diff --git a/lib/bufio/bufio.ww b/lib/bufio/bufio.ww
index e44482c8..14b2b65f 100644
--- a/lib/bufio/bufio.ww
+++ b/lib/bufio/bufio.ww
@@ -25,16 +25,17 @@ export fn init(b: *buf, s: streamp, data: *u8, cap: i32) void = {
 	b.w = 0;
 };
 
-// readbyte — pop one byte. -1 if empty. Hare name (transliterated
-// from `read_byte`); the `-1`-for-EOF return is the sanctioned subset
-// of Hare's `(u8 | EOF | error)`.
-export fn readbyte(b: *buf) i32 = {
+// readbyte — pop one byte. void variant signals EOF (empty buffer).
+// Hare name; the (i32 | void) shape is a subset of Hare's full
+// (u8 | EOF | io::error) — error reporting from the underlying
+// stream will arrive when bufio actually wires up to io::stream.
+export fn readbyte(b: *buf) (i32 | void) = {
 	if (b.r < b.w) {
 		let c: u8 = b.data[b.r];
 		b.r += 1;
 		return c: i32;
 	};
-	return -1;
+	return;
 };
 
 // Distinct alias so `(str | linerr)` has two variant types the
diff --git a/lib/encoding/utf8/utf8.ww b/lib/encoding/utf8/utf8.ww
index dc1f651e..0185f7d6 100644
--- a/lib/encoding/utf8/utf8.ww
+++ b/lib/encoding/utf8/utf8.ww
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 // subset (no over-long encodings, no surrogates).
 
 def MAX:  rune = 1114111;	// 0x10FFFF
-def BAD:  rune = -1;
 
-export fn runesz(r: rune) i32 = {
-	if (r < 0)         { return -1; };
+// runesz — encoded byte length of `r` as UTF-8. void variant means
+// `r` is outside the legal range (negative, > 0x10FFFF).
+export fn runesz(r: rune) (i32 | void) = {
+	if (r < 0)         { return; };
 	if (r < 128)       { return 1; };
 	if (r < 2048)      { return 2; };
 	if (r < 65536)     { return 3; };
 	if (r <= MAX)      { return 4; };
-	return -1;
+	return;
 };