diff --git a/lib/hcl.h b/lib/hcl.h
index a0b763b..d689401 100644
--- a/lib/hcl.h
+++ b/lib/hcl.h
@@ -1229,7 +1229,12 @@ struct hcl_io_cciarg_t
 	/**
 	 * [OUT] place data here for #HCL_IO_READ
 	 */
-	hcl_ooch_t buf[2048]; /* TODO: resize this if necessary */
+	hcl_ooch_t buf[2047]; /* TODO: resize this if necessary */
+	hcl_ooch_t is_bytes;
+#if defined(HCL_OOCH_IS_UCH)
+	hcl_bch_t b_int[10];
+	hcl_bch_t bbuf[2037];
+#endif
 
 	/**
 	 * [OUT] place the number of characters read here for #HCL_IO_READ
diff --git a/lib/read.c b/lib/read.c
index 4dbda45..6cb86da 100644
--- a/lib/read.c
+++ b/lib/read.c
@@ -2915,23 +2915,29 @@ static void feed_update_lx_loc (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_ooci_t ch)
 }
 
 #if 0
-TODO: support the byte cci stream
+/*TODO: support the byte cci stream*/
 
 static int read_cci_stream (hcl_t* hcl)
 {
 	int x;
 	hcl_io_cciarg_t* arg;
+	static hcl_io_cmd_t read_cmd[] =
+	{
+		HCL_IO_READ,
+		HCL_IO_READ_BYTES
+	};
 
 	arg = hcl->c->curinp;
 
 	/*x = hcl->c->cci_rdr(hcl, HCL_IO_READ, hcl->c->curinp);*/
-	x = hcl->c->cci_rdr(hcl, arg->read_cmd, hcl->c->curinp);
+	x = hcl->c->cci_rdr(hcl, read_cmd[!!arg->is_bytes], hcl->c->curinp);
 	if (x <= -1) return -1;
 
 #if defined(HCL_OOCH_IS_UCH)
-	if (arg->read_cmd == HCL_IO_READ_BYTES)
+	if (arg->is_bytes)
 	{
-		hcl_oow_t bcslen, ucslen;
+		hcl_oow_t bcslen, ucslen, remlen;
+
 		bcslen = arg->bytes.len;
 		ucslen = HCL_COUNTOF(arg->buf);
 		x = hcl_convbtooochars(hcl, arg->bytes.buf, &bcslen, arg->buf, &ucslen);
diff --git a/lib/std.c b/lib/std.c
index 70c4a70..89d3b39 100644
--- a/lib/std.c
+++ b/lib/std.c
@@ -3502,7 +3502,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int open_udi_stream (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udiarg_t* arg)
 
 	if (!bb->fp)
 	{
-		hcl_seterrbfmt (hcl, HCL_EIOERR, "unable to open %hs", bb->fn);
+		hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to open udi stream '%hs'", xtn->udi_path);
 		goto oops;
 	}
 
@@ -3549,7 +3549,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int read_udi_stream (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udiarg_t* arg)
 		{
 			if (ferror((FILE*)bb->fp))
 			{
-				hcl_seterrnum (hcl, HCL_EIOERR);
+				hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to read udi stream");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			break;
@@ -3599,7 +3599,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int read_udi_stream_bytes (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udiarg_t* arg)
 		{
 			if (ferror((FILE*)bb->fp))
 			{
-				hcl_seterrnum (hcl, HCL_EIOERR);
+				hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to read udi stream");
 				return -1;
 			}
 			break;
@@ -3663,9 +3663,9 @@ static HCL_INLINE int open_udo_stream (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udoarg_t* arg)
 	if (!fp)
 	{
 		if (xtn->udo_path)
-			hcl_seterrbfmt (hcl, HCL_EIOERR, "unable to open %hs", xtn->udo_path);
+			hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to open udp stream '%hs'", xtn->udo_path);
 		else
-			hcl_seterrnum (hcl, HCL_EIOERR);
+			hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to open udo stream", xtn->udo_path);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
@@ -3713,7 +3713,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int write_udo_stream (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udoarg_t* arg)
 
 		if (fwrite(bcsbuf, HCL_SIZEOF(bcsbuf[0]), bcslen, (FILE*)arg->handle) < bcslen)
 		{
-			hcl_seterrnum (hcl, HCL_EIOERR);
+			hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to write udo stream");
 			return -1;
 		}
 
@@ -3734,7 +3734,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int write_udo_stream_bytes (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_io_udoarg_t* arg)
 
 	if (fwrite(ptr, HCL_SIZEOF(*ptr), arg->len, (FILE*)arg->handle) < arg->len)
 	{
-		hcl_seterrnum (hcl, HCL_EIOERR);
+		hcl_seterrbfmtwithsyserr (hcl, 0, errno, "unable to write udo stream");
 		return -1;
 	}