diff --git a/channeld/channeld.c b/channeld/channeld.c
index 6fd127839..5e20d71e7 100644
--- a/channeld/channeld.c
+++ b/channeld/channeld.c
@@ -3652,7 +3652,8 @@ static void handle_dev_memleak(struct peer *peer, const u8 *msg)
 	struct htable *memtable;
 	bool found_leak;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
 
 	/* Now delete peer and things it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, peer);
diff --git a/closingd/closingd.c b/closingd/closingd.c
index d3f0623a3..3528f5d3c 100644
--- a/closingd/closingd.c
+++ b/closingd/closingd.c
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ static void closing_dev_memleak(const tal_t *ctx,
 				u8 *scriptpubkey[NUM_SIDES],
 				const u8 *funding_wscript)
 {
-	struct htable *memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, NULL, NULL);
+	struct htable *memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
 
 	memleak_ptr(memtable, ctx);
 	memleak_ptr(memtable, scriptpubkey[LOCAL]);
diff --git a/common/memleak.c b/common/memleak.c
index 2ad2411e3..a12b32001 100644
--- a/common/memleak.c
+++ b/common/memleak.c
@@ -71,17 +71,13 @@ bool memleak_ptr(struct htable *memtable, const void *p)
 	return htable_del(memtable, hash_ptr(p, NULL), p);
 }
 
-static void children_into_htable(const void *exclude1, const void *exclude2,
-				 struct htable *memtable, const tal_t *p)
+static void children_into_htable(struct htable *memtable, const tal_t *p)
 {
 	const tal_t *i;
 
 	for (i = tal_first(p); i; i = tal_next(i)) {
 		const char *name = tal_name(i);
 
-		if (i == exclude1 || i == exclude2)
-			continue;
-
 		if (name) {
 			/* Don't add backtrace objects. */
 			if (streq(name, "backtrace"))
@@ -108,7 +104,7 @@ static void children_into_htable(const void *exclude1, const void *exclude2,
 				continue;
 		}
 		htable_add(memtable, hash_ptr(i, NULL), i);
-		children_into_htable(exclude1, exclude2, memtable, i);
+		children_into_htable(memtable, i);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -268,6 +264,11 @@ void memleak_add_helper_(const tal_t *p,
 	mh->cb = cb;
 }
 
+void memleak_ignore_children(struct htable *memtable, const void *p)
+{
+	for (const tal_t *i = tal_first(p); i; i = tal_next(i))
+		remove_with_children(memtable, i);
+}
 
 /* Handle allocations marked with helpers or notleak() */
 static void call_memleak_helpers(struct htable *memtable, const tal_t *p)
@@ -297,16 +298,14 @@ static void call_memleak_helpers(struct htable *memtable, const tal_t *p)
 	}
 }
 
-struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx,
-			     const void *exclude1,
-			     const void *exclude2)
+struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx)
 {
 	struct htable *memtable = tal(ctx, struct htable);
 	htable_init(memtable, hash_ptr, NULL);
 
 	if (memleak_track) {
 		/* First, add all pointers off NULL to table. */
-		children_into_htable(exclude1, exclude2, memtable, NULL);
+		children_into_htable(memtable, NULL);
 
 		/* Iterate and call helpers to eliminate hard-to-get references. */
 		call_memleak_helpers(memtable, NULL);
diff --git a/common/memleak.h b/common/memleak.h
index c06014ea0..e28ae53bf 100644
--- a/common/memleak.h
+++ b/common/memleak.h
@@ -67,14 +67,8 @@ void memleak_add_helper_(const tal_t *p, void (*cb)(struct htable *memtable,
 /**
  * memleak_start:  allocate a htable with all tal objects
  * @ctx: the context to allocate the htable from
- * @exclude1: one tal pointer to exclude from adding (if non-NULL)
- * @exclude2: second tal pointer to exclude from adding (if non-NULL)
- *
- * Note that exclude1 and exclude2's tal children are also not added.
  */
-struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx,
-			     const void *exclude1,
-			     const void *exclude2);
+struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx);
 
 /**
  * memleak_ptr: this pointer is not a memleak.
@@ -131,6 +125,16 @@ void memleak_scan_intmap_(struct htable *memtable, const struct intmap *m);
 	memleak_scan_strmap_((memtable), tcon_unwrap(strmap))
 void memleak_scan_strmap_(struct htable *memtable, const struct strmap *m);
 
+/**
+ * memleak_ignore_children - ignore all this tal object's children.
+ * @memtable: the memtable created by memleak_start
+ * @p: the tal pointer.
+ *
+ * This is equivalent to calling memleak_ptr() on every child of @p
+ * recursively.  This is a big hammer, so be careful!
+ */
+void memleak_ignore_children(struct htable *memtable, const void *p);
+
 /**
  * memleak_get: get (and remove) a leak from memtable, or NULL
  * @memtable: the memtable after all known allocations removed.
diff --git a/connectd/connectd.c b/connectd/connectd.c
index 49bd268a1..debe87693 100644
--- a/connectd/connectd.c
+++ b/connectd/connectd.c
@@ -1860,7 +1860,8 @@ static void dev_connect_memleak(struct daemon *daemon, const u8 *msg)
 	struct htable *memtable;
 	bool found_leak;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
 
 	/* Now delete daemon and those which it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, daemon);
diff --git a/gossipd/gossipd.c b/gossipd/gossipd.c
index 9cbbfc21d..1926c440e 100644
--- a/gossipd/gossipd.c
+++ b/gossipd/gossipd.c
@@ -807,8 +807,8 @@ static void dev_gossip_memleak(struct daemon *daemon, const u8 *msg)
 	struct htable *memtable;
 	bool found_leak;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
-
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
 	/* Now delete daemon and those which it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, daemon);
 
diff --git a/hsmd/hsmd.c b/hsmd/hsmd.c
index aae54bedd..9e3991c4e 100644
--- a/hsmd/hsmd.c
+++ b/hsmd/hsmd.c
@@ -555,7 +555,8 @@ static struct io_plan *handle_memleak(struct io_conn *conn,
 	bool found_leak;
 	u8 *reply;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg_in, msg_in);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg_in);
 
 	/* Now note clients and anything they point to. */
 	memleak_scan_region(memtable, dbid_zero_clients, sizeof(dbid_zero_clients));
diff --git a/lightningd/memdump.c b/lightningd/memdump.c
index f279aca8e..4c3884c9e 100644
--- a/lightningd/memdump.c
+++ b/lightningd/memdump.c
@@ -143,7 +143,11 @@ static void finish_report(const struct leak_detect *leaks)
 	ld = cmd->ld;
 
 	/* Enter everything, except this cmd and its jcon */
-	memtable = memleak_start(cmd, cmd, cmd->jcon);
+	memtable = memleak_start(cmd);
+
+	/* This command is not a leak! */
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, cmd);
+	memleak_ignore_children(memtable, cmd);
 
 	/* First delete known false positives. */
 	memleak_scan_htable(memtable, &ld->topology->txwatches.raw);
diff --git a/onchaind/onchaind.c b/onchaind/onchaind.c
index 3f75dac9f..937235cd7 100644
--- a/onchaind/onchaind.c
+++ b/onchaind/onchaind.c
@@ -2101,7 +2101,9 @@ static bool handle_dev_memleak(struct tracked_output **outs, const u8 *msg)
 	if (!fromwire_onchaind_dev_memleak(msg))
 		return false;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
+
 	/* Top-level context is parent of outs */
 	memleak_remove_globals(memtable, tal_parent(outs));
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, outs);
diff --git a/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate-bug.c b/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate-bug.c
index 8423e972e..34917cb3a 100644
--- a/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate-bug.c
+++ b/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate-bug.c
@@ -324,9 +324,7 @@ void memleak_scan_obj(struct htable *memtable UNNEEDED, const void *obj UNNEEDED
 void memleak_scan_region(struct htable *memtable UNNEEDED, const void *p UNNEEDED, size_t len UNNEEDED)
 { fprintf(stderr, "memleak_scan_region called!\n"); abort(); }
 /* Generated stub for memleak_start */
-struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx UNNEEDED,
-			     const void *exclude1 UNNEEDED,
-			     const void *exclude2 UNNEEDED)
+struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx UNNEEDED)
 { fprintf(stderr, "memleak_start called!\n"); abort(); }
 /* Generated stub for memleak_status_broken */
 void memleak_status_broken(const char *fmt UNNEEDED, ...)
diff --git a/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate.c b/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate.c
index 7e59d8fb2..057ef558c 100644
--- a/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate.c
+++ b/onchaind/test/run-grind_feerate.c
@@ -131,9 +131,7 @@ void master_badmsg(u32 type_expected UNNEEDED, const u8 *msg)
 void memleak_scan_obj(struct htable *memtable UNNEEDED, const void *obj UNNEEDED)
 { fprintf(stderr, "memleak_scan_obj called!\n"); abort(); }
 /* Generated stub for memleak_start */
-struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx UNNEEDED,
-			     const void *exclude1 UNNEEDED,
-			     const void *exclude2 UNNEEDED)
+struct htable *memleak_start(const tal_t *ctx UNNEEDED)
 { fprintf(stderr, "memleak_start called!\n"); abort(); }
 /* Generated stub for new_coin_channel_close */
 struct chain_coin_mvt *new_coin_channel_close(const tal_t *ctx UNNEEDED,
diff --git a/openingd/dualopend.c b/openingd/dualopend.c
index 79a2b29f0..8e747a140 100644
--- a/openingd/dualopend.c
+++ b/openingd/dualopend.c
@@ -890,7 +890,8 @@ static void handle_dev_memleak(struct state *state, const u8 *msg)
 
 	/* Populate a hash table with all our allocations (except msg, which
 	 * is in use right now). */
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
 
 	/* Now delete state and things it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, state);
diff --git a/openingd/openingd.c b/openingd/openingd.c
index 27a84737d..cf3afbefd 100644
--- a/openingd/openingd.c
+++ b/openingd/openingd.c
@@ -1301,7 +1301,8 @@ static void handle_dev_memleak(struct state *state, const u8 *msg)
 
 	/* Populate a hash table with all our allocations (except msg, which
 	 * is in use right now). */
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, msg, msg);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, msg);
 
 	/* Now delete state and things it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, state);
diff --git a/plugins/libplugin.c b/plugins/libplugin.c
index 0d4afafc2..5b2701b81 100644
--- a/plugins/libplugin.c
+++ b/plugins/libplugin.c
@@ -1350,7 +1350,11 @@ static void memleak_check(struct plugin *plugin, struct command *cmd)
 {
 	struct htable *memtable;
 
-	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx, cmd, cmd);
+	memtable = memleak_start(tmpctx);
+
+	/* cmd in use right now */
+	memleak_ptr(memtable, cmd);
+	memleak_ignore_children(memtable, cmd);
 
 	/* Now delete plugin and anything it has pointers to. */
 	memleak_scan_obj(memtable, plugin);