diff --git a/src/util/log/fd_log.h b/src/util/log/fd_log.h
index 479e0f18299..6310bb176e9 100644
--- a/src/util/log/fd_log.h
+++ b/src/util/log/fd_log.h
@@ -266,6 +266,11 @@
 
 #define FD_TEST_CUSTOM(c,err) do { if( FD_UNLIKELY( !(c) ) ) FD_LOG_ERR(( "FAIL: %s", (err) )); } while(0)
 
+/* FD_TEST_BRK is like FD_TEST but drops into a debugger on failure. */
+
+#define FD_TEST_BRK(c) do { if( FD_UNLIKELY( !(c) ) ) FD_LOG_WARNING(( "FAIL: %s", #c )); __asm__("int $3"); } while(0)
+
+
 /* Macros for doing hexedit / tcpdump-like logging of memory regions.
    E.g.
 
diff --git a/src/util/spad/fd_spad.c b/src/util/spad/fd_spad.c
index 257bc36d2e5..f706b3fd07b 100644
--- a/src/util/spad/fd_spad.c
+++ b/src/util/spad/fd_spad.c
@@ -69,10 +69,17 @@ fd_spad_frame_hi_debug( fd_spad_t * spad ) {
   return SELECT_DEBUG_IMPL(fd_spad_frame_hi)( spad );
 }
 
-void
+fd_spad_debug_state_t
 fd_spad_push_debug( fd_spad_t * spad ) {
+  fd_spad_debug_state_t state;
+  state.frame_free = spad->frame_free;
+  state.mem_used = spad->mem_used;
+  state.spad = spad;
+
   if( FD_UNLIKELY( !fd_spad_frame_free( spad ) ) ) FD_LOG_CRIT(( "too many frames" ));
   SELECT_DEBUG_IMPL(fd_spad_push)( spad );
+
+  return state;
 }
 
 void
@@ -314,3 +321,17 @@ fd_spad_vtable = {
   .malloc = fd_spad_valloc_malloc,
   .free   = fd_spad_valloc_free
 };
+
+void
+fd_spad_private_frame_end_debug( fd_spad_debug_state_t * _spad_state ) {
+  fd_spad_pop( _spad_state->spad );
+
+  if(_spad_state->frame_free != _spad_state->spad->frame_free ) {
+    FD_LOG_WARNING(("%lu != %lu", _spad_state->frame_free, _spad_state->spad->frame_free));
+    FD_TEST_BRK( _spad_state->frame_free == _spad_state->spad->frame_free );
+  }
+  if( _spad_state->mem_used != _spad_state->spad->mem_used ) {
+    FD_LOG_WARNING(("%lu != %lu", _spad_state->mem_used, _spad_state->spad->mem_used));
+    FD_TEST_BRK( _spad_state->mem_used == _spad_state->spad->mem_used );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/util/spad/fd_spad.h b/src/util/spad/fd_spad.h
index 6750107d291..f8ca97ecd4d 100644
--- a/src/util/spad/fd_spad.h
+++ b/src/util/spad/fd_spad.h
@@ -93,6 +93,13 @@ FD_STATIC_ASSERT( FD_SPAD_ALLOC_ALIGN_DEFAULT >= FD_MSAN_ALIGN,
 
 /* spad internals */
 
+struct fd_spad_debug_state {
+  ulong frame_free; /* number of frames free, in [0,FD_SPAD_FRAME_MAX] */
+  ulong mem_used;   /* number of spad memory bytes used, in [0,mem_max] */
+  fd_spad_t *spad;
+};
+typedef struct fd_spad_debug_state fd_spad_debug_state_t;
+
 struct __attribute__((aligned(FD_SPAD_ALIGN))) fd_spad_private {
 
   /* This point is FD_SPAD_ALIGN aligned */
@@ -360,6 +367,19 @@ fd_spad_private_frame_end( fd_spad_t ** _spad ) { /* declared here to avoid a fd
   fd_spad_pop( *_spad );
 }
 
+void fd_spad_private_frame_end_debug( fd_spad_debug_state_t * _spad_state);
+
+#if defined(FD_SPAD_USE_HANDHOLDING)
+
+#define FD_SPAD_FRAME_BEGIN(spad) do {                                            \
+  __attribute__((cleanup(fd_spad_private_frame_end_debug))) fd_spad_debug_state_t _spad_state; \
+  _spad_state = fd_spad_push_debug( spad );                                      \
+  do
+
+#define FD_SPAD_FRAME_END while(0); } while(0)
+
+#else
+
 #define FD_SPAD_FRAME_BEGIN(spad) do {                                            \
   fd_spad_t * _spad __attribute__((cleanup(fd_spad_private_frame_end))) = (spad); \
   fd_spad_push( _spad );                                                          \
@@ -367,6 +387,9 @@ fd_spad_private_frame_end( fd_spad_t ** _spad ) { /* declared here to avoid a fd
 
 #define FD_SPAD_FRAME_END while(0); } while(0)
 
+#endif
+
+
 /* fd_spad_alloc allocates sz bytes with alignment align from spad.
    Returns a pointer in the caller's address space to the first byte of
    the allocation (will be non-NULL with alignment align).  Assumes spad
@@ -492,7 +515,7 @@ void * fd_spad_delete_debug   ( void            * shspad
 ulong  fd_spad_alloc_max_debug( fd_spad_t const * spad, ulong  align            );
 void * fd_spad_frame_lo_debug ( fd_spad_t       * spad                          );
 void * fd_spad_frame_hi_debug ( fd_spad_t       * spad                          );
-void   fd_spad_push_debug     ( fd_spad_t       * spad                          );
+fd_spad_debug_state_t   fd_spad_push_debug     ( fd_spad_t       * spad                          );
 void   fd_spad_pop_debug      ( fd_spad_t       * spad                          );
 void * fd_spad_alloc_check    ( fd_spad_t       * spad, ulong  align, ulong sz  );
 #define fd_spad_alloc_debug fd_spad_alloc_check