diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index 2a4fb645ec..896dd82750 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -88,30 +88,41 @@
 				websockets = require('./src/websockets.js'),
 				posts = require('./src/posts.js'),
 				plugins = require('./src/plugins'), // Don't remove this - plugins initializes itself
-				Notifications = require('./src/notifications');
+				Notifications = require('./src/notifications'),
+				Upgrade = require('./src/upgrade');
 
-			websockets.init(SocketIO);
+			Upgrade.check(function(schema_ok) {
+				if (schema_ok || nconf.get('check-schema') === false) {
+					websockets.init(SocketIO);
 
-			global.templates = {};
-			global.translator = translator;
+					global.templates = {};
+					global.translator = translator;
 
-			translator.loadServer();
-			
-			var customTemplates = meta.config['theme:templates'] ? path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', meta.config['theme:id'], meta.config['theme:templates']) : false;
+					translator.loadServer();
 
-			// todo: replace below with read directory code, derp.
-			templates.init([
-				'header', 'footer', 'logout', 'outgoing', 'admin/header', 'admin/footer', 'admin/index',
-				'emails/reset', 'emails/reset_plaintext', 'emails/email_confirm', 'emails/email_confirm_plaintext',
-				'emails/header', 'emails/footer',
+					var customTemplates = meta.config['theme:templates'] ? path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', meta.config['theme:id'], meta.config['theme:templates']) : false;
 
-				'noscript/header', 'noscript/home', 'noscript/category', 'noscript/topic'
-			], customTemplates);
-			
+					// todo: replace below with read directory code, derp.
+					templates.init([
+						'header', 'footer', 'logout', 'outgoing', 'admin/header', 'admin/footer', 'admin/index',
+						'emails/reset', 'emails/reset_plaintext', 'emails/email_confirm', 'emails/email_confirm_plaintext',
+						'emails/header', 'emails/footer',
 
-			templates.ready(webserver.init);
+						'noscript/header', 'noscript/home', 'noscript/category', 'noscript/topic'
+					], customTemplates);
 
-			Notifications.init();
+
+					templates.ready(webserver.init);
+
+					Notifications.init();
+				} else {
+					winston.warn('Your NodeBB schema is out-of-date. Please run the following command to bring your dataset up to spec:');
+					winston.warn('    node app --upgrade');
+					winston.warn('To ignore this error (not recommended):');
+					winston.warn('    node app --no-check-schema')
+					process.exit();
+				}
+			});
 		});
 	} else if (nconf.get('setup') || !fs.existsSync(__dirname + '/config.json')) {
 		// New install, ask setup questions
diff --git a/src/upgrade.js b/src/upgrade.js
index f4040a5886..5dcdbabda3 100644
--- a/src/upgrade.js
+++ b/src/upgrade.js
@@ -1,110 +1,139 @@
+"use strict";
+
 var RDB = require('./redis.js'),
 	async = require('async'),
 	winston = require('winston'),
-	notifications = require('./notifications')
-	Upgrade = {};
+	notifications = require('./notifications'),
+	Upgrade = {},
+
+	schemaDate, thisSchemaDate;
+
+Upgrade.check = function(callback) {
+	var	latestSchema = new Date(2013, 10, 11).getTime();
+
+	RDB.get('schemaDate', function(err, value) {
+		if (parseInt(value, 10) > latestSchema) {
+			callback(true);
+		} else {
+			callback(false);
+		}
+	});
+};
 
 Upgrade.upgrade = function() {
 	winston.info('Beginning Redis database schema update');
 
 	async.series([
 		function(next) {
-			RDB.hget('notifications:1', 'score', function(err, score) {
-				if (score) {
-					async.series([
-						function(next) {
-							RDB.keys('uid:*:notifications:flag', function(err, keys) {
-								if (keys.length > 0) {
-									winston.info('[2013/10/03] Removing deprecated Notification Flags');
-									async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
-										RDB.del(key, next);
-									}, next);
-								} else {
-									winston.info('[2013/10/03] No Notification Flags found. Good.');
-									next();
-								}
-							});
-						},
-						function(next) {
-							winston.info('[2013/10/03] Updating Notifications');
-							RDB.keys('uid:*:notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
-								async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
-									RDB.zrange(key, 0, -1, function(err, nids) {
-										async.each(nids, function(nid, next) {
-											notifications.get(nid, null, function(notif_data) {
-												RDB.zadd(key, notif_data.datetime, nid, next);
-											});
-										}, next);
-									});
-								}, next);
-							});
-						},
-						function(next) {
-							RDB.keys('notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
-								if (keys.length > 0) {
-									winston.info('[2013/10/03] Removing Notification Scores');
-									async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
-										if (key === 'notifications:next_nid') return next();
-										RDB.hdel(key, 'score', next);
-									}, next);
-								} else {
-									winston.info('[2013/10/03] No Notification Scores found. Good.');
-									next();
-								}
-							});
-						}
-					], next);
-				} else {
-					winston.info('[2013/10/03] Updates to Notifications skipped.');
-					next();
-				}
+			RDB.get('schemaDate', function(err, value) {
+				schemaDate = value;
+				next();
 			});
 		},
 		function(next) {
-			RDB.exists('notifications', function(err, exists) {
-				if (!exists) {
-					RDB.keys('notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
-						var	multi = RDB.multi();
+			thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 9, 3).getTime();
+			if (schemaDate < thisSchemaDate) {
+				async.series([
+					function(next) {
+						RDB.keys('uid:*:notifications:flag', function(err, keys) {
+							if (keys.length > 0) {
+								winston.info('[2013/10/03] Removing deprecated Notification Flags');
+								async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
+									RDB.del(key, next);
+								}, next);
+							} else {
+								winston.info('[2013/10/03] No Notification Flags found. Good.');
+								next();
+							}
+						});
+					},
+					function(next) {
+						winston.info('[2013/10/03] Updating Notifications');
+						RDB.keys('uid:*:notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
+							async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
+								RDB.zrange(key, 0, -1, function(err, nids) {
+									async.each(nids, function(nid, next) {
+										notifications.get(nid, null, function(notif_data) {
+											RDB.zadd(key, notif_data.datetime, nid, next);
+										});
+									}, next);
+								});
+							}, next);
+						});
+					},
+					function(next) {
+						RDB.keys('notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
+							if (keys.length > 0) {
+								winston.info('[2013/10/03] Removing Notification Scores');
+								async.each(keys, function(key, next) {
+									if (key === 'notifications:next_nid') {
+										return next();
+									}
 
-						keys = keys.filter(function(key) {
-							if (key === 'notifications:next_nid') {
-								return false;
+									RDB.hdel(key, 'score', next);
+								}, next);
 							} else {
-								return true;
+								winston.info('[2013/10/03] No Notification Scores found. Good.');
+								next();
 							}
-						}).map(function(key) {
-							return key.slice(14);
 						});
+					}
+				], next);
+			} else {
+				winston.info('[2013/10/03] Updates to Notifications skipped.');
+				next();
+			}
+		},
+		function(next) {
+			thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 9, 23).getTime();
+			if (schemaDate < thisSchemaDate) {
+				RDB.keys('notifications:*', function(err, keys) {
+					var	multi = RDB.multi();
 
-						winston.info('[2013/10/23] Adding existing notifications to set');
-						RDB.sadd('notifications', keys, next);
+					keys = keys.filter(function(key) {
+						if (key === 'notifications:next_nid') {
+							return false;
+						} else {
+							return true;
+						}
+					}).map(function(key) {
+						return key.slice(14);
 					});
-				} else {
-					winston.info('[2013/10/23] Updates to Notifications skipped.');
-					next();
-				}
-			});
+
+					winston.info('[2013/10/23] Adding existing notifications to set');
+					RDB.sadd('notifications', keys, next);
+				});
+			} else {
+				winston.info('[2013/10/23] Updates to Notifications skipped.');
+				next();
+			}
 		},
 		function(next) {
-			RDB.hget('config', 'postDelay', function(err, postDelay) {
-				if(parseInt(postDelay, 10) > 150) {
-					RDB.hset('config', 'postDelay', 10, function(err, success) {
-						winston.info('[2013/11/11] Updated postDelay to 10 seconds.');
-						next();
-					});
-				} else {
-					winston.info('[2013/11/11] Update to postDelay skipped.');
+			thisSchemaDate = new Date(2013, 10, 11).getTime();
+			if (schemaDate < thisSchemaDate) {
+				RDB.hset('config', 'postDelay', 10, function(err, success) {
+					winston.info('[2013/11/11] Updated postDelay to 10 seconds.');
 					next();
-				}
-			});
+				});
+			} else {
+				winston.info('[2013/11/11] Update to postDelay skipped.');
+				next();
+			}
 		}
 		// Add new schema updates here
+		// IMPORTANT: REMEMBER TO UPDATE VALUE OF latestSchema IN LINE 12!!!
 	], function(err) {
 		if (!err) {
-			winston.info('Redis schema update complete!');
-			process.exit();
+			RDB.set('schemaDate', thisSchemaDate, function(err) {
+				if (!err) {
+					winston.info('[upgrade] Redis schema update complete!');
+					process.exit();
+				} else {
+					winston.error('[upgrade] Could not update NodeBB schema date!');
+				}
+			});
 		} else {
-			winston.error('Errors were encountered while updating the NodeBB schema: ' + err.message);
+			winston.error('[upgrade] Errors were encountered while updating the NodeBB schema: ' + err.message);
 		}
 	});
 };