths`, self.cloneDestination)
+        print "Importing from %s into %s" % (', '.join(depotPaths), self.cloneDestination)
         os.makedirs(self.cloneDestination)
         os.chdir(self.cloneDestination)
         system("git init")
@@ -1357,6 +1366,7 @@ class P4Clone(P4Sync):
                 system("git checkout -f")
             else:
                 print "Could not detect main branch. No checkout/master branch created."
+
         return True
 
 class HelpFormatter(optparse.IndentedHelpFormatter):