diff --git a/lib/repo.c b/lib/repo.c
index eb823863..f55c9403 100644
--- a/lib/repo.c
+++ b/lib/repo.c
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ xbps_repo_path_with_name(struct xbps_handle *xhp, const char *url, const char *n
 	    url, xhp->target_arch ? xhp->target_arch : xhp->native_arch, name);
 }
 
-static bool
+static int
 repo_verify_index(struct xbps_repo *repo, xbps_dictionary_t idxmeta, unsigned char *digest) {
 	bool verified = false;
 	unsigned char *sig_buf = NULL;
@@ -72,28 +72,28 @@ repo_verify_index(struct xbps_repo *repo, xbps_dictionary_t idxmeta, unsigned ch
 		xbps_dbg_printf(repo->xhp,
 		    "%s: read_next_header %s\n", repo->uri,
 		    archive_error_string(repo->ar));
-		return false;
+		return ENOENT;
 	}
 
 	if (strcmp(archive_entry_pathname(entry), XBPS_REPOIDXMETA_SIG) != 0) {
 		xbps_dbg_printf(repo->xhp,
 		    "%s: no signature of %s\n", repo->uri, XBPS_REPOIDX_META);
-		return false;
+		return ENOENT;
 	}
 
 	sigfilelen = (size_t)archive_entry_size(entry);
 	sig_buf = (unsigned char *) xbps_archive_get_file(repo->ar, entry);
 	if (sig_buf == NULL) {
-		return false;
+		return EIO;
 	}
 	verified = xbps_verify_digest_signature(repo, idxmeta, sig_buf, sigfilelen, digest);
 
 	free(sig_buf);
-	return verified;
+	return verified ? 0 : EINVAL;
 }
 
 static xbps_dictionary_t
-repo_get_dict(struct xbps_repo *repo, bool *verified)
+repo_get_dict(struct xbps_repo *repo, int *verify_error)
 {
 	struct archive_entry *entry;
 	int rv;
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ repo_get_dict(struct xbps_repo *repo, bool *verified)
 	char *bytes = NULL;
 	unsigned char *digest = NULL;
 
-	if (verified != NULL)
-		*verified = false;
+	if (verify_error != NULL)
+		*verify_error = -1;
 
 	if (repo->ar == NULL)
 		return NULL;
@@ -116,15 +116,36 @@ repo_get_dict(struct xbps_repo *repo, bool *verified)
 	}
 	dict = xbps_archive_get_dictionary(repo->ar, entry, &bytes);
 	idxmeta = (repo->idxmeta != NULL) ? repo->idxmeta : dict;
-	if (verified != NULL && bytes != NULL) {
+	if (verify_error != NULL && bytes != NULL) {
 		digest = xbps_buffer_hash_raw(bytes, strlen(bytes));
-		*verified = repo_verify_index(repo, idxmeta, digest);
+		*verify_error = repo_verify_index(repo, idxmeta, digest);
 	}
 	free(digest);
 	free(bytes);
 	return dict;
 }
 
+
+static xbps_dictionary_t
+get_safe_idxmeta(xbps_dictionary_t full) {
+	static const char *keys[] = {
+		"public-key",
+		"public-key-size",
+		"signature-by",
+		"signature-type",
+	};
+	unsigned fields_count = (sizeof keys)/(sizeof *keys);
+	xbps_dictionary_t safe = xbps_dictionary_create();
+
+	for (unsigned i = 0; i < fields_count; ++i) {
+		const char *key = keys[i];
+		xbps_object_t value = xbps_dictionary_get(full, key);
+		xbps_dictionary_set(safe, key, value);
+	}
+
+	return safe;
+}
+
 bool
 xbps_repo_lock(struct xbps_handle *xhp, const char *repodir,
 		int *lockfd, char **lockfname)
@@ -180,8 +201,9 @@ repo_open_local(struct xbps_repo *repo, const char *repofile)
 {
 	struct stat st;
 	int rv = 0;
-	bool verified = false;
+	int verify_error = -1;
 	const char *signature_type = NULL;
+	xbps_dictionary_t idxmeta = NULL;
 
 	if (fstat(repo->fd, &st) == -1) {
 		rv = errno;
@@ -213,14 +235,26 @@ repo_open_local(struct xbps_repo *repo, const char *repofile)
 		return false;
 	}
 	xbps_dictionary_make_immutable(repo->idx);
-	repo->idxmeta = repo_get_dict(repo, &verified);
-	if (repo->idxmeta != NULL) {
-		if (xbps_dictionary_get_cstring_nocopy(repo->idxmeta, "signature-type", &signature_type))
+	idxmeta = repo_get_dict(repo, &verify_error);
+	if (idxmeta != NULL) {
+		if (verify_error == ENOENT) {
+			xbps_dbg_printf(repo->xhp, "Metadata of repo '%s' not signed. Taking safe part.\n", repofile);
+			idxmeta = get_safe_idxmeta(idxmeta);
+			verify_error = 0;
+		} else if (verify_error) {
+			xbps_warn_printf("Verification of repo's '%s' signature failed. Taking safe part.\n", repofile);
+			idxmeta = get_safe_idxmeta(idxmeta);
+		} else {
+			xbps_dbg_printf(repo->xhp, "Verification of repo's '%s' signature passed.\n", repofile);
+		}
+		if (xbps_dictionary_get_cstring_nocopy(idxmeta, "signature-type", &signature_type)) {
 			repo->is_signed = true;
-		xbps_dictionary_make_immutable(repo->idxmeta);
+		}
+		xbps_dictionary_make_immutable(idxmeta);
 	}
+	repo->idxmeta = idxmeta;
 
-	return verified || (!repo->is_remote && !repo->is_signed);
+	return !verify_error || (!repo->is_remote && !repo->is_signed);
 }
 
 static bool