diff --git a/btpd/cli_if.c b/btpd/cli_if.c
index 3e71239..56b77fd 100644
--- a/btpd/cli_if.c
+++ b/btpd/cli_if.c
@@ -27,21 +27,19 @@ write_buffer(struct cli *cli, struct io_buffer *iob)
 {
     int err = 0;
     if (!iob->error) {
-        uint32_t len = iob->buf_off;
+        uint32_t len = iob->off;
         write_fully(cli->sd, &len, sizeof(len));
-        err = write_fully(cli->sd, iob->buf, iob->buf_off);
+        err = write_fully(cli->sd, iob->buf, iob->off);
     } else
         btpd_err("Out of memory.\n");
-    if (iob->buf != NULL)
-        free(iob->buf);
+    buf_free(iob);
     return err;
 }
 
 static int
 write_code_buffer(struct cli *cli, enum ipc_err code)
 {
-    struct io_buffer iob;
-    buf_init(&iob, 16);
+    struct io_buffer iob = buf_init(16);
     buf_print(&iob, "d4:codei%uee", code);
     return write_buffer(cli, &iob);
 }
@@ -49,8 +47,7 @@ write_code_buffer(struct cli *cli, enum ipc_err code)
 static int
 write_add_buffer(struct cli *cli, unsigned num)
 {
-    struct io_buffer iob;
-    buf_init(&iob, 32);
+    struct io_buffer iob = buf_init(32);
     buf_print(&iob, "d4:codei%ue3:numi%uee", IPC_OK, num);
     return write_buffer(cli, &iob);
 }
@@ -200,7 +197,7 @@ cmd_tget(struct cli *cli, int argc, const char *args)
     for (int i = 0; i < nkeys; i++)
         opts[i] = benc_int(p, &p);
 
-    buf_init(&iob, (1 << 15));
+    iob = buf_init(1 << 15);
     buf_swrite(&iob, "d4:codei0e6:resultl");
     p = benc_dget_any(args, "from");
     if (benc_isint(p)) {
@@ -225,7 +222,7 @@ cmd_tget(struct cli *cli, int argc, const char *args)
             else if (benc_isstr(p) && benc_strlen(p) == 20)
                 tl = tlib_by_hash(benc_mem(p, NULL, NULL));
             else {
-                free(iob.buf);
+                buf_free(&iob);
                 free(opts);
                 return IPC_COMMERR;
             }
diff --git a/cli/add.c b/cli/add.c
index 34edb1c..f0793d7 100644
--- a/cli/add.c
+++ b/cli/add.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ cmd_add(int argc, char **argv)
     if ((mi = mi_load(argv[0], &mi_size)) == NULL)
         err(1, "error loading '%s'", argv[0]);
 
-    buf_init(&iob, PATH_MAX);
+    iob = buf_init(PATH_MAX);
     buf_write(&iob, dir, dirlen);
     if (topdir) {
         size_t tdlen;
diff --git a/misc/btpd_if.c b/misc/btpd_if.c
index 8bd0f21..52e0278 100644
--- a/misc/btpd_if.c
+++ b/misc/btpd_if.c
@@ -115,7 +115,6 @@ static enum ipc_err
 ipc_req_res(struct ipc *ipc, const char *req, uint32_t qlen, char **res,
     uint32_t *rlen)
 {
-    assert(benc_validate(req, qlen) == 0);
     if (write_fully(ipc->sd, &qlen, sizeof(qlen)) != 0)
         return IPC_COMMERR;
     if (write_fully(ipc->sd, req, qlen) != 0)
@@ -133,8 +132,12 @@ static enum ipc_err
 ipc_buf_req_res(struct ipc *ipc, struct io_buffer *iob, char **res,
     uint32_t *rlen)
 {
-    enum ipc_err err = ipc_req_res(ipc, iob->buf, iob->buf_off, res, rlen);
-    free(iob->buf);
+    enum ipc_err err;
+    if (iob->error)
+        err = IPC_COMMERR;
+    else 
+        err = ipc_req_res(ipc, iob->buf, iob->off, res, rlen);
+    buf_free(iob);
     return err;
 }
 
@@ -155,8 +158,7 @@ ipc_buf_req_code(struct ipc *ipc, struct io_buffer *iob)
 enum ipc_err
 btpd_die(struct ipc *ipc, int seconds)
 {
-    struct io_buffer iob;
-    buf_init(&iob, 16);
+    struct io_buffer iob = buf_init(16);
     if (seconds >= 0)
         buf_print(&iob, "l3:diei%dee", seconds);
     else
@@ -222,7 +224,7 @@ btpd_tget(struct ipc *ipc, struct ipc_torrent *tps, size_t ntps,
     if (nkeys == 0 || ntps == 0)
         return IPC_COMMERR;
 
-    buf_init(&iob, 1 << 14);
+    iob = buf_init(1 << 14);
     buf_swrite(&iob, "l4:tgetd4:froml");
     for (int i = 0; i < ntps; i++) {
         if (tps[i].by_hash) {
@@ -253,7 +255,7 @@ btpd_tget_wc(struct ipc *ipc, enum ipc_twc twc, enum ipc_tval *keys,
     if (nkeys == 0)
         return IPC_COMMERR;
 
-    buf_init(&iob, 1 << 14);
+    iob = buf_init(1 << 14);
     buf_print(&iob, "l4:tgetd4:fromi%de4:keysl", twc);
     for (int i = 0; i < nkeys; i++)
         buf_print(&iob, "i%de", keys[i]);
@@ -268,8 +270,7 @@ enum ipc_err
 btpd_add(struct ipc *ipc, const char *mi, size_t mi_size, const char *content,
     const char *name)
 {
-    struct io_buffer iob;
-    buf_init(&iob, (1 << 10));
+    struct io_buffer iob = buf_init(1 << 10);
     buf_print(&iob, "l3:addd7:content%d:%s", (int)strlen(content),
         content);
     if (name != NULL)
@@ -283,8 +284,7 @@ btpd_add(struct ipc *ipc, const char *mi, size_t mi_size, const char *content,
 static enum ipc_err
 simple_treq(struct ipc *ipc, char *cmd, struct ipc_torrent *tp)
 {
-    struct io_buffer iob;
-    buf_init(&iob, 32);
+    struct io_buffer iob = buf_init(32);
     if (tp->by_hash) {
         buf_print(&iob, "l%d:%s20:", (int)strlen(cmd), cmd);
         buf_write(&iob, tp->u.hash, 20);
diff --git a/misc/iobuf.c b/misc/iobuf.c
index cf5bc73..45918ab 100644
--- a/misc/iobuf.c
+++ b/misc/iobuf.c
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#include <errno.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -9,18 +8,21 @@
 
 #define GROWLEN (1 << 14)
 
-int
-buf_init(struct io_buffer *iob, size_t size)
+struct io_buffer
+buf_init(size_t size)
 {
-    iob->buf_off = 0;
-    iob->buf_len = size;
-    iob->error = 0;
-    iob->buf = malloc(size);
-    if (iob->buf == NULL) {
-        iob->error = ENOMEM;
-        return ENOMEM;
-    } else
-        return 0;
+    struct io_buffer iob;
+    iob.off = 0;
+    iob.len = size;
+    iob.error = (iob.buf = malloc(size)) == NULL ? 1 : 0;
+    return iob;
+}
+
+void
+buf_free(struct io_buffer *iob)
+{
+    if (iob->buf != NULL)
+        free(iob->buf);
 }
 
 int
@@ -28,14 +30,14 @@ buf_grow(struct io_buffer *iob, size_t addlen)
 {
     if (iob->error)
         return iob->error;
-    char *nbuf = realloc(iob->buf, iob->buf_len + addlen);
+    char *nbuf = realloc(iob->buf, iob->len + addlen);
     if (nbuf == NULL) {
-        iob->error = ENOMEM;
-        return ENOMEM;
+        iob->error = 1;
+        return 0;
     } else {
         iob->buf = nbuf;
-        iob->buf_len += addlen;
-        return 0;
+        iob->len += addlen;
+        return 1;
     }
 }
 
@@ -43,31 +45,31 @@ int
 buf_print(struct io_buffer *iob, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
     if (iob->error)
-        return iob->error;
+        return 0;
     int np;
     va_list ap;
     va_start(ap, fmt);
     np = vsnprintf(NULL, 0, fmt, ap);
     va_end(ap);
-    if (np + 1 > iob->buf_len - iob->buf_off)
-        if (buf_grow(iob, (1 + (np + 1) / GROWLEN) * GROWLEN) != 0)
-            return ENOMEM;
+    if (np + 1 > iob->len - iob->off)
+        if (!buf_grow(iob, (1 + (np + 1) / GROWLEN) * GROWLEN))
+            return 0;
     va_start(ap, fmt);
-    vsnprintf(iob->buf + iob->buf_off, np + 1, fmt, ap);
+    vsnprintf(iob->buf + iob->off, np + 1, fmt, ap);
     va_end(ap);
-    iob->buf_off += np;
-    return 0;
+    iob->off += np;
+    return 1;
 }
 
 int
 buf_write(struct io_buffer *iob, const void *buf, size_t len)
 {
     if (iob->error)
-        return iob->error;
-    if (len > iob->buf_len - iob->buf_off)
-        if (buf_grow(iob, (1 + len / GROWLEN) * GROWLEN) != 0)
-            return ENOMEM;
-    bcopy(buf, iob->buf + iob->buf_off, len);
-    iob->buf_off += len;
-    return 0;
+        return 0;
+    if (len > iob->len - iob->off)
+        if (!buf_grow(iob, (1 + len / GROWLEN) * GROWLEN))
+            return 0;
+    bcopy(buf, iob->buf + iob->off, len);
+    iob->off += len;
+    return 1;
 }
diff --git a/misc/iobuf.h b/misc/iobuf.h
index 34a3caf..ccd2028 100644
--- a/misc/iobuf.h
+++ b/misc/iobuf.h
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 #define BTPD_IOBUF_H
 
 struct io_buffer {
-    size_t buf_off;
-    size_t buf_len;
+    size_t off;
+    size_t len;
     char *buf;
     int error;
 };
 
-int buf_init(struct io_buffer *iob, size_t size);
+struct io_buffer buf_init(size_t size);
+void buf_free(struct io_buffer *iob);
 int buf_grow(struct io_buffer *iob, size_t size);
 int buf_write(struct io_buffer *iob, const void *data, size_t size);
 __attribute__((format (printf, 2, 3)))