diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c49fde2..bec2c5a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "better-try-catch": "^0.6.2",
+    "clone": "^2.1.1",
     "death": "^1.1.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/consumer.mjs b/src/consumer.mjs
index 5265d53..74b2c70 100644
--- a/src/consumer.mjs
+++ b/src/consumer.mjs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { Socket } from 'net'
 import btc from 'better-try-catch'
 import JsonStream from './json-stream'
-import {promisify} from 'util'
 
 import logger from '../../uci-logger/src/logger'
 let log = {}
diff --git a/src/socket.mjs b/src/socket.mjs
index 9d8f2e3..c5d37e1 100644
--- a/src/socket.mjs
+++ b/src/socket.mjs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { unlink as fileDelete } from 'fs'
 import btc from 'better-try-catch'
 import _ON_DEATH from 'death' //this is intentionally ugly
 import JSONStream from './json-stream'
+import clone from 'clone'
 
 import logger from '../../uci-logger/src/logger'
 let log = {}
@@ -84,18 +85,18 @@ export default class Socket extends Server {
         // TODO need to start error listener for stream so errors can be processed
         stream.on('message', messageProcess.bind(this))
         async function messageProcess (packet) {
+          let res = clone(packet)
           // console.log(' incoming packet on socket side',packet)
-          let processed = Object.assign({},await this._packetProcess(packet)) // must make copy in case processed returned passed packet
-          if (Object.keys(processed).length === 0) processed = { error: 'socket packet command function likely did not return a promise', packet:packet}
-          processed._header = packet._header //make sure return packet has header in case it was removed in processing
+          res = clone((await this._packetProcess(res)),false)
+          if (Object.keys(res).length === 0) res = { error: 'socket packet command function likely did not return a promise', packet:packet}
+          res._header = clone(packet._header,false) //make sure return packet has header with id in case it was removed in processing
           delete packet._header  // remove before adding to response header as request
-          processed._header.request = packet
-          processed._header.responder = {name:this.name,instanceID:this.id}
-          processed._header.socket = this._connectionKey
-          if (!processed.cmd) processed.cmd = 'reply'  // by default return command is 'reply'
-          // console.log('after processing',processed)
-          let [err, ser] = await btc(stream.serialize)(processed)
-          if (err) ser = await stream.serialize({ error: 'was not able to serialze the processed packet', err:err, _header:{id:processed._header.id}})
+          res._header.request = clone(packet,false)
+          res._header.responder = {name:this.name,instanceID:this.id}
+          res._header.socket = this._connectionKey
+          if (!res.cmd) res.cmd = 'reply'  // by default return command is 'reply'
+          let [err, ser] = await btc(stream.serialize)(res)
+          if (err) ser = await stream.serialize({ error: 'was not able to serialze the res packet', err:err, _header:{id:res._header.id}})
           // console.log('serialized ready for write',ser)
           log.info(await write(ser))
         }