diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/simpleDataSources/ReferenceDataSource.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/simpleDataSources/ReferenceDataSource.java
index ab6b7502d..b9c848c6b 100644
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/simpleDataSources/ReferenceDataSource.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/simpleDataSources/ReferenceDataSource.java
@@ -143,39 +143,39 @@ public class ReferenceDataSource implements ReferenceDataSourceProgressListener
          * but is incomplete). To avoid this, obtain shared locks on both files before creating IndexedFastaSequenceFile.
          */
 
-        FSLockWithShared dictLock = new FSLockWithShared(dictFile,true);
-        FSLockWithShared indexLock = new FSLockWithShared(indexFile,true);
-        try {
-            try {
-                if (!dictLock.sharedLock()) {
-                    throw new StingException("Could not open dictionary file because a lock could not be obtained.");
-                }
-            }
-            catch(FileSystemInabilityToLockException ex) {
-                logger.info(String.format("Unable to create a lock on dictionary file: %s",ex.getMessage()));
-                logger.info("Treating existing dictionary file as complete.");
-            }
+//        FSLockWithShared dictLock = new FSLockWithShared(dictFile,true);
+//        FSLockWithShared indexLock = new FSLockWithShared(indexFile,true);
+//        try {
+//            try {
+//                if (!dictLock.sharedLock()) {
+//                    throw new StingException("Could not open dictionary file because a lock could not be obtained.");
+//                }
+//            }
+//            catch(FileSystemInabilityToLockException ex) {
+//                logger.info(String.format("Unable to create a lock on dictionary file: %s",ex.getMessage()));
+//                logger.info("Treating existing dictionary file as complete.");
+//            }
+//
+//            try {
+//                if (!indexLock.sharedLock()) {
+//                    throw new StingException("Could not open index file because a lock could not be obtained.");
+//                }
+//            }
+//            catch(FileSystemInabilityToLockException ex) {
+//                logger.info(String.format("Unable to create a lock on index file: %s",ex.getMessage()));
+//                logger.info("Treating existing index file as complete.");
+//            }
 
-            try {
-                if (!indexLock.sharedLock()) {
-                    throw new StingException("Could not open index file because a lock could not be obtained.");
-                }
-            }
-            catch(FileSystemInabilityToLockException ex) {
-                logger.info(String.format("Unable to create a lock on index file: %s",ex.getMessage()));
-                logger.info("Treating existing index file as complete.");
-            }
-
-            index = new IndexedFastaSequenceFile(fastaFile);
-
-        }
-        catch (Exception e) {
-            throw new StingException(String.format("Error reading fasta file %s.", fastaFile.getAbsolutePath()), e);
-        }
-        finally {
-            dictLock.unlock();
-            indexLock.unlock();
-        }
+        index = new IndexedFastaSequenceFile(fastaFile);
+//
+//        }
+//        catch (Exception e) {
+//            throw new StingException(String.format("Error reading fasta file %s.", fastaFile.getAbsolutePath()), e);
+//        }
+//        finally {
+//            dictLock.unlock();
+//            indexLock.unlock();
+//        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariants.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariants.java
index 8612c284e..d44e41797 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariants.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariants.java
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ public class CombineVariants extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> {
     @Argument(fullName="filteredAreUncalled", shortName="filteredAreUncalled", doc="If true, then filtered VCFs are treated as uncalled, so that filtered set annotation don't appear in the combined VCF", required=false)
     public boolean filteredAreUncalled = false;
 
+    @Argument(fullName="minimalVCF", shortName="minimalVCF", doc="If true, then the output VCF will contain no INFO or genotype INFO field", required=false)
+    public boolean minimalVCF = false;
+
     @Argument(fullName="setKey", shortName="setKey", doc="Key, by default set, in the INFO key=value tag emitted describing which set the combined VCF record came from.  Set to null if you don't want the set field emitted.", required=false)
     public String SET_KEY = "set";
 
@@ -130,6 +133,8 @@ public class CombineVariants extends RodWalker<Integer, Integer> {
 
         if ( mergedVC != null ) { // only operate at the start of events
             VariantContext annotatedMergedVC = engine.annotateContext(tracker, ref, mergedVC);
+            if ( minimalVCF )
+                annotatedMergedVC = VariantContextUtils.pruneVariantContext(annotatedMergedVC, new HashSet(Arrays.asList(SET_KEY)));
             vcfWriter.add(annotatedMergedVC, ref.getBase());
         }
 
diff --git a/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariantsIntegrationTest.java b/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariantsIntegrationTest.java
index 880e1d4cd..ea90c4342 100755
--- a/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariantsIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/java/test/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/walkers/variantutils/CombineVariantsIntegrationTest.java
@@ -51,9 +51,9 @@ public class CombineVariantsIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
          executeTest("testInOut1--" + file, spec);
     }
 
-    public void combine2(String file1, String file2, String md5) {
+    public void combine2(String file1, String file2, String args, String md5) {
          WalkerTestSpec spec = new WalkerTestSpec(
-                 baseTestString(" -priority v1,v2 -B v1,VCF," + validationDataLocation + file1 + " -B v2,VCF," + validationDataLocation + file2),
+                 baseTestString(" -priority v1,v2 -B v1,VCF," + validationDataLocation + file1 + " -B v2,VCF," + validationDataLocation + file2 + args),
                  1,
                  Arrays.asList(md5));
          executeTest("combine2 1:" + new File(file1).getName() + " 2:" + new File(file2).getName(), spec);
@@ -68,12 +68,13 @@ public class CombineVariantsIntegrationTest extends WalkerTest {
     @Test public void test1Indel1() { test1InOut("CEU.dindel.vcf4.trio.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "4c667935099544a1863e70ae88ddd685"); }
     @Test public void test1Indel2() { test1InOut("CEU.dindel.vcf4.low_coverage.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "17c8468b1b963c9abc49dff17fd811ba"); }
 
-    @Test public void combineTrioCalls() { combine2("CEU.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "YRI.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "f3fce9ae729548e7e7c378a8282df235"); } // official project VCF files in tabix format
-    @Test public void combine2Indels() { combine2("CEU.dindel.vcf4.trio.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "CEU.dindel.vcf4.low_coverage.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "7fce3e9539ce4eb0a839d9236c928dfc"); }
+    @Test public void combineTrioCalls() { combine2("CEU.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "YRI.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "", "f3fce9ae729548e7e7c378a8282df235"); } // official project VCF files in tabix format
+    @Test public void combineTrioCallsMin() { combine2("CEU.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "YRI.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", " -minimalVCF", "7ad58764b855ec7ad61075dda63567b3"); } // official project VCF files in tabix format
+    @Test public void combine2Indels() { combine2("CEU.dindel.vcf4.trio.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "CEU.dindel.vcf4.low_coverage.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "", "7fce3e9539ce4eb0a839d9236c928dfc"); }
 
-    @Test public void combineSNPsAndIndels() { combine2("CEU.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "CEU.dindel.vcf4.low_coverage.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "528cff763b95b82717008d2c05e8c393"); }
+    @Test public void combineSNPsAndIndels() { combine2("CEU.trio.2010_03.genotypes.vcf.gz", "CEU.dindel.vcf4.low_coverage.2010_06.indel.genotypes.vcf", "", "528cff763b95b82717008d2c05e8c393"); }
 
-    @Test public void uniqueSNPs() { combine2("pilot2.snps.vcf4.genotypes.vcf", "yri.trio.gatk_glftrio.intersection.annotated.filtered.chr1.vcf", "a9126d1cbe1fdf741236763fb3e3461f"); }
+    @Test public void uniqueSNPs() { combine2("pilot2.snps.vcf4.genotypes.vcf", "yri.trio.gatk_glftrio.intersection.annotated.filtered.chr1.vcf", "", "a9126d1cbe1fdf741236763fb3e3461f"); }
 
     @Test public void threeWayWithRefs() {
         WalkerTestSpec spec = new WalkerTestSpec(