diff --git a/src/adapt.go b/src/adapt.go
index 4d9e755..21a1c96 100755
--- a/src/adapt.go
+++ b/src/adapt.go
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ func adapt(ctx context.Context, config Config, conn net.Conn) error {
 				if len(message) > 1 {
 					hashKey = message[1].(string)
 				}
-				var reply []byte
 				if err := config.WithConn(hashKey, func(forwardConn net.Conn) error {
 					//log.Printf("forwarding %q", raw)
 
@@ -47,22 +46,12 @@ func adapt(ctx context.Context, config Config, conn net.Conn) error {
 
 					replyer := bufio.NewReader(forwardConn)
 					//log.Printf("reading reply to %q", raw)
-					reply, _, err = readMessage(replyer)
+					_, err = readMessageTo(conn, replyer)
 					//log.Printf("read reply %q", raw)
 					return err
 				}); err != nil {
 					return true, err
 				}
-				log.Printf("replying: %v", len(reply))
-				written := 0
-				for written < len(reply) {
-					more, err := conn.Write(reply[written:min(len(reply), written+4096)])
-					if err != nil {
-						return true, err
-					}
-					written += more
-					//log.Printf("replied %v of %v...", written, len(reply))
-				}
 			}
 
 			return false, nil
@@ -77,42 +66,42 @@ func adapt(ctx context.Context, config Config, conn net.Conn) error {
 }
 
 func readMessage(reader *bufio.Reader) ([]byte, []any, error) {
-	b, arr, err := _readMessage(reader)
-	return b, arr, err
+	w := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+	arr, err := readMessageTo(w, reader)
+	return w.Bytes(), arr, err
 }
 
-func _readMessage(reader *bufio.Reader) ([]byte, []any, error) {
-	w := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+func readMessageTo(w io.Writer, reader *bufio.Reader) ([]any, error) {
 	firstLine, _, err := reader.ReadLine()
 	if err != nil {
-		return w.Bytes(), nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	firstLine = bytes.TrimSuffix(firstLine, []byte("\r\n"))
 	if len(firstLine) == 0 {
-		return w.Bytes(), nil, nil
+		return nil, nil
 	}
 	fmt.Fprintf(w, "%s\r\n", firstLine)
 
 	switch firstLine[0] {
 	case '+': // simple string, like +OK
-		return w.Bytes(), []any{string(firstLine[1:])}, nil
+		return []any{string(firstLine[1:])}, nil
 	case '-': // simple error, like -message
-		return w.Bytes(), []any{string(firstLine)}, nil
+		return []any{string(firstLine)}, nil
 	case ':': // number, like /[+-][0-9]+/
 		firstLine = bytes.TrimPrefix(firstLine[1:], []byte("+"))
 		n, err := strconv.Atoi(string(firstLine))
 		if err != nil {
-			return w.Bytes(), nil, fmt.Errorf("num not a num in %q: %q: %w", w.Bytes(), firstLine, err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("num not a num: %q: %w", firstLine, err)
 		}
-		return w.Bytes(), []any{n}, err
+		return []any{n}, err
 	case '$': // long string, like $-1 for nil, like $LEN\r\nSTRING\r\n
 		if firstLine[1] == '-' {
-			return w.Bytes(), []any{nil}, nil
+			return []any{nil}, nil
 		}
 		firstLine = bytes.TrimPrefix(firstLine[1:], []byte("+"))
 		n, err := strconv.Atoi(string(firstLine))
 		if err != nil {
-			return w.Bytes(), nil, fmt.Errorf("num not a num in %q: %q: %w", w.Bytes(), firstLine, err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("num not a num: %q: %w", firstLine, err)
 		}
 		//log.Printf("reading %v+2 bytes for bulk string", n)
 		nextLine := make([]byte, n+2)
@@ -120,40 +109,36 @@ func _readMessage(reader *bufio.Reader) ([]byte, []any, error) {
 		for nAt < n+2 {
 			nMore, err := reader.Read(nextLine[nAt:])
 			if err != nil {
-				return w.Bytes(), nil, fmt.Errorf("couldnt read %v more/%v bytes for long string: %w", n+2-nAt, n+2, err)
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("couldnt read %v more/%v bytes for long string: %w", n+2-nAt, n+2, err)
 			}
 			nAt += nMore
 		}
 		fmt.Fprintf(w, "%s", nextLine)
-		return w.Bytes(), []any{string(nextLine)}, err
+		return []any{string(nextLine)}, err
 	case '*': // array, like *-1 for nil, like *4 for [1,2,3,4]
 		n, err := strconv.Atoi(string(firstLine[1:]))
 		if err != nil {
-			return w.Bytes(), nil, fmt.Errorf("arr not a num: %q: %w", firstLine, err)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("arr not a num: %q: %w", firstLine, err)
 		} else if n == -1 {
-			return w.Bytes(), nil, nil
+			return nil, nil
 		}
 		var result []any
 		for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
-			moreBytes, more, err := _readMessage(reader)
-			moreBytes = bytes.TrimSuffix(moreBytes, []byte("\r\n"))
-			if len(moreBytes) > 0 {
-				fmt.Fprintf(w, "%s\r\n", moreBytes)
-			}
+			more, err := readMessageTo(w, reader)
 			if err != nil {
-				return w.Bytes(), nil, err
+				return nil, err
 			}
 			result = append(result, more...)
 		}
-		return w.Bytes(), result, nil
+		return result, nil
 	case '_': // nil
-		return w.Bytes(), nil, nil
+		return nil, nil
 	case '#': // boolean, like #t or #f
-		return w.Bytes(), []any{firstLine[1] == 't'}, nil
+		return []any{firstLine[1] == 't'}, nil
 	case ',': // double
 		log.Fatal("not impl")
 	}
 
 	log.Fatalf("not impl: %q", firstLine)
-	return w.Bytes(), nil, nil
+	return nil, nil
 }