diff --git a/templates/linux/main.c b/templates/linux/main.c
index d914386..9f3ec4d 100644
--- a/templates/linux/main.c
+++ b/templates/linux/main.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ unsigned long long nplen = NPUB_LENGTH;
 unsigned char *k = NULL;
 unsigned long long klen = KEY_LENGTH;
 
-static void read_variable(unsigned char **target, unsigned long long *lenp) {
+static void recv_variable(unsigned char **target, unsigned long long *lenp) {
     if (*target != NULL) {
         free(*target);
     }
@@ -46,26 +46,25 @@ static void read_variable(unsigned char **target, unsigned long long *lenp) {
     }
     *lenp = len;
 
-    if (*lenp == 0) {
-        *target = NULL;
-        return;
-    }
-
-    *target = malloc(*lenp);
+    *target = malloc(len);
 
     if (NULL == *target) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: couldn't malloc %llu bytes\r\n", *lenp);
+        fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: couldn't malloc %u bytes\r\n", len);
         exit(2);
     }
 
+    if (*lenp == 0) {
+        return;
+    }
+
     if (1 != fread(*target, *lenp, 1, stdin)) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: didn't read %llu bytes of data\r\n", *lenp);
+        fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: didn't read %u bytes of data\r\n", len);
         exit(1);
     }
 }
 
 
-static void write_variable(unsigned char *target, unsigned long long len) {
+static void send_variable(unsigned char *target, unsigned long long len) {
     uint32_t olen = len;
     if (1 != fwrite(&olen, sizeof(olen), 1, stdout)) {
         fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: didn't write length\r\n");
@@ -92,22 +91,23 @@ int main() {
     while (1) {
         if (1 != fread(&action, sizeof(action), 1, stdin))
             return 1;
+        fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: received action 0x%02x\r\n", action);
 
         switch (action) {
-            case 'c': read_variable(&c, &clen); break;
-            case 'm': read_variable(&m, &mlen); break;
-            case 'a': read_variable(&ad, &adlen); break;
-            case 'k': read_variable(&k, &klen); break;
+            case 'c': recv_variable(&c, &clen); break;
+            case 'm': recv_variable(&m, &mlen); break;
+            case 'a': recv_variable(&ad, &adlen); break;
+            case 'k': recv_variable(&k, &klen); break;
 
-            case 's': read_variable(&nsec, &nslen); break;
-            case 'p': read_variable(&npub, &nplen); break;
+            case 's': recv_variable(&nsec, &nslen); break;
+            case 'p': recv_variable(&npub, &nplen); break;
 
-            case 'C': write_variable(c, clen); break;
-            case 'M': write_variable(m, mlen); break;
-            case 'A': write_variable(ad, adlen); break;
-            case 'K': write_variable(k, klen); break;
-            case 'S': write_variable(nsec, nslen); break;
-            case 'P': write_variable(npub, nplen); break;
+            case 'C': send_variable(c, clen); break;
+            case 'M': send_variable(m, mlen); break;
+            case 'A': send_variable(ad, adlen); break;
+            case 'K': send_variable(k, klen); break;
+            case 'S': send_variable(nsec, nslen); break;
+            case 'P': send_variable(npub, nplen); break;
 
 
             case 'e':
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ int main() {
                 fprintf(stderr, "klen = %llu\r\n", klen);
                 fprintf(stderr, "k = "); FPRINTF_HEX(stderr, k, klen); fprintf(stderr, "\r\n");
 */
+
                 if (k == NULL) {
                     fprintf(stderr, "Missing key\r\n");
                     return 3;