diff --git a/src/devices/file.c b/src/devices/file.c
index 8a9ff7a..db79b06 100644
--- a/src/devices/file.c
+++ b/src/devices/file.c
@@ -76,26 +76,62 @@ reset(UxnFile *c)
 }
 
 static Uint16
-get_entry(char *p, Uint16 len, const char *pathname, const char *basename, int fail_nonzero)
+stat_fill(Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, char c)
 {
-	struct stat st;
-	if(len < strlen(basename) + 8)
-		return 0;
-	if(stat(pathname, &st))
-		return fail_nonzero ? snprintf(p, len, "!!!! %s\n", basename) : 0;
-	else if(S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
-		return snprintf(p, len, "---- %s/\n", basename);
-	else if(st.st_size < 0x10000)
-		return snprintf(p, len, "%04x %s\n", (unsigned int)st.st_size, basename);
-	else
-		return snprintf(p, len, "???? %s\n", basename);
+	Uint16 i;
+	for (i = 0; i < len; i++)
+		uxn.ram[(addr + i) & 0xffff] = c;
+	return len;
 }
 
 static Uint16
-file_read_dir(UxnFile *c, char *dest, Uint16 len)
+stat_size(Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, off_t size)
+{
+	Uint16 i;
+	for (i = 1; i <= len; i++) {
+		char c = '0' + (Uint8)(size & 0xf);
+		uxn.ram[(addr + len - i) & 0xffff] = c;
+		size = size >> 4;
+	}
+	if (size > 0)
+		stat_fill(addr, len, '?');
+	return len;
+}
+
+static Uint16
+stat_entry(Uint16 addr, char sym, off_t size, const char *s)
+{
+	Uint16 pos = addr;
+	pos += sym ? stat_fill(pos, 4, sym) : stat_size(pos, 4, size);
+	uxn.ram[(pos++) & 0xffff] = ' ';
+	while(*s)
+		uxn.ram[(pos++) & 0xffff] = *(s++);
+	uxn.ram[(pos++) & 0xffff] = '\n';
+	/* like printf and friends, we don't count the trailing null */
+	uxn.ram[pos & 0xffff] = '\0';
+	return pos - addr;
+}
+
+static Uint16
+get_entry(Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, const char *pathname, const char *basename)
+{
+	struct stat st;
+	if(len < strlen(basename) + 8) return 0;
+	char sym = 0;
+	off_t size = 0;
+	if(stat(pathname, &st)) sym = '!';
+	else if(S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) sym = '-';
+	else if(st.st_size >= 0x10000) sym = '?';
+	else size = st.st_size;
+	return stat_entry(addr, sym, size, basename);
+}
+
+static Uint16
+file_read_dir(UxnFile *c, Uint16 addr, Uint16 len)
 {
 	static char pathname[4352];
-	char *p = dest;
+	Uint16 pos = addr;
+	char cwd[PATH_MAX] = {'\0'}, *t;
 	if(c->de == NULL) c->de = readdir(c->dir);
 	for(; c->de != NULL; c->de = readdir(c->dir)) {
 		Uint16 n;
@@ -103,7 +139,6 @@ file_read_dir(UxnFile *c, char *dest, Uint16 len)
 			continue;
 		if(strcmp(c->de->d_name, "..") == 0) {
 			/* hide "sandbox/.." */
-			char cwd[PATH_MAX] = {'\0'}, *t;
 			/* Note there's [currently] no way of chdir()ing from uxn, so $PWD
 			 * is always the sandbox top level. */
 			getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd));
@@ -119,12 +154,12 @@ file_read_dir(UxnFile *c, char *dest, Uint16 len)
 			snprintf(pathname, sizeof(pathname), "%s/%s", c->current_filename, c->de->d_name);
 		else
 			pathname[0] = '\0';
-		n = get_entry(p, len, pathname, c->de->d_name, 1);
+		n = get_entry(pos, len, pathname, c->de->d_name);
 		if(!n) break;
-		p += n;
+		pos += n;
 		len -= n;
 	}
-	return p - dest;
+	return pos - addr;
 }
 
 static char *
@@ -221,7 +256,7 @@ file_read(UxnFile *c, Uint16 addr, int len)
 	if(c->state == FILE_READ)
 		return file_read_file(addr, len, c->f);
 	if(c->state == DIR_READ)
-		return file_read_dir(c, (char *)&uxn.ram[addr], len);
+		return file_read_dir(c, addr, len);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -293,27 +328,6 @@ file_write(UxnFile *c, Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, Uint8 flags)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static Uint16
-stat_fill(Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, char c)
-{
-	Uint16 i;
-	for (i = 0; i < len; i++)
-		uxn.ram[(addr + i) & 0xffff] = c;
-	return len;
-}
-
-static Uint16
-stat_size(Uint16 addr, Uint16 len, off_t size)
-{
-	Uint16 i;
-	for (i = 1; i <= len; i++) {
-		char c = '0' + (Uint8)(size & 0xf);
-		uxn.ram[(addr + len - i) & 0xffff] = c;
-		size = size >> 4;
-	}
-	return size == 0 ? len : stat_fill(addr, len, '?');
-}
-
 static Uint16
 file_stat(UxnFile *c, Uint16 addr, Uint16 len)
 {