diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 594f7e255d..d22708ad35 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2005-08-22  Wim Taymans  <wim@fluendo.com>
+
+	* gst/gstcaps.c: (gst_static_caps_get), (gst_caps_to_string):
+	Make _static_caps_get() refcounting sane.
+	
+	* gst/gstelement.c: (gst_element_set_state):
+	Add g_return_val_if_fail() to protect against segfaults.
+
 2005-08-22  Stefan Kost  <ensonic@users.sf.net>
 
 	* docs/gst/tmpl/gstevent.sgml:
diff --git a/gst/gstcaps.c b/gst/gstcaps.c
index 6a78b2a4e0..e9f16d5d32 100644
--- a/gst/gstcaps.c
+++ b/gst/gstcaps.c
@@ -347,9 +347,9 @@ gst_caps_unref (GstCaps * caps)
  *
  * Converts a #GstStaticCaps to a #GstCaps.
  *
- * Returns: A pointer to the #GstCaps. Although you do not have a reference on
- * the caps, the core will never drop its references. (The core has two
- * references on the caps so it will be immutable.)
+ * Returns: A pointer to the #GstCaps. Unref after usage. Since the
+ * core holds an additional ref to the returned caps, 
+ * use gst_caps_make_writable() on the returned caps to modify it.
  */
 GstCaps *
 gst_static_caps_get (GstStaticCaps * static_caps)
@@ -372,11 +372,9 @@ gst_static_caps_get (GstStaticCaps * static_caps)
     if (!ret) {
       g_critical ("Could not convert static caps \"%s\"", static_caps->string);
     }
-    /* and now that we return it to the user, keep a ref for ourselves. This
-     * makes the caps immutable... AND INVINCIBLE! WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY MY
-     * IMMUTABLE CAPS STYLE? I AM A CAPS WARRIOR!!! */
-    gst_caps_ref (caps);
   }
+  /* ref the caps, makes it not writable */
+  gst_caps_ref (caps);
 
   return caps;
 }
diff --git a/gst/gstelement.c b/gst/gstelement.c
index 790ec55558..a7bccdd970 100644
--- a/gst/gstelement.c
+++ b/gst/gstelement.c
@@ -1765,6 +1765,7 @@ gst_element_set_state (GstElement * element, GstElementState state)
   GstElementState pending;
   GTimeVal tv;
 
+  g_return_val_if_fail (GST_IS_ELEMENT (element), GST_STATE_FAILURE);
 
   /* get current element state,  need to call the method so that
    * we call the virtual method and subclasses can implement their