diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/Base.py b/offlineimap/folder/Base.py
index fcea99d..01a6ab5 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/Base.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/Base.py
@@ -208,6 +208,10 @@ class BaseFolder(object):
         If the uid is > 0, the backend should set the uid to this, if it can.
            If it cannot set the uid to that, it will save it anyway.
            It will return the uid assigned in any case.
+
+        Note that savemessage() does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that savemessage is never called in a
+        dryrun mode.
         """
         raise NotImplementedException
 
@@ -220,27 +224,48 @@ class BaseFolder(object):
         raise NotImplementedException
 
     def savemessageflags(self, uid, flags):
-        """Sets the specified message's flags to the given set."""
+        """Sets the specified message's flags to the given set.
+
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         raise NotImplementedException
 
     def addmessageflags(self, uid, flags):
         """Adds the specified flags to the message's flag set.  If a given
         flag is already present, it will not be duplicated.
+
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode.
+
         :param flags: A set() of flags"""
         newflags = self.getmessageflags(uid) | flags
         self.savemessageflags(uid, newflags)
 
     def addmessagesflags(self, uidlist, flags):
+        """
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         for uid in uidlist:
             self.addmessageflags(uid, flags)
 
     def deletemessageflags(self, uid, flags):
         """Removes each flag given from the message's flag set.  If a given
-        flag is already removed, no action will be taken for that flag."""
+        flag is already removed, no action will be taken for that flag.
+
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         newflags = self.getmessageflags(uid) - flags
         self.savemessageflags(uid, newflags)
 
     def deletemessagesflags(self, uidlist, flags):
+        """
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         for uid in uidlist:
             self.deletemessageflags(uid, flags)
 
@@ -345,6 +370,10 @@ class BaseFolder(object):
                               statusfolder.uidexists(uid),
                             self.getmessageuidlist())
         num_to_copy = len(copylist)
+        if num_to_copy and self.repository.account.dryrun:
+            self.ui.info("[DRYRUN] Copy {} messages from {}[{}] to {}".format(
+                    num_to_copy, self, self.repository, dstfolder.repository))
+            return
         for num, uid in enumerate(copylist):
             # bail out on CTRL-C or SIGTERM
             if offlineimap.accounts.Account.abort_NOW_signal.is_set():
@@ -422,11 +451,15 @@ class BaseFolder(object):
 
         for flag, uids in addflaglist.items():
             self.ui.addingflags(uids, flag, dstfolder)
+            if self.repository.account.dryrun:
+                continue #don't actually add in a dryrun
             dstfolder.addmessagesflags(uids, set(flag))
             statusfolder.addmessagesflags(uids, set(flag))
 
         for flag,uids in delflaglist.items():
             self.ui.deletingflags(uids, flag, dstfolder)
+            if self.repository.account.dryrun:
+                continue #don't actually remove in a dryrun
             dstfolder.deletemessagesflags(uids, set(flag))
             statusfolder.deletemessagesflags(uids, set(flag))
                 
diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/IMAP.py b/offlineimap/folder/IMAP.py
index 8b46996..f783d22 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/IMAP.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/IMAP.py
@@ -488,12 +488,16 @@ class IMAPFolder(BaseFolder):
         This function will update the self.messagelist dict to contain
         the new message after sucessfully saving it.
 
+        See folder/Base for details. Note that savemessage() does not
+        check against dryrun settings, so you need to ensure that
+        savemessage is never called in a dryrun mode.
+
         :param rtime: A timestamp to be used as the mail date
         :returns: the UID of the new message as assigned by the server. If the
                   message is saved, but it's UID can not be found, it will
                   return 0. If the message can't be written (folder is
                   read-only for example) it will return -1."""
-        self.ui.debug('imap', 'savemessage: called')
+        self.ui.savemessage('imap', uid, flags, self)
 
         # already have it, just save modified flags
         if uid > 0 and self.uidexists(uid):
@@ -611,7 +615,11 @@ class IMAPFolder(BaseFolder):
         return uid
 
     def savemessageflags(self, uid, flags):
-        """Change a message's flags to `flags`."""
+        """Change a message's flags to `flags`.
+
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         imapobj = self.imapserver.acquireconnection()
         try:
             try:
diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatus.py b/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatus.py
index 7f27768..b3779fd 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatus.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatus.py
@@ -111,6 +111,11 @@ class LocalStatusFolder(BaseFolder):
         return self.messagelist
 
     def savemessage(self, uid, content, flags, rtime):
+        """Writes a new message, with the specified uid.
+
+        See folder/Base for detail. Note that savemessage() does not
+        check against dryrun settings, so you need to ensure that
+        savemessage is never called in a dryrun mode."""
         if uid < 0:
             # We cannot assign a uid.
             return uid
diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatusSQLite.py b/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatusSQLite.py
index dbe3e66..ac67c2f 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatusSQLite.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/LocalStatusSQLite.py
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@ class LocalStatusSQLiteFolder(LocalStatusFolder):
     #        assert False,"getmessageflags() called on non-existing message"
 
     def savemessage(self, uid, content, flags, rtime):
+        """Writes a new message, with the specified uid.
+
+        See folder/Base for detail. Note that savemessage() does not
+        check against dryrun settings, so you need to ensure that
+        savemessage is never called in a dryrun mode."""
         if uid < 0:
             # We cannot assign a uid.
             return uid
diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/Maildir.py b/offlineimap/folder/Maildir.py
index 16745ab..24d943c 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/Maildir.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/Maildir.py
@@ -237,13 +237,18 @@ class MaildirFolder(BaseFolder):
              uid, self._foldermd5, self.infosep, ''.join(sorted(flags)))
         
     def savemessage(self, uid, content, flags, rtime):
+        """Writes a new message, with the specified uid.
+
+        See folder/Base for detail. Note that savemessage() does not
+        check against dryrun settings, so you need to ensure that
+        savemessage is never called in a dryrun mode."""
         # This function only ever saves to tmp/,
         # but it calls savemessageflags() to actually save to cur/ or new/.
-        self.ui.debug('maildir', 'savemessage: called to write with flags %s '
-                      'and content %s' % (repr(flags), repr(content)))
+        self.ui.savemessage('maildir', uid, flags, self)
         if uid < 0:
             # We cannot assign a new uid.
             return uid
+
         if uid in self.messagelist:
             # We already have it, just update flags.
             self.savemessageflags(uid, flags)
@@ -291,8 +296,11 @@ class MaildirFolder(BaseFolder):
         """Sets the specified message's flags to the given set.
 
         This function moves the message to the cur or new subdir,
-        depending on the 'S'een flag."""
+        depending on the 'S'een flag.
 
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         oldfilename = self.messagelist[uid]['filename']
         dir_prefix, filename = os.path.split(oldfilename)
         # If a message has been seen, it goes into 'cur'
diff --git a/offlineimap/folder/UIDMaps.py b/offlineimap/folder/UIDMaps.py
index 99ad2d3..f1c11e4 100644
--- a/offlineimap/folder/UIDMaps.py
+++ b/offlineimap/folder/UIDMaps.py
@@ -184,7 +184,12 @@ class MappedIMAPFolder(IMAPFolder):
         If the uid is > 0, the backend should set the uid to this, if it can.
         If it cannot set the uid to that, it will save it anyway.
         It will return the uid assigned in any case.
+
+        See folder/Base for details. Note that savemessage() does not
+        check against dryrun settings, so you need to ensure that
+        savemessage is never called in a dryrun mode.
         """
+        self.ui.savemessage('imap', uid, flags, self)
         # Mapped UID instances require the source to already have a
         # positive UID, so simply return here.
         if uid < 0:
@@ -217,6 +222,11 @@ class MappedIMAPFolder(IMAPFolder):
         return None
 
     def savemessageflags(self, uid, flags):
+        """
+
+        Note that this function does not check against dryrun settings,
+        so you need to ensure that it is never called in a
+        dryrun mode."""
         self._mb.savemessageflags(self.r2l[uid], flags)
 
     def addmessageflags(self, uid, flags):
diff --git a/offlineimap/ui/UIBase.py b/offlineimap/ui/UIBase.py
index 4ff98c3..32511a4 100644
--- a/offlineimap/ui/UIBase.py
+++ b/offlineimap/ui/UIBase.py
@@ -408,6 +408,11 @@ class UIBase(object):
             if conn: #release any existing IMAP connection
                 repository.imapserver.close()
 
+    def savemessage(self, debugtype, uid, flags, folder):
+        """Output a log line stating that we save a msg"""
+        self.debug(debugtype, "Write mail '%s:%d' with flags %s" %
+                   (folder, uid, repr(flags)))
+
     ################################################## Threads
 
     def getThreadDebugLog(self, thread):