diff --git a/msgfmt b/msgfmt
index 4a97cee..042a35f 100755
--- a/msgfmt
+++ b/msgfmt
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ awk -vid="$id" -vurl_root="$url_root" -vcref_errlog="$cref_errlog" '
       # hashcache is cleared before the run, then this is likely to occur for
       # every cref)
       if ( result == "" && cref_errlog && id ) {
-        printf "^" id >cref_errlog
+        printf id >cref_errlog
       }
 
       gsub(/\[cref:.*?\]/, url_root result)
diff --git a/repo2html b/repo2html
index dbee0ff..8534052 100755
--- a/repo2html
+++ b/repo2html
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ listcache=.list
 # considered to be problem refs)
 export cref_errlog=.cref-bad
 >"$cref_errlog"
-grep -f"$cref_errlog_first" "$listcache" \
+grep -f<( sed 's/^/\^/' "$cref_errlog_first" ) "$listcache" \
   | ./processor "$repotype" "$path_out" 2> >( _reout )
 
 # if any invalid crefs remain, then they're bad