diff --git a/clstm.cc b/clstm.cc
index ed39590..4adc348 100644
--- a/clstm.cc
+++ b/clstm.cc
@@ -673,6 +673,34 @@ void average_weights(vector<Network> &networks) {
   distribute_weights(networks);
 }
 
+int n_states(Network net) {
+  int total = 0;
+  walk_states(net, [&](const string &, Sequence *p) {
+    total += p->size() * p->rows() * p->cols();
+  });
+  return total;
+}
+
+bool get_states(Network net, Float *data, int total, int gpu) {
+  int index = 0;
+  walk_states(net, [&](const string &, Sequence *p) {
+    for (int t = 0; t < p->size(); t++)
+      for (int i = 0; i < p->rows(); i++)
+        for (int b = 0; b < p->cols(); b++) data[index++] = (*p)[t].v(i, b);
+  });
+  return total == index;
+}
+
+bool set_states(Network net, const Float *data, int total, int gpu) {
+  int index = 0;
+  walk_states(net, [&](const string &, Sequence *p) {
+    for (int t = 0; t < p->size(); t++)
+      for (int i = 0; i < p->rows(); i++)
+        for (int b = 0; b < p->cols(); b++) (*p)[t].v(i, b) = data[index++];
+  });
+  return total == index;
+}
+
 int n_params(Network net) {
   int total = 0;
   walk_params(net,
@@ -680,7 +708,7 @@ int n_params(Network net) {
   return total;
 }
 
-void share_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
+bool share_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
   int index = 0;
   walk_params(net, [&](const string &, Params *p) {
     int n = p->v.rows();
@@ -688,10 +716,10 @@ void share_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
     p->v.displaceTo(params + index, n, m, gpu);
     index += p->v.total_size();
   });
-  assert(index == total);
+  return index == total;
 }
 
-void set_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
+bool set_params(Network net, const Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
   assert(gpu < 0);
   int index = 0;
   walk_params(net, [&](const string &, Params *p) {
@@ -701,10 +729,10 @@ void set_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
     memcpy(p->v.ptr, params + index, nbytes);
     index += p->v.total_size();
   });
-  assert(index == total);
+  return index == total;
 }
 
-void get_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
+bool get_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
   assert(gpu < 0);
   int index = 0;
   walk_params(net, [&](const string &, Params *p) {
@@ -714,14 +742,15 @@ void get_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
     memcpy(params + index, p->v.ptr, nbytes);
     index += p->v.total_size();
   });
-  assert(index == total);
+  return index == total;
 }
 
-void clear_derivs(Network net) {
+bool clear_derivs(Network net) {
   walk_params(net, [&](const string &, Params *p) { p->d.setZero(); });
+  return true;
 }
 
-void get_derivs(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
+bool get_derivs(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
   assert(gpu < 0);
   int index = 0;
   walk_params(net, [&](const string &, Params *p) {
@@ -731,7 +760,7 @@ void get_derivs(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu) {
     memcpy(params + index, p->d.ptr, nbytes);
     index += p->v.total_size();
   });
-  assert(index == total);
+  return index == total;
 }
 
 }  // namespace ocropus
diff --git a/clstm.h b/clstm.h
index a0c0f59..661ac71 100644
--- a/clstm.h
+++ b/clstm.h
@@ -156,11 +156,14 @@ void network_info(Network net, string prefix = "");
 void network_detail(Network net, string prefix = "");
 
 int n_params(Network net);
-void clear_derivs(Network net);
-void share_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
-void set_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
-void get_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
-void get_derivs(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+bool clear_derivs(Network net);
+bool share_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+bool set_params(Network net, const Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+bool get_params(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+bool get_derivs(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+int n_states(Network net);
+bool set_states(Network net, const Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
+bool get_states(Network net, Float *params, int total, int gpu = -1);
 
 // setting inputs and outputs
 void set_classes(Network net, BatchClasses &classes);
diff --git a/clstmfiltertrain.cc b/clstmfiltertrain.cc
index 0870ba4..a54f97d 100644
--- a/clstmfiltertrain.cc
+++ b/clstmfiltertrain.cc
@@ -120,9 +120,9 @@ int main1(int argc, char **argv) {
       }
       test_error = errors / count;
       double exact_test_error = 1.0 - exact_matches / test_samples.size();
-      print("ERROR", trial, test_error, "   ", errors, count, 
-            "exact_errors", exact_test_error,
-            "lrate", lrate, "momentum", momentum, "nhidden", nhidden);
+      print("ERROR", trial, test_error, "   ", errors, count, "exact_errors",
+            exact_test_error, "lrate", lrate, "momentum", momentum, "nhidden",
+            nhidden);
       if (use_exact) test_error = exact_test_error;
       if (save_every == 0 && test_error < best_error) {
         best_error = test_error;
diff --git a/clstmhl.h b/clstmhl.h
index 35c180a..1df36b0 100644
--- a/clstmhl.h
+++ b/clstmhl.h
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ struct CLSTMText {
     nclasses = net->codec.size();
     iclasses = net->icodec.size();
     int neps = net->attr.get("neps", -1);
-    if (neps<0) cerr << "WARNING: no neps\n";
+    if (neps < 0) cerr << "WARNING: no neps\n";
     return true;
   }
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ struct CLSTMText {
   // exception.
   void save(const std::string &fname) {
     if (!maybe_save(fname)) {
-     THROW("Could not save CLSTMText net to file: " + fname);
+      THROW("Could not save CLSTMText net to file: " + fname);
     }
   }
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ struct CLSTMOCR {
   // exception.
   void save(const std::string &fname) {
     if (!maybe_save(fname)) {
-     THROW("Could not save CLSTMOCR net to file: " + fname);
+      THROW("Could not save CLSTMOCR net to file: " + fname);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/extras.cc b/extras.cc
index 27082fb..b042ced 100644
--- a/extras.cc
+++ b/extras.cc
@@ -295,6 +295,7 @@ INormalizer *make_Normalizer(const string &name) {
   if (name == "mean") return make_MeanNormalizer();
   if (name == "center") return make_CenterNormalizer();
   THROW("unknown normalizer name");
+  return 0;
 }
 
 // PNG I/O (taken from iulib)
diff --git a/tensor.h b/tensor.h
index acf68c1..af90cac 100644
--- a/tensor.h
+++ b/tensor.h
@@ -291,6 +291,7 @@ struct Tensor2 {
       return value;
 #else
       THROW("not compiled for GPU");
+      return 0;
 #endif
     }
   }
diff --git a/test-lstm.cc b/test-lstm.cc
index 2f3c245..5f8a3e9 100644
--- a/test-lstm.cc
+++ b/test-lstm.cc
@@ -111,12 +111,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     print("OK", merr);
   }
   int nparams = n_params(net);
+  assert(nparams > 0);
   print("nparams", nparams);
   vector<float> params(nparams);
   vector<float> backup;
-  get_params(net, &params[0], nparams);
+  assert(get_params(net, &params[0], nparams));
   backup = params;
-  share_params(net, &params[0], nparams);
+  assert(share_params(net, &params[0], nparams));
   double merr2 = test_net(net);
   if (merr2 > 0.1) {
     print("FAILED (params)", merr2);
diff --git a/utils.h b/utils.h
index 792d21e..9eee24c 100644
--- a/utils.h
+++ b/utils.h
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ using std::endl;
 using std::cout;
 using std::cerr;
 
+template <class A>
+inline void die(const A &arg) {
+  cerr << "EXCEPTION (" << arg << ")\n";
+  exit(255);
+}
+
 // get current time down to usec precision as a double
 
 inline double now() {