diff --git a/core/history.go b/core/history.go
index 8e9ca4a15..e30a589c3 100644
--- a/core/history.go
+++ b/core/history.go
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"net/rpc"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-datastore"
-	"github.com/qri-io/dataset/dsfs"
+	"github.com/qri-io/qri/p2p"
 	"github.com/qri-io/qri/repo"
 )
 
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 type HistoryRequests struct {
 	repo repo.Repo
 	cli  *rpc.Client
+	Node *p2p.QriNode
 }
 
 // CoreRequestsName implements the Requets interface
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ func NewHistoryRequests(r repo.Repo, cli *rpc.Client) *HistoryRequests {
 	}
 	return &HistoryRequests{
 		repo: r,
+		cli:  cli,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -48,22 +50,36 @@ func (d *HistoryRequests) Log(params *LogParams, res *[]*repo.DatasetRef) (err e
 		return fmt.Errorf("either path or name is required")
 	}
 
-	if params.Path.String() == "" {
+	ref := &repo.DatasetRef{Peername: params.ListParams.Peername, Name: params.Name, Path: params.Path.String()}
+
+	getRemote := func(err error) error {
+		if d.Node != nil {
+			log, err := d.Node.RequestDatasetLog(ref)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			*res = *log
+			return nil
+		}
+		return err
+	}
+	if ref.Path == "" {
 		path, err := d.repo.GetPath(params.Name)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("error loading path for name: %s", err.Error())
+			err = fmt.Errorf("error loading path from name: %s", err.Error())
+			return getRemote(err)
 		}
-		params.Path = path
+		ref.Path = path.String()
 	}
 
 	log := []*repo.DatasetRef{}
 	limit := params.Limit
-	ref := &repo.DatasetRef{Path: params.Path.String()}
 
 	for {
-		ref.Dataset, err = dsfs.LoadDataset(d.repo.Store(), datastore.NewKey(ref.Path))
+		ref.Dataset, err = d.repo.GetDataset(datastore.NewKey(ref.Path))
 		if err != nil {
-			return err
+			return fmt.Errorf("error adding datasets to log: %s", err.Error())
 		}
 		log = append(log, ref)
 
@@ -71,9 +87,11 @@ func (d *HistoryRequests) Log(params *LogParams, res *[]*repo.DatasetRef) (err e
 		if limit == 0 || ref.Dataset.PreviousPath == "" {
 			break
 		}
-		// TODO - clean this up
-		_, cleaned := dsfs.RefType(ref.Dataset.PreviousPath)
-		ref = &repo.DatasetRef{Path: cleaned}
+
+		ref, err = repo.ParseDatasetRef(ref.Dataset.PreviousPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error adding datasets to log: %s", err.Error())
+		}
 	}
 
 	*res = log
diff --git a/core/history_test.go b/core/history_test.go
index 1bc793be4..5381fd795 100644
--- a/core/history_test.go
+++ b/core/history_test.go
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ func TestHistoryRequestsLog(t *testing.T) {
 		err string
 	}{
 		{&LogParams{}, nil, "either path or name is required"},
-		{&LogParams{Path: datastore.NewKey("/badpath")}, nil, "error loading dataset: error getting file bytes: datastore: key not found"},
-		{&LogParams{Path: path}, []*repo.DatasetRef{&repo.DatasetRef{Path: path.String()}}, ""},
+		{&LogParams{Path: datastore.NewKey("/badpath")}, nil, "error adding datasets to log: datastore: key not found"},
+		{&LogParams{Path: path}, []*repo.DatasetRef{{Path: path.String()}}, ""},
 	}
 
 	req := NewHistoryRequests(mr, nil)
diff --git a/p2p/datasets.go b/p2p/datasets.go
index 41c74e04b..44bee37a8 100644
--- a/p2p/datasets.go
+++ b/p2p/datasets.go
@@ -63,8 +63,6 @@ func (n *QriNode) RequestDatasetInfo(ref *repo.DatasetRef) (*repo.DatasetRef, er
 	return resref, err
 }
 
-// DatasetLogParams encapsulates options for requesting datasets
-
 // RequestDatasetLog gets the log information of Peer's dataset
 func (n *QriNode) RequestDatasetLog(ref *repo.DatasetRef) (*[]*repo.DatasetRef, error) {
 	id, err := n.Repo.Peers().IPFSPeerID(ref.Peername)