diff --git a/src/User.zig b/src/User.zig
index c6cdd2c..4f7feb6 100644
--- a/src/User.zig
+++ b/src/User.zig
@@ -48,44 +48,36 @@ pub fn clone(
 // User.
 fn fromLine(allocator: Allocator, err: *ErrCtx, line: []const u8) error{ InvalidRecord, OutOfMemory }!User {
     var it = mem.split(u8, line, ":");
-    const name = it.next();
-    _ = it.next(); // password
-    const uids = it.next();
-    const gids = it.next();
-    const gecos = it.next();
-    const home = it.next();
-    const shell = it.next();
+    const name = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    _ = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord); // password
+    const uids = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const gids = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const gecos = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const home = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const shell = it.next() orelse return err.returnf("too few fields", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
 
-    // all fields are set
-    if (shell == null)
-        return err.returnf("too few user fields in line: {s}", .{line}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const uid = fmt.parseInt(u32, uids, 10) catch
+        return err.returnf("bad uid: {s}", .{uids}, error.InvalidRecord);
 
-    // the line must be exhaustive.
-    if (it.next() != null)
-        return error.returnf("too many fields in line", .{}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    const gid = fmt.parseInt(u32, gids, 10) catch
+        return err.returnf("bad gid: {s}", .{gids}, error.InvalidRecord);
 
-    const uid = fmt.parseInt(u32, uids.?, 10) catch
-        return err.returnf("bad uid: {s}", .{uids.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
-
-    const gid = fmt.parseInt(u32, gids.?, 10) catch
-        return err.returnf("bad uid: {s}", .{gids.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
-
-    validate.name(name.?, err) catch
-        return err.returnf("invalid name '{s}'", .{name.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
-    validate.gecos(gecos.?, err) catch
-        return err.returnf("invalid gecos '{s}'", .{gecos.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
-    validate.path(home.?, err) catch
-        return err.returnf("invalid home '{s}'", .{home.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
-    validate.path(shell.?, err) catch
-        return err.returnf("invalid shell '{s}'", .{shell.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    validate.name(name, err) catch
+        return err.returnf("invalid name '{s}'", .{name}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    validate.gecos(gecos, err) catch
+        return err.returnf("invalid gecos '{s}'", .{gecos}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    validate.path(home, err) catch
+        return err.returnf("invalid home '{s}'", .{home}, error.InvalidRecord);
+    validate.path(shell, err) catch
+        return err.returnf("invalid shell '{s}'", .{shell}, error.InvalidRecord);
 
     const user = User{
         .uid = uid,
         .gid = gid,
-        .name = name.?,
-        .gecos = gecos.?,
-        .home = home.?,
-        .shell = shell.?,
+        .name = name,
+        .gecos = gecos,
+        .home = home,
+        .shell = shell,
     };
     return try user.clone(allocator);
 }