diff --git a/lib/bytes/bytes.ww b/lib/bytes/bytes.ww
index f7a88198..ab3db696 100644
--- a/lib/bytes/bytes.ww
+++ b/lib/bytes/bytes.ww
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@
 //     2/3/4-byte needles and falls back to two_way (Crochemore-Perrin)
 //     for longer (ref/hare/bytes/index.ha:61, ref/hare/bytes/two_way.ha).
 //     Correctness equivalent.
-//   - contains takes a single needle; Hare's contains is variadic
-//     `(u8 | []u8)...` (ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5). No caller needs
-//     the variadic shape yet; graduate when one does.
 
 // equal — true iff `a` and `b` have the same length and contents.
 // ref/hare/bytes/equal.ha:9.
@@ -92,12 +89,26 @@ export fn rindex(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) (i32 | void) = {
 	return;
 };
 
-// contains — true iff `needle` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
-// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5 (variadic subset; see header note).
-export fn contains(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) bool = {
-	match (index(s, needle)) {
-	case let i: i32 => return true;
-	case void => return false;
+// contains — true iff any of `needles` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
+// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:6.
+export fn contains(s: []u8, needles: (u8 | []u8)...) bool = {
+	let i: i32 = 0;
+	for (i < needles.len) {
+		match (needles[i]) {
+		case let b: u8   => {
+			match (index(s, b)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		case let n: []u8 => {
+			match (index(s, n)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		};
+		i += 1;
 	};
 	return false;
 };
diff --git a/lib/bytes/bytestest.ww b/lib/bytes/bytestest.ww
index a25f1a1b..5dcc6350 100644
--- a/lib/bytes/bytestest.ww
+++ b/lib/bytes/bytestest.ww
@@ -195,6 +195,18 @@ fn fail() void = { os.exit(signalled + 10); };
 	if (!bytes.contains(a[0:4], n[0:2])) { fail(); };
 	let m: [2]u8; m[0] = 9u8; m[1] = 9u8;
 	if ( bytes.contains(a[0:4], m[0:2])) { fail(); };
+
+	// Variadic rows. ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:6.
+	signalled = 1700;
+	if ( bytes.contains(a[0:4])) { fail(); };
+	signalled = 1701;
+	if (!bytes.contains(a[0:4], n[0:2])) { fail(); };
+	signalled = 1702;
+	if (!bytes.contains(a[0:4], 7u8)) { fail(); };
+	signalled = 1703;
+	if (!bytes.contains(a[0:4], m[0:2], n[0:2], 42u8)) { fail(); };
+	signalled = 1704;
+	if ( bytes.contains(a[0:4], m[0:2], 42u8, m[0:2])) { fail(); };
 };
 
 // ---- hasprefix --------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index 231cda4a..7ae1d07d 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -867,9 +867,6 @@ export fn freearena(a: *arena) void = {
 //     2/3/4-byte needles and falls back to two_way (Crochemore-Perrin)
 //     for longer (ref/hare/bytes/index.ha:61, ref/hare/bytes/two_way.ha).
 //     Correctness equivalent.
-//   - contains takes a single needle; Hare's contains is variadic
-//     `(u8 | []u8)...` (ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5). No caller needs
-//     the variadic shape yet; graduate when one does.
 
 // equal — true iff `a` and `b` have the same length and contents.
 // ref/hare/bytes/equal.ha:9.
@@ -952,12 +949,26 @@ export fn rindex(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) (i32 | void) = {
 	return;
 };
 
-// contains — true iff `needle` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
-// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5 (variadic subset; see header note).
-export fn contains(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) bool = {
-	match (index(s, needle)) {
-	case let i: i32 => return true;
-	case void => return false;
+// contains — true iff any of `needles` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
+// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:6.
+export fn contains(s: []u8, needles: (u8 | []u8)...) bool = {
+	let i: i32 = 0;
+	for (i < needles.len) {
+		match (needles[i]) {
+		case let b: u8   => {
+			match (index(s, b)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		case let n: []u8 => {
+			match (index(s, n)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		};
+		i += 1;
 	};
 	return false;
 };
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index 043db4a3..91f79bc4 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -867,9 +867,6 @@ export fn freearena(a: *arena) void = {
 //     2/3/4-byte needles and falls back to two_way (Crochemore-Perrin)
 //     for longer (ref/hare/bytes/index.ha:61, ref/hare/bytes/two_way.ha).
 //     Correctness equivalent.
-//   - contains takes a single needle; Hare's contains is variadic
-//     `(u8 | []u8)...` (ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5). No caller needs
-//     the variadic shape yet; graduate when one does.
 
 // equal — true iff `a` and `b` have the same length and contents.
 // ref/hare/bytes/equal.ha:9.
@@ -952,12 +949,26 @@ export fn rindex(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) (i32 | void) = {
 	return;
 };
 
-// contains — true iff `needle` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
-// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5 (variadic subset; see header note).
-export fn contains(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) bool = {
-	match (index(s, needle)) {
-	case let i: i32 => return true;
-	case void => return false;
+// contains — true iff any of `needles` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
+// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:6.
+export fn contains(s: []u8, needles: (u8 | []u8)...) bool = {
+	let i: i32 = 0;
+	for (i < needles.len) {
+		match (needles[i]) {
+		case let b: u8   => {
+			match (index(s, b)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		case let n: []u8 => {
+			match (index(s, n)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		};
+		i += 1;
 	};
 	return false;
 };
diff --git a/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww b/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
index 536f0fb5..7e26bcb9 100644
--- a/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
@@ -758,9 +758,6 @@ export fn exists(path: str) bool = {
 //     2/3/4-byte needles and falls back to two_way (Crochemore-Perrin)
 //     for longer (ref/hare/bytes/index.ha:61, ref/hare/bytes/two_way.ha).
 //     Correctness equivalent.
-//   - contains takes a single needle; Hare's contains is variadic
-//     `(u8 | []u8)...` (ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5). No caller needs
-//     the variadic shape yet; graduate when one does.
 
 // equal — true iff `a` and `b` have the same length and contents.
 // ref/hare/bytes/equal.ha:9.
@@ -843,12 +840,26 @@ export fn rindex(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) (i32 | void) = {
 	return;
 };
 
-// contains — true iff `needle` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
-// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:5 (variadic subset; see header note).
-export fn contains(s: []u8, needle: (u8 | []u8)) bool = {
-	match (index(s, needle)) {
-	case let i: i32 => return true;
-	case void => return false;
+// contains — true iff any of `needles` (byte or sub-slice) appears in `s`.
+// ref/hare/bytes/contains.ha:6.
+export fn contains(s: []u8, needles: (u8 | []u8)...) bool = {
+	let i: i32 = 0;
+	for (i < needles.len) {
+		match (needles[i]) {
+		case let b: u8   => {
+			match (index(s, b)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		case let n: []u8 => {
+			match (index(s, n)) {
+			case let bo: i32 => return true;
+			case void        => void;
+			};
+		};
+		};
+		i += 1;
 	};
 	return false;
 };