diff --git a/lib/libxpc/include/xpc/string.h b/lib/libxpc/include/xpc/string.h
index b1b746e..fe7bcc6 100644
--- a/lib/libxpc/include/xpc/string.h
+++ b/lib/libxpc/include/xpc/string.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 		.s_flags = XPC_STRING_F_OUT | XPC_STRING_F_REMOTE,             \
 		.s_origin = (msg),                                             \
 		.s_offset = (offset),                                          \
-		.s_len = (size),                                               \
+		.s_max = (size),                                               \
 	}
 
 struct xpc_msg;
@@ -41,25 +41,19 @@ typedef enum xpc_string_flags {
 
 typedef struct xpc_string {
 	xpc_string_flags_t s_flags;
-	union {
-		struct {
-			/* only valid if F_OUT is set. specifies the maximum
-			 * number of chars that can be written to s_buf,
-			 * including the null terminator. */
-			size_t s_max;
-			/* only valid if F_OUT is set.
-			 * if F_FREE_ON_DISCARD is set, must be either NULL or
-			 * allocated via xpc_context_alloc */
-			const char *s_buf;
-		};
+	/* only valid if F_OUT is set. specifies the maximum
+	 * number of chars that can be written to s_buf,
+	 * including the null terminator. */
+	size_t s_max;
+	/* only valid if F_OUT is set.
+	 * if F_FREE_ON_DISCARD is set, must be either NULL or
+	 * allocated via xpc_context_alloc */
+	const char *s_buf;
 
-		struct {
-			/* only valid if F_IN is set. offset of the string data
-			 * within the associated message. used when reading
-			 * string data from a message. */
-			size_t s_offset;
-		};
-	};
+	/* valid for F_IN and F_OUT. offset of the string data
+	 * within the associated message. used when reading
+	 * string data from a message. */
+	size_t s_offset;
 
 	/* only valid if F_REMOTE is set.
 	 * used to read/write string data from/to the sender's address space. */
diff --git a/lib/libxpc/string.c b/lib/libxpc/string.c
index 5c8c946..4f06817 100644
--- a/lib/libxpc/string.c
+++ b/lib/libxpc/string.c
@@ -47,14 +47,10 @@ xpc_status_t xpc_string_write(
 		to_write = s->s_max - 1;
 	}
 
-	kern_status_t status
-		= xpc_msg_write(s->s_origin, s->s_offset, in, to_write);
-	if (status != KERN_OK) {
-		return status;
-	}
-
-	/* TODO */
-	*nr_written = to_write;
-
-	return KERN_OK;
+	return xpc_msg_write(
+		s->s_origin,
+		s->s_offset,
+		in,
+		to_write,
+		nr_written);
 }