diff --git a/lib/fmt/fmt.ww b/lib/fmt/fmt.ww
index 347ce2e2..e2228eb0 100644
--- a/lib/fmt/fmt.ww
+++ b/lib/fmt/fmt.ww
@@ -551,10 +551,11 @@ fn formatraw(s: io.handle, arg: formattable, m: *mods) (size | io.error) = {
 };
 
 // formatone — render `arg` to `s` with `m`'s width / alignment / pad
-// applied. Mirror print.ha:45 format. The tail-pad loop drives on a
-// counter because putbytes over memio.fixed reports a full buffer as a
-// 0-byte partial write, not io.error — looping on `total < m.width`
-// would spin on bsprintf when the sink runs out.
+// applied. Mirror print.ha:45 format, modulo the tail-pad loop: it
+// drives on a `need` counter rather than Hare's `total < m.width` form.
+// memio.fixedwrite now returns nomem on a full sink, so the width form
+// would terminate too; restoring it is a deferred follow-up — kept
+// counter-driven here to stay in F-R scope.
 fn formatone(s: io.handle, arg: formattable, m: *mods) (size | io.error) = {
 	let start: i32 = 0;
 	if (m.width > 0 && m.alignment != alignment.LEFT) {
@@ -765,8 +766,9 @@ export fn fprintfln(s: io.handle, fmt: str, args: field...) (size | io.error) =
 // the `stream` BY VALUE — the stream lives in this frame; `&st.vt` is
 // the io.stream and `&st` the accessor handle. Hare returns
 // `(const str | nomem)`; ww collapses to (str | io.error) so the
-// fprintf path's io.error arm stays uniform. Short writes surface as a
-// prefix (memio.fixed contract).
+// fprintf path's io.error arm stays uniform. Truncation surfaces as
+// nomem, not a prefix: memio.fixedwrite returns nomem once the sink
+// fills (ref/hare/fmt/wrappers.ha:50), and the io.error arm forwards it.
 export fn bsprintf(buf: []u8, fmt: str, args: field...) (str | io.error) = {
 	let st: memio.stream = memio.fixed(buf);
 	let s: io.stream = &st.vt;
diff --git a/lib/fmt/fmttest.ww b/lib/fmt/fmttest.ww
index 3766bc8d..03f895ea 100644
--- a/lib/fmt/fmttest.ww
+++ b/lib/fmt/fmttest.ww
@@ -452,6 +452,19 @@ fn errsource() io.stream = {
 	};
 };
 
+// Positive control: an EXACT-fit render must still succeed — the sink
+// fills to the last byte but no write lands on a full sink, so the
+// nomem guard (memio.ww:190) must not fire. Guards against the
+// truncation fix over-rejecting a render that exactly fits.
+@test fn bsprintf_exact() void = {
+	let buf: [5]u8;
+	let r: (str | io.error) = fmt.bsprintf(buf[0:5], "hello");
+	match (r) {
+	case let s: str => { assert(!(!streq(s, "hello"))); };
+	case let eioe: io.error => abort();
+	};
+};
+
 // Pins the formatfield bool / rune arms inside fprintf's for-loop —
 // the codegen-smell repro shape (task #18). Pre-task-#18, the str arm
 // is also exercised by fprintf_implicit; this adds the two remaining
@@ -470,30 +483,43 @@ fn errsource() io.stream = {
 	match (c) { case void => {}; case let eioe: io.error => abort(); };
 };
 
-// Verifies bsprintf's documented truncation contract — short writes
-// return the prefix that fit (memio.fixedwrite returns 0 once full,
-// not io.error). Pairs with fprintfixedshort above which covers the
-// underlying fprint path.
+// Verifies bsprintf's truncation contract — overflowing a fixed sink
+// surfaces nomem, not a prefix (memio.fixedwrite returns nomem once
+// full, ref/hare/fmt/wrappers.ha:50). Pairs with fprintfixedshort
+// above which covers the partial-write (short i32) path.
 @test fn bsprintf_trunc() void = {
 	let buf: [3]u8;
 	let r: (str | io.error) = fmt.bsprintf(buf[0:3], "{} {}", "hi", 42i64);
 	match (r) {
-	case let s: str => { assert(!(!streq(s, "hi "))); };
-	case let eioe: io.error => abort();
+	case let s: str => abort();
+	case let eioe: io.error => { assert(eioe is nomem); };
 	};
 };
 
-// Pins formatone's tail-pad counter shape. Without the counter, the
-// `total < m.width` loop spins on memio.fixed's 0-byte-on-full
-// partial-write contract (ww divergence from Hare's errors::overflow
-// + `?`). Buffer 3B, target "   42" (5B); first 3 spaces fit, then
-// formatraw + tail-pad both write 0 — must terminate.
+// Truncation through the width/pad path also surfaces nomem. Buffer
+// 3B, target "   42" (5B): the 3 lead pad spaces fill the sink, then
+// formatraw writes "42" into the full sink → nomem. Also pins
+// formatone's tail-pad counter (the loop must not spin on the full
+// sink before the error propagates).
 @test fn bsprintf_width_trunc() void = {
 	let buf: [3]u8;
 	let r: (str | io.error) = fmt.bsprintf(buf[0:3], "{:5}", 42i64);
 	match (r) {
-	case let s: str => { assert(!(!streq(s, "   "))); };
-	case let eioe: io.error => abort();
+	case let s: str => abort();
+	case let eioe: io.error => { assert(eioe is nomem); };
+	};
+};
+
+// Empty-sink discriminator: the cleanest single-write red/green split.
+// The first non-empty write to a zero-length sink hits the full-sink
+// guard → nomem; pre-fix it returned 0 and bsprintf yielded "" as a
+// success.
+@test fn bsprintf_empty() void = {
+	let buf: [0]u8;
+	let r: (str | io.error) = fmt.bsprintf(buf[0:0], "x");
+	match (r) {
+	case let s: str => abort();
+	case let eioe: io.error => { assert(eioe is nomem); };
 	};
 };
 
diff --git a/lib/memio/memio.ww b/lib/memio/memio.ww
index 46157356..6431fe5a 100644
--- a/lib/memio/memio.ww
+++ b/lib/memio/memio.ww
@@ -70,10 +70,9 @@ export type stream = struct {
 };
 
 // fixed — wire a stream over a caller-supplied buffer. Writes never
-// grow; they return 0 once `pos` reaches the end of the buffer (Hare
-// returns `nomem` here; ww surfaces 0 — graduating to Hare's `nomem`
-// return needs the widen-from-bare-nomem path that #173-family work
-// gates).
+// grow; a write to a full buffer returns nomem, matching Hare
+// (ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:44,161). A zero-length write always
+// succeeds with 0 (the empty-input short-circuit, stream.ha:157).
 //
 // Mirrors ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:46.
 export fn fixed(buf: []u8) stream = {
@@ -187,7 +186,12 @@ fn seekfn(s: io.stream, off: io.off, w: io.whence) (io.off | io.error) = {
 
 fn fixedwrite(s: io.stream, buf: []u8) (size | io.error) = {
 	let m: *stream = s: *stream;
-	if (m.pos >= m.len) { return 0: size; };
+	if (buf.len == 0) { return 0: size; };	// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:157
+	if (m.pos >= m.len) {			// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:161
+		let nm: nomem;
+		let e: io.error = nm;
+		return e;
+	};
 	let space: i32 = m.len - m.pos;
 	let n: i32 = buf.len;
 	if (space < n) { n = space; };
diff --git a/lib/memio/memiotest.ww b/lib/memio/memiotest.ww
index be175230..90298110 100644
--- a/lib/memio/memiotest.ww
+++ b/lib/memio/memiotest.ww
@@ -85,15 +85,17 @@ fn putstr(s: str, into: []u8, off: i32) i32 = {
 	let src: [32]u8;
 	let _: i32 = putstr("hello world!!XXXXXXXY", src[0:32], 0);
 
-	// (srcoff, inlen, wantn) — wantn diverges from inlen on the
-	// partial and overflow rows.
-	let off:   [4]i32;
-	let ln:    [4]i32;
-	let wantn: [4]i32;
-	off[0]=0;  ln[0]=6; wantn[0]=6;	// full fit
-	off[1]=6;  ln[1]=7; wantn[1]=7;	// exact-fills cap (pos=13)
-	off[2]=13; ln[2]=7; wantn[2]=3;	// partial: 3 free
-	off[3]=20; ln[3]=1; wantn[3]=0;	// overflow: 0 free → 0
+	// (srcoff, inlen, wantn, wantnomem) — wantn diverges from inlen on
+	// the partial row; the overflow row writes into a now-full sink and
+	// returns nomem (ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:161).
+	let off:       [4]i32;
+	let ln:        [4]i32;
+	let wantn:     [4]i32;
+	let wantnomem: [4]bool;
+	off[0]=0;  ln[0]=6; wantn[0]=6; wantnomem[0]=false;	// full fit
+	off[1]=6;  ln[1]=7; wantn[1]=7; wantnomem[1]=false;	// exact-fills cap (pos=13)
+	off[2]=13; ln[2]=7; wantn[2]=3; wantnomem[2]=false;	// partial: 3 free
+	off[3]=20; ln[3]=1; wantn[3]=0; wantnomem[3]=true;	// overflow: full sink → nomem
 
 	let i: i32 = 0;
 	for (i < 4) {
@@ -101,8 +103,14 @@ fn putstr(s: str, into: []u8, off: i32) i32 = {
 		let hi: i32 = lo + ln[i];
 		let r: (size | io.error) = io.write(s, src[lo:hi]);
 		match (r) {
-		case let n: size => { assert(!(n: i32 != wantn[i])); };
-		case let e: io.error => abort();
+		case let n: size => {
+			assert(!wantnomem[i]);
+			assert(!(n: i32 != wantn[i]));
+		};
+		case let e: io.error => {
+			assert(wantnomem[i]);
+			assert(e is nomem);
+		};
 		};
 		i += 1;
 	};
@@ -122,6 +130,41 @@ fn putstr(s: str, into: []u8, off: i32) i32 = {
 	match (c) { case void => {}; case let e: io.error => abort(); };
 };
 
+// ---- fixedwritefull: the full-sink nomem contract (memio.ww:190) -------
+// A write that exactly fills the sink succeeds; any further non-empty
+// write into the full sink returns nomem, not a 0-byte success
+// (ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:161). A zero-length sink is full from the
+// start, so its first non-empty write is already nomem.
+
+@test fn fixedwritefull() void = {
+	let buf: [4]u8;
+	let st: memio.stream = memio.fixed(buf[0:4]);
+	let s: io.stream = &st.vt;
+
+	let src: [4]u8;
+	let _: i32 = putstr("abcd", src[0:4], 0);
+
+	let r4: (size | io.error) = io.write(s, src[0:4]);	// exact fill
+	match (r4) {
+	case let n: size => { assert(!(n != 4: size)); };
+	case let e: io.error => abort();
+	};
+
+	let r1: (size | io.error) = io.write(s, src[0:1]);	// full sink
+	match (r1) {
+	case let n: size => abort();
+	case let e: io.error => { assert(e is nomem); };
+	};
+
+	let ze: memio.stream = memio.fixed(buf[0:0]);
+	let zs: io.stream = &ze.vt;
+	let rz: (size | io.error) = io.write(zs, src[0:1]);	// zero-len sink
+	match (rz) {
+	case let n: size => abort();
+	case let e: io.error => { assert(e is nomem); };
+	};
+};
+
 // ---- dynamicgrowcases: every cap doubling exercised ---------------------
 
 // Drive grow 0 → 8 → 16 → 32 by writing sized chunks. Verify
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index 02b6fc5c..4a634ff2 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -17591,10 +17591,9 @@ export type stream = struct {
 };
 
 // fixed — wire a stream over a caller-supplied buffer. Writes never
-// grow; they return 0 once `pos` reaches the end of the buffer (Hare
-// returns `nomem` here; ww surfaces 0 — graduating to Hare's `nomem`
-// return needs the widen-from-bare-nomem path that #173-family work
-// gates).
+// grow; a write to a full buffer returns nomem, matching Hare
+// (ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:44,161). A zero-length write always
+// succeeds with 0 (the empty-input short-circuit, stream.ha:157).
 //
 // Mirrors ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:46.
 export fn fixed(buf: []u8) stream = {
@@ -17708,7 +17707,12 @@ fn seekfn(s: io.stream, off: io.off, w: io.whence) (io.off | io.error) = {
 
 fn fixedwrite(s: io.stream, buf: []u8) (size | io.error) = {
 	let m: *stream = s: *stream;
-	if (m.pos >= m.len) { return 0: size; };
+	if (buf.len == 0) { return 0: size; };	// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:157
+	if (m.pos >= m.len) {			// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:161
+		let nm: nomem;
+		let e: io.error = nm;
+		return e;
+	};
 	let space: i32 = m.len - m.pos;
 	let n: i32 = buf.len;
 	if (space < n) { n = space; };
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index ba68f0a2..8c5374f4 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -17591,10 +17591,9 @@ export type stream = struct {
 };
 
 // fixed — wire a stream over a caller-supplied buffer. Writes never
-// grow; they return 0 once `pos` reaches the end of the buffer (Hare
-// returns `nomem` here; ww surfaces 0 — graduating to Hare's `nomem`
-// return needs the widen-from-bare-nomem path that #173-family work
-// gates).
+// grow; a write to a full buffer returns nomem, matching Hare
+// (ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:44,161). A zero-length write always
+// succeeds with 0 (the empty-input short-circuit, stream.ha:157).
 //
 // Mirrors ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:46.
 export fn fixed(buf: []u8) stream = {
@@ -17708,7 +17707,12 @@ fn seekfn(s: io.stream, off: io.off, w: io.whence) (io.off | io.error) = {
 
 fn fixedwrite(s: io.stream, buf: []u8) (size | io.error) = {
 	let m: *stream = s: *stream;
-	if (m.pos >= m.len) { return 0: size; };
+	if (buf.len == 0) { return 0: size; };	// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:157
+	if (m.pos >= m.len) {			// ref/hare/memio/stream.ha:161
+		let nm: nomem;
+		let e: io.error = nm;
+		return e;
+	};
 	let space: i32 = m.len - m.pos;
 	let n: i32 = buf.len;
 	if (space < n) { n = space; };