diff --git a/http.c b/http.c
index 881a7e0..1948f2b 100644
--- a/http.c
+++ b/http.c
@@ -11,19 +11,19 @@
 
 #include "snac.h"
 
-d_char *http_signed_request(snac *snac, char *method, char *url,
-                            d_char *headers,
-                            d_char *body, int b_size,
-                            int *status, d_char **payload, int *p_size,
+xs_dict *http_signed_request(snac *snac, const char *method, const char *url,
+                            xs_dict *headers,
+                            const char *body, int b_size,
+                            int *status, xs_str **payload, int *p_size,
                             int timeout)
 /* does a signed HTTP request */
 {
-    xs *l1;
-    xs *date;
-    xs *digest;
-    xs *s64;
-    xs *signature;
-    xs *hdrs;
+    xs *l1 = NULL;
+    xs *date = NULL;
+    xs *digest = NULL;
+    xs *s64 = NULL;
+    xs *signature = NULL;
+    xs *hdrs = NULL;
     char *host;
     char *target;
     char *seckey;
diff --git a/snac.c b/snac.c
index e8c3a3d..c15a74a 100644
--- a/snac.c
+++ b/snac.c
@@ -138,8 +138,10 @@ int check_password(const char *uid, const char *passwd, const char *hash)
 }
 
 
-void srv_archive(char *direction, char *req, char *payload, int p_size,
-                 int status, char *headers, char *body, int b_size)
+void srv_archive(const char *direction, xs_dict *req,
+                 const char *payload, int p_size,
+                 int status, xs_dict *headers,
+                 const char *body, int b_size)
 /* archives a connection */
 {
     /* obsessive archiving */
diff --git a/snac.h b/snac.h
index dc6662e..6185e8b 100644
--- a/snac.h
+++ b/snac.h
@@ -46,8 +46,10 @@ int validate_uid(const char *uid);
 d_char *hash_password(const char *uid, const char *passwd, const char *nonce);
 int check_password(const char *uid, const char *passwd, const char *hash);
 
-void srv_archive(char *direction, char *req, char *payload, int p_size,
-                 int status, char *headers, char *body, int b_size);
+void srv_archive(const char *direction, xs_dict *req,
+                 const char *payload, int p_size,
+                 int status, xs_dict *headers,
+                 const char *body, int b_size);
 
 double mtime_nl(const char *fn, int *n_link);
 #define mtime(fn) mtime_nl(fn, NULL)
@@ -133,11 +135,11 @@ d_char *dequeue(snac *snac, char *fn);
 void purge(snac *snac);
 void purge_all(void);
 
-d_char *http_signed_request(snac *snac, char *method, char *url,
-                        d_char *headers,
-                        d_char *body, int b_size,
-                        int *status, d_char **payload, int *p_size,
-                        int timeout);
+xs_dict *http_signed_request(snac *snac, const char *method, const char *url,
+                            xs_dict *headers,
+                            const char *body, int b_size,
+                            int *status, xs_str **payload, int *p_size,
+                            int timeout);
 int check_signature(snac *snac, char *req);
 
 void httpd(void);
diff --git a/xs_curl.h b/xs_curl.h
index 2637c02..1ac0e13 100644
--- a/xs_curl.h
+++ b/xs_curl.h
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 
 #define _XS_CURL_H
 
-xs_dict *xs_http_request(char *method, char *url, xs_dict *headers,
-                        xs_str *body, int b_size, int *status,
+xs_dict *xs_http_request(const char *method, const char *url,
+                        const xs_dict *headers,
+                        const xs_str *body, int b_size, int *status,
                         xs_str **payload, int *p_size, int timeout);
 
 #ifdef XS_IMPLEMENTATION
@@ -83,8 +84,9 @@ static int _post_callback(char *buffer, size_t size,
 }
 
 
-xs_dict *xs_http_request(char *method, char *url, xs_dict *headers,
-                        xs_str *body, int b_size, int *status,
+xs_dict *xs_http_request(const char *method, const char *url,
+                        const xs_dict *headers,
+                        const xs_str *body, int b_size, int *status,
                         xs_str **payload, int *p_size, int timeout)
 /* does an HTTP request */
 {
@@ -136,7 +138,7 @@ xs_dict *xs_http_request(char *method, char *url, xs_dict *headers,
             sprintf(tmp, "content-length: %d", b_size);
             list = curl_slist_append(list, tmp);
 
-            pd.data = body;
+            pd.data = (char *)body;
             pd.size = b_size;
             pd.offset = 0;
 
@@ -146,7 +148,7 @@ xs_dict *xs_http_request(char *method, char *url, xs_dict *headers,
     }
 
     /* fill the request headers */
-    p = headers;
+    p = (xs_dict *)headers;
     while (xs_dict_iter(&p, &k, &v)) {
         xs *h = xs_fmt("%s: %s", k, v);