diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/env/environment.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/env/environment.go
index 878773a6c4..c8eb0a8493 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/env/environment.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/env/environment.go
@@ -95,6 +95,10 @@ type DoltEnv struct {
 	UserPassConfig *creds.DoltCredsForPass
 }
 
+// IncompleteEnv returns a DoltEnv that is incomplete. There are cases where we want to know that the structure
+// of and database is correct on disk, but don't want to actually load the database.
+//
+// Callers of this method should not expect the returned DoltEnv to be useful as a database for running queries.
 func IncompleteEnv(FS filesys.Filesys) *DoltEnv {
 	return &DoltEnv{
 		Version:     doltversion.Version,
diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/env/multi_repo_env.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/env/multi_repo_env.go
index 7707a5a35b..8beec95635 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/env/multi_repo_env.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/env/multi_repo_env.go
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ type MultiRepoEnv struct {
 	dialProvider dbfactory.GRPCDialProvider
 }
 
+// StorageMetadataMap is a map of table file and archive paths to their metadata. It is used to surface specific
+// information about the storage of a database without loading the storage files themselves.
 type StorageMetadataMap map[string]nbs.StorageMetadata
 
 func (sms StorageMetadataMap) ArchiveFilesPresent() bool {
@@ -84,16 +86,17 @@ func GetMultiEnvStorageMetadata(dataDirFS filesys.Filesys) (StorageMetadataMap,
 
 		dir := filepath.Base(path)
 
-		newFs, er2 := dataDirFS.WithWorkingDir(dir)
-		if er2 != nil {
+		newFs, err := dataDirFS.WithWorkingDir(dir)
+		if err != nil {
 			return false
 		}
-		path, er2 = newFs.Abs("")
-		if er2 != nil {
+		path, err = newFs.Abs("")
+		if err != nil {
 			return false
 		}
 		envName := getRepoRootDir(path, string(os.PathSeparator))
 
+		// For an incomplete environment, the .Valid() check basically just checks if there is a .dolt directory.
 		falseEnv := IncompleteEnv(newFs)
 		if !falseEnv.Valid() {
 			return false
diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/remotesrv/server.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/remotesrv/server.go
index 4df88e330a..46b7ec5182 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/remotesrv/server.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/remotesrv/server.go
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func NewServer(args ServerArgs) (*Server, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if storageMetadata.ArchiveFilesPresent() {
-		return nil, errors.New("archive files present")
+		return nil, errors.New("archive files present. Please run `dolt archive --revert` before running the server.")
 	}
 
 	s := new(Server)
diff --git a/go/store/nbs/archive_build.go b/go/store/nbs/archive_build.go
index 886e5fd23b..b121207fc0 100644
--- a/go/store/nbs/archive_build.go
+++ b/go/store/nbs/archive_build.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func UnArchive(ctx context.Context, cs chunks.ChunkStore, smd StorageMetadata, p
 		for id, ogcs := range oldgen {
 			if arc, ok := ogcs.(archiveChunkSource); ok {
 				orginTfId := revertMap[id]
-				exists, err := smd.LoseOldGenTableExists(orginTfId)
+				exists, err := smd.oldGenTableExists(orginTfId)
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
diff --git a/go/store/nbs/metadata.go b/go/store/nbs/metadata.go
index 50ad377278..6f443efb0b 100644
--- a/go/store/nbs/metadata.go
+++ b/go/store/nbs/metadata.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (sm *StorageMetadata) RevertMap() map[hash.Hash]hash.Hash {
 	return revertMap
 }
 
-func (sm *StorageMetadata) LoseOldGenTableExists(id hash.Hash) (bool, error) {
+func (sm *StorageMetadata) oldGenTableExists(id hash.Hash) (bool, error) {
 	path := filepath.Join(sm.root, ".dolt", "noms", "oldgen", id.String())
 	_, err := os.Stat(path)
 	if err != nil {