diff --git a/src/daemon.c b/src/daemon.c
index 914dd99..a2d8748 100644
--- a/src/daemon.c
+++ b/src/daemon.c
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ static int event_handler(struct event *ev)
 	static int last_time = 0;
 	static int timeout = 0;
 	static struct keyboard *timeout_kbd = NULL;
-	struct key_event kev;
+	struct key_event kev = {0};
 
 	timeout -= ev->timestamp - last_time;
 	last_time = ev->timestamp;
@@ -495,7 +495,11 @@ int run_daemon(int argc, char *argv[])
 
 	setvbuf(stdout, NULL, _IOLBF, 0);
 	setvbuf(stderr, NULL, _IOLBF, 0);
-	nice(-20);
+
+	if (nice(-20) == -1) {
+		perror("nice");
+		exit(-1);
+	}
 
 	evloop_add_fd(ipcfd);
 
diff --git a/src/device.c b/src/device.c
index 60e082e..ecbf9ee 100644
--- a/src/device.c
+++ b/src/device.c
@@ -4,10 +4,7 @@
  * © 2019 Raheman Vaiya (see also: LICENSE).
  */
 
-#include "error.h"
-#include "device.h"
-#include "keys.h"
-
+#include "keyd.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
@@ -469,5 +466,5 @@ void device_set_led(const struct device *dev, int led, int state)
 		.value = state
 	};
 
-	write(dev->fd, &ev, sizeof ev);
+	xwrite(dev->fd, &ev, sizeof ev);
 }
diff --git a/src/ipc.c b/src/ipc.c
index 50f0717..9b8ec14 100644
--- a/src/ipc.c
+++ b/src/ipc.c
@@ -8,36 +8,6 @@
 
 /* TODO (maybe): settle on an API and publish the protocol. */
 
-void xwrite(int fd, const void *buf, size_t sz)
-{
-	size_t nwr = 0;
-	ssize_t n;
-
-	while(sz != nwr) {
-		n = write(fd, buf+nwr, sz-nwr);
-		if (n < 0) {
-			perror("write");
-			exit(-1);
-		}
-		nwr += n;
-	}
-}
-
-void xread(int fd, void *buf, size_t sz)
-{
-	size_t nrd = 0;
-	ssize_t n;
-
-	while(sz != nrd) {
-		n = read(fd, buf+nrd, sz-nrd);
-		if (n < 0) {
-			perror("read");
-			exit(-1);
-		}
-		nrd += n;
-	}
-}
-
 static void chgid()
 {
 	struct group *g = getgrnam("keyd");
diff --git a/src/keyd.c b/src/keyd.c
index 621ab63..46481fd 100644
--- a/src/keyd.c
+++ b/src/keyd.c
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ static int ipc_exec(int type, const char *data, size_t sz, uint32_t timeout)
 	xread(con, &msg, sizeof msg);
 
 	if (msg.sz) {
-		write(1, msg.data, msg.sz);
-		write(1, "\n", 1);
+		xwrite(1, msg.data, msg.sz);
+		xwrite(1, "\n", 1);
 	}
 
 	return msg.type == IPC_FAIL;
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ static int layer_listen(int argc, char *argv[])
 		if (sz <= 0)
 			return -1;
 
-		write(1, buf, sz);
+		xwrite(1, buf, sz);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/keyd.h b/src/keyd.h
index 2386cc1..202c6f8 100644
--- a/src/keyd.h
+++ b/src/keyd.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <sys/un.h>
 #include <termios.h>
 #include <getopt.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
diff --git a/src/util.c b/src/util.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e35ec5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util.c
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#include "keyd.h"
+
+void xwrite(int fd, const void *buf, size_t sz)
+{
+	size_t nwr = 0;
+	ssize_t n;
+
+	while(sz != nwr) {
+		n = write(fd, buf+nwr, sz-nwr);
+		if (n < 0) {
+			perror("write");
+			exit(-1);
+		}
+		nwr += n;
+	}
+}
+
+void xread(int fd, void *buf, size_t sz)
+{
+	size_t nrd = 0;
+	ssize_t n;
+
+	while(sz != nrd) {
+		n = read(fd, buf+nrd, sz-nrd);
+		if (n < 0) {
+			perror("read");
+			exit(-1);
+		}
+		nrd += n;
+	}
+}
+
diff --git a/src/vkbd/uinput.c b/src/vkbd/uinput.c
index da549bc..b138941 100644
--- a/src/vkbd/uinput.c
+++ b/src/vkbd/uinput.c
@@ -23,9 +23,7 @@
 #define REPEAT_INTERVAL 40
 #define REPEAT_TIMEOUT 200
 
-#include "../vkbd.h"
-#include "../keys.h"
-#include "../error.h"
+#include "../keyd.h"
 
 struct vkbd {
 	int fd;
@@ -200,14 +198,14 @@ void write_key_event(const struct vkbd *vkbd, uint8_t code, int state)
 	ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 	ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-	write(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 
 	ev.type = EV_SYN;
 	ev.code = 0;
 	ev.value = 0;
 
 
-	write(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(fd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&mtx);
 }
@@ -259,7 +257,7 @@ void vkbd_mouse_move(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 		ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 		ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-		write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+		xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 	}
 
 	if (y) {
@@ -270,14 +268,14 @@ void vkbd_mouse_move(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 		ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 		ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-		write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+		xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 	}
 
 	ev.type = EV_SYN;
 	ev.code = 0;
 	ev.value = 0;
 
-	write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 }
 
 void vkbd_mouse_scroll(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
@@ -291,7 +289,7 @@ void vkbd_mouse_scroll(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 	ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 	ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-	write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 
 	ev.type = EV_REL;
 	ev.code = REL_HWHEEL;
@@ -300,13 +298,13 @@ void vkbd_mouse_scroll(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 	ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 	ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-	write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 
 	ev.type = EV_SYN;
 	ev.code = 0;
 	ev.value = 0;
 
-	write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 }
 
 void vkbd_mouse_move_abs(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
@@ -321,7 +319,7 @@ void vkbd_mouse_move_abs(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 		ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 		ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-		write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+		xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 	}
 
 	if (y) {
@@ -332,14 +330,14 @@ void vkbd_mouse_move_abs(const struct vkbd *vkbd, int x, int y)
 		ev.time.tv_sec = 0;
 		ev.time.tv_usec = 0;
 
-		write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+		xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 	}
 
 	ev.type = EV_SYN;
 	ev.code = 0;
 	ev.value = 0;
 
-	write(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
+	xwrite(vkbd->pfd, &ev, sizeof(ev));
 }
 
 void vkbd_send_key(const struct vkbd *vkbd, uint8_t code, int state)
diff --git a/t/chord3.t b/t/chord3.t
index a96e4b1..6616937 100644
--- a/t/chord3.t
+++ b/t/chord3.t
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 a down
 b down
-200 ms
+200ms
 a up
 j down
 k down
-200 ms
+200ms
 b up
 j up
 k up