diff --git a/hawk/bin/main.c b/hawk/bin/main.c
index 20d925e0..9cd20449 100644
--- a/hawk/bin/main.c
+++ b/hawk/bin/main.c
@@ -1221,6 +1221,11 @@ static HAWK_INLINE int execute_hawk (int argc, hawk_bch_t* argv[])
 		hawk_rtx_execwithbcstrarr(rtx, (const hawk_bch_t**)arg.icf.ptr, arg.icf.size);
 #endif
 
+	/* clear unflushed io data - this is also done by hawk_rtx_close().
+	 * but i restore the SIGPIPE handler to the default in unset_intr_run().
+	 * any output after this restoration may cause the program to terminate for unhandled SIGPIPE */
+	hawk_rtx_cleario (rtx);
+
 	unset_intr_run ();
 
 	if (retv)
diff --git a/hawk/lib/fnc.c b/hawk/lib/fnc.c
index ebd461e3..21e6c84d 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/fnc.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/fnc.c
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ static int flush_io (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, int rio, const hawk_ooch_t* name, int n)
 
 	if (rtx->rio.handler[rio] != HAWK_NULL)
 	{
-		n2 = hawk_rtx_flushio (rtx, rio, name);
+		n2 = hawk_rtx_flushio(rtx, rio, name);
 		if (n2 <= -1)
 		{
 			/*
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ static int fnc_fflush (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 		 * BEGIN { flush(); } # flush() returns -1
 		 * BEGIN { print 1; flush(); } # flush() returns 0
 		 */
-		n = hawk_rtx_flushio (rtx, HAWK_OUT_CONSOLE, HAWK_T(""));
+		n = hawk_rtx_flushio(rtx, HAWK_OUT_CONSOLE, HAWK_T(""));
 	}
 	else
 	{
diff --git a/hawk/lib/run.c b/hawk/lib/run.c
index 409225b8..e372bf79 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/run.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/run.c
@@ -3356,7 +3356,7 @@ static int run_printf (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_nde_print_t* nde)
 	HAWK_ASSERT (head != HAWK_NULL);
 
 	v = eval_expression(rtx, head);
-	if (v == HAWK_NULL) goto oops_1;
+	if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(!v)) goto oops_1;
 	
 	hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, v);
 	vtype = HAWK_RTX_GETVALTYPE(rtx, v);
@@ -5547,8 +5547,8 @@ static hawk_val_t* eval_binop_match0 (
 	hawk_oocs_t out;
 	int n;
 
-	out.ptr = hawk_rtx_getvaloocstr (rtx, left, &out.len);
-	if (out.ptr == HAWK_NULL) return HAWK_NULL;
+	out.ptr = hawk_rtx_getvaloocstr(rtx, left, &out.len);
+	if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(!out.ptr)) return HAWK_NULL;
 
 	n = hawk_rtx_matchvalwithoocs(rtx, right, &out, &out, HAWK_NULL, HAWK_NULL);
 	hawk_rtx_freevaloocstr (rtx, left, out.ptr);