diff --git a/src/demon/demon_core.c b/src/demon/demon_core.c
index 82662840..c4a342ae 100644
--- a/src/demon/demon_core.c
+++ b/src/demon/demon_core.c
@@ -223,9 +223,14 @@ dmn_set_trap(Arena *arena, DMN_Trap *trap)
 {
   String8 trap_inst = dmn_get_trap_inst();
   U8 *swap_bytes = push_array(arena, U8, trap_inst.size);
-  dmn_process_read(trap->process, r1u64(trap->vaddr, trap->vaddr + trap_inst.size), swap_bytes);
-  dmn_process_write(trap->process, r1u64(trap->vaddr, trap->vaddr + trap_inst.size), trap_inst.str);
+  B32 good_read = dmn_process_read(trap->process, r1u64(trap->vaddr, trap->vaddr + trap_inst.size), swap_bytes);
+  B32 good_write = 0;
+  if(good_read)
+  {
+    good_write = dmn_process_write(trap->process, r1u64(trap->vaddr, trap->vaddr + trap_inst.size), trap_inst.str);
+  }
   DMN_ActiveTrap *result = push_array(arena, DMN_ActiveTrap, 1);
+  result->good = (good_read && good_write);
   result->trap = trap;
   result->swap_bytes = str8(swap_bytes, trap_inst.size);
   return result;
diff --git a/src/demon/demon_core.h b/src/demon/demon_core.h
index 4df517ca..92874f97 100644
--- a/src/demon/demon_core.h
+++ b/src/demon/demon_core.h
@@ -155,9 +155,10 @@ struct DMN_TrapChunkList
 typedef struct DMN_ActiveTrap DMN_ActiveTrap;
 struct DMN_ActiveTrap
 {
-  DMN_Trap       *trap;
-  String8         swap_bytes;
   DMN_ActiveTrap *next;
+  B32 good;
+  DMN_Trap *trap;
+  String8 swap_bytes;
 };
 
 typedef struct DMN_RunCtrls DMN_RunCtrls;
diff --git a/src/demon/linux/demon_core_linux.c b/src/demon/linux/demon_core_linux.c
index 5ba475a8..193c2554 100644
--- a/src/demon/linux/demon_core_linux.c
+++ b/src/demon/linux/demon_core_linux.c
@@ -2865,9 +2865,12 @@ dmn_ctrl_run(Arena *arena, DMN_CtrlCtx *ctx, DMN_RunCtrls *ctrls)
       DMN_LNX_Process *process = dmn_lnx_process_from_handle(active_trap->trap->process);
       if(!process) { continue; }
       
-      if(!dmn_process_write(active_trap->trap->process, r1u64(active_trap->trap->vaddr, active_trap->trap->vaddr + active_trap->swap_bytes.size), active_trap->swap_bytes.str))
+      if(!dmn_process_write(active_trap->trap->process, r1u64(active_trap->trap->vaddr, active_trap->trap->vaddr + active_trap->swap_bytes.size), active_trap->swap_bytes.str) &&
+         active_trap->good)
       {
-        Assert(0 && "failed to restore original instruction bytes");
+        // TODO(rjf): log an error here? - we wrote the trap successfully, but we did not remove it successfully,
+        // implying a change in address mapping. this is maybe not even a bug, since the address is simply now
+        // unmapped.
       }
     }
   }