diff --git a/daemon/call_interfaces.c b/daemon/call_interfaces.c
index ea05c07f4..b86bcde88 100644
--- a/daemon/call_interfaces.c
+++ b/daemon/call_interfaces.c
@@ -1198,18 +1198,18 @@ static void ng_list_calls(ng_command_ctx_t *ctx, parser_arg output, long long in
 
 
 const char *call_query_ng(ng_command_ctx_t *ctx) {
-	str callid, fromtag, totag;
 	call_t *call;
 	parser_arg input = ctx->req;
 	const ng_parser_t *parser = ctx->parser_ctx.parser;
 
-	if (!parser->dict_get_str(input, "call-id", &callid))
+	str callid = parser->dict_get_str(input, "call-id");
+	if (!callid.len)
 		return "No call-id in message";
 	call = call_get(&callid);
 	if (!call)
 		return "Unknown call-id";
-	parser->dict_get_str(input, "from-tag", &fromtag);
-	parser->dict_get_str(input, "to-tag", &totag);
+	str fromtag = parser->dict_get_str(input, "from-tag");
+	str totag = parser->dict_get_str(input, "to-tag");
 
 	ng_call_stats(ctx, call, &fromtag, &totag, NULL);
 	rwlock_unlock_w(&call->master_lock);
@@ -1301,12 +1301,10 @@ static void stop_recording_fn(ng_command_ctx_t *ctx, call_t *call) {
 	// support alternative usage for "pause" call: either `pause=yes` ...
 	parser_arg input = ctx->req;
 	const ng_parser_t *parser = ctx->parser_ctx.parser;
-	str pause;
-	if (parser->dict_get_str(input, "pause", &pause)) {
-		if (!str_cmp(&pause, "yes") || !str_cmp(&pause, "on") || !str_cmp(&pause, "true")) {
-			pause_recording_fn(ctx, call);
-			return;
-		}
+	str pause = parser->dict_get_str(input, "pause");
+	if (!str_cmp(&pause, "yes") || !str_cmp(&pause, "on") || !str_cmp(&pause, "true")) {
+		pause_recording_fn(ctx, call);
+		return;
 	}
 	// ... or `flags=[pause]`
 	parser_arg item = parser->dict_get_expect(input, "flags", BENCODE_LIST);
diff --git a/daemon/cli.c b/daemon/cli.c
index d261e871a..1f1363c0c 100644
--- a/daemon/cli.c
+++ b/daemon/cli.c
@@ -2133,8 +2133,8 @@ static size_t ng_printf(struct cli_writer *cw, const char *fmt, ...) {
 
 const char *cli_ng(ng_command_ctx_t *ctx) {
 	__auto_type parser = ctx->parser_ctx.parser;
-	str body;
-	if (!parser->dict_get_str(ctx->req, "body", &body))
+	str body = parser->dict_get_str(ctx->req, "body");
+	if (!body.len)
 		return "No 'body' in message";
 
 	g_autoptr(GString) response = g_string_new("");
diff --git a/daemon/codec.c b/daemon/codec.c
index 41043d7be..e600c53cd 100644
--- a/daemon/codec.c
+++ b/daemon/codec.c
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ static void __transform_handler_destroy(struct transform_handler *tfh) {
 
 		str result;
 		__auto_type ret = ng_client_request(&tcc->transform, &STR_LEN(req->str, req->len), memory_arena);
-		if (!ret || !bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "result", &result) || str_cmp(&result, "ok"))
+		if (!ret || !(result = bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "result")).len || str_cmp(&result, "ok"))
 			ilog(LOG_WARN, "Failed to delete remote 'transform' session");
 	}
 }
@@ -708,19 +708,17 @@ static const char *__make_transform_handler(struct codec_handler *handler) {
 		return "'transform' request to remote peer failed";
 
 	// process response
-	str result;
-	if (!bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "result", &result))
-		return "'transform' response didn't contain 'result'";
+	str result = bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "result");
 	if (str_cmp(&result, "ok"))
 		return "'transform' response didn't indicate success";
 
-	str s;
-
-	if (!bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "call-id", &s))
+	str s = bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "call-id");
+	if (!s.len)
 		return "'transform' response didn't contain 'call-id'";
 	tfh->call_id = call_str_cpy(&s);
 
-	if (!bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "from-tag", &s))
+	s = bencode_dictionary_get_str(ret, "from-tag");
+	if (!s.len)
 		return "'transform' response didn't contain 'from-tag'";
 	tfh->tag = call_str_cpy(&s);
 
@@ -734,13 +732,14 @@ static const char *__make_transform_handler(struct codec_handler *handler) {
 
 	if (rm->type != BENCODE_DICTIONARY)
 		return "incorrect type contained in 'media'";
-	str family, address;
 	int port = bencode_dictionary_get_integer(rm, "port", 0);
 	if (port <= 0 || port > 65535)
 		return "invalid port";
-	if (!bencode_dictionary_get_str(rm, "family", &family))
+	str family = bencode_dictionary_get_str(rm, "family");
+	if (!family.len)
 		return "'transform' response media didn't contain 'family'";
-	if (!bencode_dictionary_get_str(rm, "address", &address))
+	str address = bencode_dictionary_get_str(rm, "address");
+	if (!address.len)
 		return "'transform' response media didn't contain 'address'";
 	__auto_type fam = get_socket_family_rfc(&family);
 	if (!fam)
diff --git a/daemon/control_ng.c b/daemon/control_ng.c
index eb466d852..917cbd362 100644
--- a/daemon/control_ng.c
+++ b/daemon/control_ng.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ static bool json_is_int(JsonNode *n) {
 	}
 	return false;
 }
-static char *json_dict_get_str(JsonNode *dict, const char *entry, str *out) {
+static str json_dict_get_str(JsonNode *dict, const char *entry) {
 	JsonObject *o = json_node_get_object(dict);
 	if (!o)
 		goto out;
@@ -230,11 +230,9 @@ static char *json_dict_get_str(JsonNode *dict, const char *entry, str *out) {
 	const char *s = json_node_get_string(n);
 	if (!s)
 		goto out;
-	*out = STR(s);
-	return out->s;
+	return STR(s);
 out:
-	*out = STR_NULL;
-	return NULL;
+	return STR_NULL;
 }
 static void json_pretty_print(JsonNode *a, GString *out) {
 	JsonGenerator *g = json_generator_new();
@@ -675,7 +673,7 @@ ng_buffer *ng_buffer_new(struct obj *ref) {
 static void control_ng_process_payload(ng_ctx *hctx, str *reply, str *data, const endpoint_t *sin, char *addr, struct obj *ref,
 		struct ng_buffer **ngbufp)
 {
-	str cmd = STR_NULL, callid;
+	str cmd = STR_NULL;
 	const char *errstr, *resultstr;
 	GString *log_str;
 	int64_t cmd_start, cmd_stop, cmd_process_time = {0};
@@ -723,12 +721,12 @@ static void control_ng_process_payload(ng_ctx *hctx, str *reply, str *data, cons
 	command_ctx.resp = parser->dict(&command_ctx.parser_ctx);
 	assert(command_ctx.resp.gen != NULL);
 
-	parser->dict_get_str(command_ctx.req, "command", &cmd);
+	cmd = parser->dict_get_str(command_ctx.req, "command");
 	errstr = "Dictionary contains no key \"command\"";
 	if (!cmd.s)
 		goto err_send;
 
-	parser->dict_get_str(command_ctx.req, "call-id", &callid);
+	str callid = parser->dict_get_str(command_ctx.req, "call-id");
 	log_info_str(&callid);
 
 	ilogs(control, LOG_INFO, "Received command '"STR_FORMAT"' from %s", STR_FMT(&cmd), addr);
diff --git a/include/control_ng.h b/include/control_ng.h
index 90db3c057..3069b43a1 100644
--- a/include/control_ng.h
+++ b/include/control_ng.h
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ struct ng_parser {
 	long long (*get_int)(parser_arg);
 	bool (*is_dict)(parser_arg);
 	parser_arg (*dict)(ng_parser_ctx_t *);
-	char *(*dict_get_str)(parser_arg, const char *, str *);
+	str (*dict_get_str)(parser_arg, const char *);
 	long long (*dict_get_int_str)(parser_arg, const char *, long long def);
 	parser_arg (*dict_get_expect)(parser_arg, const char *, bencode_type_t);
 	bool (*dict_contains)(parser_arg, const char *);
diff --git a/lib/bencode.h b/lib/bencode.h
index b975b6a80..9bee7a1dd 100644
--- a/lib/bencode.h
+++ b/lib/bencode.h
@@ -309,9 +309,9 @@ bencode_item_t *bencode_dictionary_get_len(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key
  * valid pointer. The returned string will be valid until dict's bencode_buffer_t object is destroyed. */
 INLINE char *bencode_dictionary_get_string(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key, size_t *len);
 
-/* Identical to bencode_dictionary_get_string() but fills in a "str" struct. Returns str->s, which
- * may be NULL. */
-INLINE char *bencode_dictionary_get_str(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key, str *str);
+/* Identical to bencode_dictionary_get_string() but returns in a "str" struct.
+ * Returns NULL str on error. */
+INLINE str bencode_dictionary_get_str(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key);
 
 /* Looks up the given key in the dictionary and compares the corresponding value to the given
  * null-terminated string. Returns 2 if the key isn't found or if the value isn't a string, otherwise
@@ -482,12 +482,12 @@ INLINE char *bencode_dictionary_get_string(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key
 	return val->iov[1].iov_base;
 }
 
-INLINE char *bencode_dictionary_get_str(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key, str *s) {
-	*s = STR_NULL;
-	s->s = bencode_dictionary_get_string(dict, key, &s->len);
-	if (!s->s)
-		s->len = 0;
-	return s->s;
+INLINE str bencode_dictionary_get_str(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key) {
+	str s = STR_NULL;
+	s.s = bencode_dictionary_get_string(dict, key, &s.len);
+	if (!s.s)
+		s.len = 0;
+	return s;
 }
 
 INLINE char *bencode_dictionary_get_string_dup(bencode_item_t *dict, const char *key, size_t *len) {