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-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/mod.rs128
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/test.rs59
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/mod.rs3
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/mod.rs173
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/read.rs69
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/test.rs310
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/mod.rs270
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/read.rs32
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/test.rs272
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/tests/nixos-release.ls1
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/mod.rs21
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/tag.rs1
-rw-r--r--tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/writer/sync.rs23
13 files changed, 1248 insertions, 114 deletions
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/mod.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5a9a3b4d3613
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+//! Parser for the Nix archive listing format, aka .ls.
+//!
+//! LS files are produced by the C++ Nix implementation via `write-nar-listing=1` query parameter
+//! passed to a store implementation when transferring store paths.
+//!
+//! Listing files contains metadata about a file and its offset in the corresponding NAR.
+//!
+//! NOTE: LS entries does not offer any integrity field to validate the retrieved file at the provided
+//! offset. Validating the contents is the caller's responsibility.
+
+use std::{
+    collections::HashMap,
+    path::{Component, Path},
+};
+
+use serde::Deserialize;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test;
+
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum ListingError {
+    // TODO: add an enum of what component was problematic
+    // reusing `std::path::Component` is not possible as it contains a lifetime.
+    /// An unsupported path component can be:
+    /// - either a Windows prefix (`C:\\`, `\\share\\`)
+    /// - either a parent directory (`..`)
+    /// - either a root directory (`/`)
+    #[error("unsupported path component")]
+    UnsupportedPathComponent,
+    #[error("invalid encoding for entry component")]
+    InvalidEncoding,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(tag = "type", rename_all = "lowercase")]
+pub enum ListingEntry {
+    Regular {
+        size: u64,
+        #[serde(default)]
+        executable: bool,
+        #[serde(rename = "narOffset")]
+        nar_offset: u64,
+    },
+    Directory {
+        // It's tempting to think that the key should be a `Vec<u8>`
+        // but Nix does not support that and will fail to emit a listing version 1 for any non-UTF8
+        // encodeable string.
+        entries: HashMap<String, ListingEntry>,
+    },
+    Symlink {
+        target: String,
+    },
+}
+
+impl ListingEntry {
+    /// Given a relative path without `..` component, this will locate, relative to this entry, a
+    /// deeper entry.
+    ///
+    /// If the path is invalid, a listing error [`ListingError`] will be returned.
+    /// If the entry cannot be found, `None` will be returned.
+    pub fn locate<P: AsRef<Path>>(&self, path: P) -> Result<Option<&ListingEntry>, ListingError> {
+        // We perform a simple DFS on the components of the path
+        // while rejecting dangerous components, e.g. `..` or `/`
+        // Files and symlinks are *leaves*, i.e. we return them
+        let mut cur = self;
+        for component in path.as_ref().components() {
+            match component {
+                Component::CurDir => continue,
+                Component::RootDir | Component::Prefix(_) | Component::ParentDir => {
+                    return Err(ListingError::UnsupportedPathComponent)
+                }
+                Component::Normal(file_or_dir_name) => {
+                    if let Self::Directory { entries } = cur {
+                        // As Nix cannot encode non-UTF8 components in the listing (see comment on
+                        // the `Directory` enum variant), invalid encodings path components are
+                        // errors.
+                        let entry_name = file_or_dir_name
+                            .to_str()
+                            .ok_or(ListingError::InvalidEncoding)?;
+
+                        if let Some(new_entry) = entries.get(entry_name) {
+                            cur = new_entry;
+                        } else {
+                            return Ok(None);
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        return Ok(None);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // By construction, we found the node that corresponds to the path traversal.
+        Ok(Some(cur))
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct ListingVersion<const V: u8>;
+
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+#[error("Invalid version: {0}")]
+struct ListingVersionError(u8);
+
+impl<'de, const V: u8> Deserialize<'de> for ListingVersion<V> {
+    fn deserialize<D>(deserializer: D) -> Result<Self, D::Error>
+    where
+        D: serde::Deserializer<'de>,
+    {
+        let value = u8::deserialize(deserializer)?;
+        if value == V {
+            Ok(ListingVersion::<V>)
+        } else {
+            Err(serde::de::Error::custom(ListingVersionError(value)))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(untagged)]
+#[non_exhaustive]
+pub enum Listing {
+    V1 {
+        root: ListingEntry,
+        version: ListingVersion<1>,
+    },
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/test.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5b2ac3f166fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/listing/test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+use std::{collections::HashMap, path::PathBuf, str::FromStr};
+
+use crate::nar;
+
+#[test]
+fn weird_paths() {
+    let root = nar::listing::ListingEntry::Directory {
+        entries: HashMap::new(),
+    };
+
+    root.locate("../../../../etc/passwd")
+        .expect_err("Failed to reject `../` fragment in a path during traversal");
+
+    // Gated on Windows as C:\\ is parsed as `Component::Normal(_)` on Linux.
+    #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+    root.locate("C:\\\\Windows\\System32")
+        .expect_err("Failed to reject Windows-style prefixes");
+
+    root.locate("/etc/passwd")
+        .expect_err("Failed to reject absolute UNIX paths");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn nixos_release() {
+    let listing_bytes = include_bytes!("../tests/nixos-release.ls");
+    let listing: nar::listing::Listing = serde_json::from_slice(listing_bytes).unwrap();
+
+    let nar::listing::Listing::V1 { root, .. } = listing;
+    assert!(matches!(root, nar::listing::ListingEntry::Directory { .. }));
+
+    let build_products = root
+        .locate(PathBuf::from_str("nix-support/hydra-build-products").unwrap())
+        .expect("Failed to locate a known file in a directory")
+        .expect("File was unexpectedly not found in the listing");
+
+    assert!(matches!(
+        build_products,
+        nar::listing::ListingEntry::Regular { .. }
+    ));
+
+    let nonexisting_file = root
+        .locate(PathBuf::from_str("nix-support/does-not-exist").unwrap())
+        .expect("Failed to locate an unknown file in a directory");
+
+    assert!(
+        nonexisting_file.is_none(),
+        "Non-existing file was unexpectedly found in the listing"
+    );
+
+    let existing_dir = root
+        .locate(PathBuf::from_str("nix-support").unwrap())
+        .expect("Failed to locate a known directory in a directory")
+        .expect("Directory was expectedly found in the listing");
+
+    assert!(matches!(
+        existing_dir,
+        nar::listing::ListingEntry::Directory { .. }
+    ));
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/mod.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/mod.rs
index 058977f4fcd1..d0e8ee8a412f 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/mod.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-mod wire;
+pub(crate) mod wire;
 
+pub mod listing;
 pub mod reader;
 pub mod writer;
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/mod.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0808fba38c47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+use std::{
+    mem::MaybeUninit,
+    pin::Pin,
+    task::{self, Poll},
+};
+
+use tokio::io::{self, AsyncBufRead, AsyncRead, ErrorKind::InvalidData};
+
+// Required reading for understanding this module.
+use crate::{
+    nar::{self, wire::PadPar},
+    wire::{self, BytesReader},
+};
+
+mod read;
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test;
+
+pub type Reader<'a> = dyn AsyncBufRead + Unpin + Send + 'a;
+
+/// Start reading a NAR file from `reader`.
+pub async fn open<'a, 'r>(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> io::Result<Node<'a, 'r>> {
+    read::token(reader, &nar::wire::TOK_NAR).await?;
+    Node::new(reader).await
+}
+
+pub enum Node<'a, 'r: 'a> {
+    Symlink {
+        target: Vec<u8>,
+    },
+    File {
+        executable: bool,
+        reader: FileReader<'a, 'r>,
+    },
+    Directory(DirReader<'a, 'r>),
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'r: 'a> Node<'a, 'r> {
+    /// Start reading a [Node], matching the next [wire::Node].
+    ///
+    /// Reading the terminating [wire::TOK_PAR] is done immediately for [Node::Symlink],
+    /// but is otherwise left to [DirReader] or [BytesReader].
+    async fn new(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> io::Result<Self> {
+        Ok(match read::tag(reader).await? {
+            nar::wire::Node::Sym => {
+                let target = wire::read_bytes(reader, 1..=nar::wire::MAX_TARGET_LEN).await?;
+
+                if target.contains(&0) {
+                    return Err(InvalidData.into());
+                }
+
+                read::token(reader, &nar::wire::TOK_PAR).await?;
+
+                Node::Symlink { target }
+            }
+            tag @ (nar::wire::Node::Reg | nar::wire::Node::Exe) => Node::File {
+                executable: tag == nar::wire::Node::Exe,
+                reader: FileReader {
+                    inner: BytesReader::new_internal(reader, ..).await?,
+                },
+            },
+            nar::wire::Node::Dir => Node::Directory(DirReader::new(reader)),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+/// File contents, readable through the [AsyncRead] trait.
+///
+/// It comes with some caveats:
+///  * You must always read the entire file, unless you intend to abandon the entire archive reader.
+///  * You must abandon the entire archive reader upon the first error.
+///
+/// It's fine to read exactly `reader.len()` bytes without ever seeing an explicit EOF.
+pub struct FileReader<'a, 'r> {
+    inner: BytesReader<&'a mut Reader<'r>, PadPar>,
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'r> FileReader<'a, 'r> {
+    pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.len() == 0
+    }
+
+    pub fn len(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.inner.len()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'r> AsyncRead for FileReader<'a, 'r> {
+    fn poll_read(
+        self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+        cx: &mut task::Context,
+        buf: &mut io::ReadBuf,
+    ) -> Poll<io::Result<()>> {
+        Pin::new(&mut self.get_mut().inner).poll_read(cx, buf)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'r> AsyncBufRead for FileReader<'a, 'r> {
+    fn poll_fill_buf(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut task::Context) -> Poll<io::Result<&[u8]>> {
+        Pin::new(&mut self.get_mut().inner).poll_fill_buf(cx)
+    }
+
+    fn consume(self: Pin<&mut Self>, amt: usize) {
+        Pin::new(&mut self.get_mut().inner).consume(amt)
+    }
+}
+
+/// A directory iterator, yielding a sequence of [Node]s.
+/// It must be fully consumed before reading further from the [DirReader] that produced it, if any.
+pub struct DirReader<'a, 'r> {
+    reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>,
+    /// Previous directory entry name.
+    /// We have to hang onto this to enforce name monotonicity.
+    prev_name: Vec<u8>,
+}
+
+pub struct Entry<'a, 'r> {
+    pub name: &'a [u8],
+    pub node: Node<'a, 'r>,
+}
+
+impl<'a, 'r> DirReader<'a, 'r> {
+    fn new(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            reader,
+            prev_name: vec![],
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Read the next [Entry] from the directory.
+    ///
+    /// We explicitly don't implement [Iterator], since treating this as
+    /// a regular Rust iterator will surely lead you astray.
+    ///
+    ///  * You must always consume the entire iterator, unless you abandon the entire archive reader.
+    ///  * You must abandon the entire archive reader on the first error.
+    ///  * You must abandon the directory reader upon the first [None].
+    ///  * Even if you know the amount of elements up front, you must keep reading until you encounter [None].
+    pub async fn next(&mut self) -> io::Result<Option<Entry<'_, 'r>>> {
+        // COME FROM the previous iteration: if we've already read an entry,
+        // read its terminating TOK_PAR here.
+        if !self.prev_name.is_empty() {
+            read::token(self.reader, &nar::wire::TOK_PAR).await?;
+        }
+
+        if let nar::wire::Entry::None = read::tag(self.reader).await? {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+
+        let mut name = [MaybeUninit::uninit(); nar::wire::MAX_NAME_LEN + 1];
+        let name =
+            wire::read_bytes_buf(self.reader, &mut name, 1..=nar::wire::MAX_NAME_LEN).await?;
+
+        if name.contains(&0) || name.contains(&b'/') || name == b"." || name == b".." {
+            return Err(InvalidData.into());
+        }
+
+        // Enforce strict monotonicity of directory entry names.
+        if &self.prev_name[..] >= name {
+            return Err(InvalidData.into());
+        }
+
+        self.prev_name.clear();
+        self.prev_name.extend_from_slice(name);
+
+        read::token(self.reader, &nar::wire::TOK_NOD).await?;
+
+        Ok(Some(Entry {
+            name: &self.prev_name,
+            node: Node::new(self.reader).await?,
+        }))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/read.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/read.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2adf894922c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/read.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+use tokio::io::{
+    self, AsyncReadExt,
+    ErrorKind::{InvalidData, UnexpectedEof},
+};
+
+use crate::nar::wire::Tag;
+
+use super::Reader;
+
+/// Consume a known token from the reader.
+pub async fn token<const N: usize>(reader: &mut Reader<'_>, token: &[u8; N]) -> io::Result<()> {
+    let mut buf = [0u8; N];
+
+    // This implements something similar to [AsyncReadExt::read_exact], but verifies that
+    // the input data matches the token while we read it. These two slices respectively
+    // represent the remaining token to be verified, and the remaining input buffer.
+    let mut token = &token[..];
+    let mut buf = &mut buf[..];
+
+    while !token.is_empty() {
+        match reader.read(buf).await? {
+            0 => {
+                return Err(UnexpectedEof.into());
+            }
+            n => {
+                let (t, b);
+                (t, token) = token.split_at(n);
+                (b, buf) = buf.split_at_mut(n);
+
+                if t != b {
+                    return Err(InvalidData.into());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Consume a [Tag] from the reader.
+pub async fn tag<T: Tag>(reader: &mut Reader<'_>) -> io::Result<T> {
+    let mut buf = T::make_buf();
+    let buf = buf.as_mut();
+
+    // first read the known minimum length…
+    reader.read_exact(&mut buf[..T::MIN]).await?;
+
+    // then decide which tag we're expecting
+    let tag = T::from_u8(buf[T::OFF]).ok_or(InvalidData)?;
+    let (head, tail) = tag.as_bytes().split_at(T::MIN);
+
+    // make sure what we've read so far is valid
+    if buf[..T::MIN] != *head {
+        return Err(InvalidData.into());
+    }
+
+    // …then read the rest, if any
+    if !tail.is_empty() {
+        let rest = tail.len();
+        reader.read_exact(&mut buf[..rest]).await?;
+
+        // and make sure it's what we expect
+        if buf[..rest] != *tail {
+            return Err(InvalidData.into());
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(tag)
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/test.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7bc1f8942f50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/async/test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,310 @@
+use tokio::io::AsyncReadExt;
+
+mod nar {
+    pub use crate::nar::reader::r#async as reader;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn symlink() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/symlink.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Symlink { target } => {
+            assert_eq!(
+                &b"/nix/store/somewhereelse"[..],
+                &target,
+                "target must match"
+            );
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn file() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/helloworld.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::File {
+            executable,
+            mut reader,
+        } => {
+            assert!(!executable);
+            let mut buf = vec![];
+            reader
+                .read_to_end(&mut buf)
+                .await
+                .expect("read must succeed");
+            assert_eq!(&b"Hello World!"[..], &buf);
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn complicated() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            )
+            .await;
+
+            // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut subdir_reader) => {
+                        {
+                            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+                            let entry = subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .await
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .expect("must be some");
+
+                            must_read_file(".keep", entry).await;
+                        }
+
+                        // we must read the None
+                        assert!(
+                            subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .await
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .is_none(),
+                            "keep directory contains only .keep"
+                        );
+                    }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
+                }
+            };
+
+            // reading more entries yields None (and we actually must read until this)
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().await.expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+#[should_panic]
+#[ignore = "TODO: async poisoning"]
+async fn file_read_abandoned() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            {
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b".keep", entry.name);
+                // don't bother to finish reading it.
+            };
+
+            // this should panic (not return an error), because we are meant to abandon the archive reader now.
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().await.expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+#[should_panic]
+#[ignore = "TODO: async poisoning"]
+async fn dir_read_abandoned() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            )
+            .await;
+
+            // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(_) => {
+                        // don't finish using it, which poisons the archive reader
+                    }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
+                }
+            };
+
+            // this should panic, because we didn't finish reading the child subdirectory
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().await.expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+#[should_panic]
+#[ignore = "TODO: async poisoning"]
+async fn dir_read_after_none() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).await.unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            )
+            .await;
+
+            // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .await
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut subdir_reader) => {
+                        // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+                        must_read_file(
+                            ".keep",
+                            subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .await
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .expect("must be some"),
+                        )
+                        .await;
+
+                        // we must read the None
+                        assert!(
+                            subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .await
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .is_none(),
+                            "keep directory contains only .keep"
+                        );
+                    }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
+                }
+            };
+
+            // reading more entries yields None (and we actually must read until this)
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().await.expect("must succeed").is_none());
+
+            // this should panic, because we already got a none so we're meant to stop.
+            dir_reader.next().await.unwrap();
+            unreachable!()
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+async fn must_read_file(name: &'static str, entry: nar::reader::Entry<'_, '_>) {
+    assert_eq!(name.as_bytes(), entry.name);
+
+    match entry.node {
+        nar::reader::Node::File {
+            executable,
+            mut reader,
+        } => {
+            assert!(!executable);
+            assert_eq!(reader.read(&mut [0]).await.unwrap(), 0);
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type for {}", name),
+    }
+}
+
+fn must_be_symlink(
+    name: &'static str,
+    exp_target: &'static str,
+    entry: nar::reader::Entry<'_, '_>,
+) {
+    assert_eq!(name.as_bytes(), entry.name);
+
+    match entry.node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Symlink { target } => {
+            assert_eq!(exp_target.as_bytes(), &target);
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type for {}", name),
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/mod.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/mod.rs
index fa7ddc77f96c..eef3b10f3c28 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/mod.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/mod.rs
@@ -10,19 +10,52 @@ use std::io::{
     Read, Write,
 };
 
+#[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
+
 // Required reading for understanding this module.
 use crate::nar::wire;
 
+#[cfg(all(feature = "async", feature = "wire"))]
+pub mod r#async;
+
 mod read;
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test;
 
 pub type Reader<'a> = dyn BufRead + Send + 'a;
 
+struct ArchiveReader<'a, 'r> {
+    inner: &'a mut Reader<'r>,
+
+    /// In debug mode, also track when we need to abandon this archive reader.
+    ///
+    /// The archive reader must be abandoned when:
+    ///   * An error is encountered at any point
+    ///   * A file or directory reader is dropped before being read entirely.
+    ///
+    /// All of these checks vanish in release mode.
+    status: ArchiveReaderStatus<'a>,
+}
+
+macro_rules! try_or_poison {
+    ($it:expr, $ex:expr) => {
+        match $ex {
+            Ok(x) => x,
+            Err(e) => {
+                $it.status.poison();
+                return Err(e.into());
+            }
+        }
+    };
+}
 /// Start reading a NAR file from `reader`.
 pub fn open<'a, 'r>(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> io::Result<Node<'a, 'r>> {
     read::token(reader, &wire::TOK_NAR)?;
-    Node::new(reader)
+    Node::new(ArchiveReader {
+        inner: reader,
+        status: ArchiveReaderStatus::top(),
+    })
 }
 
 pub enum Node<'a, 'r> {
@@ -41,21 +74,24 @@ impl<'a, 'r> Node<'a, 'r> {
     ///
     /// Reading the terminating [wire::TOK_PAR] is done immediately for [Node::Symlink],
     /// but is otherwise left to [DirReader] or [FileReader].
-    fn new(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> io::Result<Self> {
-        Ok(match read::tag(reader)? {
+    fn new(mut reader: ArchiveReader<'a, 'r>) -> io::Result<Self> {
+        Ok(match read::tag(reader.inner)? {
             wire::Node::Sym => {
-                let target = read::bytes(reader, wire::MAX_TARGET_LEN)?;
+                let target =
+                    try_or_poison!(reader, read::bytes(reader.inner, wire::MAX_TARGET_LEN));
 
                 if target.is_empty() || target.contains(&0) {
+                    reader.status.poison();
                     return Err(InvalidData.into());
                 }
 
-                read::token(reader, &wire::TOK_PAR)?;
+                try_or_poison!(reader, read::token(reader.inner, &wire::TOK_PAR));
+                reader.status.ready_parent(); // Immediately allow reading from parent again
 
                 Node::Symlink { target }
             }
             tag @ (wire::Node::Reg | wire::Node::Exe) => {
-                let len = read::u64(reader)?;
+                let len = try_or_poison!(&mut reader, read::u64(reader.inner));
 
                 Node::File {
                     executable: tag == wire::Node::Exe,
@@ -74,10 +110,8 @@ impl<'a, 'r> Node<'a, 'r> {
 ///  * You must abandon the entire archive reader upon the first error.
 ///
 /// It's fine to read exactly `reader.len()` bytes without ever seeing an explicit EOF.
-///
-/// TODO(edef): enforce these in `#[cfg(debug_assertions)]`
 pub struct FileReader<'a, 'r> {
-    reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>,
+    reader: ArchiveReader<'a, 'r>,
     len: u64,
     /// Truncated original file length for padding computation.
     /// We only care about the 3 least significant bits; semantically, this is a u3.
@@ -87,12 +121,13 @@ pub struct FileReader<'a, 'r> {
 impl<'a, 'r> FileReader<'a, 'r> {
     /// Instantiate a new reader, starting after [wire::TOK_REG] or [wire::TOK_EXE].
     /// We handle the terminating [wire::TOK_PAR] on semantic EOF.
-    fn new(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>, len: u64) -> io::Result<Self> {
+    fn new(mut reader: ArchiveReader<'a, 'r>, len: u64) -> io::Result<Self> {
         // For zero-length files, we have to read the terminating TOK_PAR
         // immediately, since FileReader::read may never be called; we've
         // already reached semantic EOF by definition.
         if len == 0 {
-            read::token(reader, &wire::TOK_PAR)?;
+            read::token(reader.inner, &wire::TOK_PAR)?;
+            reader.status.ready_parent();
         }
 
         Ok(Self {
@@ -121,9 +156,12 @@ impl FileReader<'_, '_> {
             return Ok(&[]);
         }
 
-        let mut buf = self.reader.fill_buf()?;
+        self.reader.check_correct();
+
+        let mut buf = try_or_poison!(self.reader, self.reader.inner.fill_buf());
 
         if buf.is_empty() {
+            self.reader.status.poison();
             return Err(UnexpectedEof.into());
         }
 
@@ -141,12 +179,14 @@ impl FileReader<'_, '_> {
             return Ok(());
         }
 
+        self.reader.check_correct();
+
         self.len = self
             .len
             .checked_sub(n as u64)
             .expect("consumed bytes past EOF");
 
-        self.reader.consume(n);
+        self.reader.inner.consume(n);
 
         if self.is_empty() {
             self.finish()?;
@@ -159,7 +199,7 @@ impl FileReader<'_, '_> {
     pub fn copy(&mut self, mut dst: impl Write) -> io::Result<()> {
         while !self.is_empty() {
             let buf = self.fill_buf()?;
-            let n = dst.write(buf)?;
+            let n = try_or_poison!(self.reader, dst.write(buf));
             self.consume(n)?;
         }
 
@@ -173,14 +213,17 @@ impl Read for FileReader<'_, '_> {
             return Ok(0);
         }
 
+        self.reader.check_correct();
+
         if buf.len() as u64 > self.len {
             buf = &mut buf[..self.len as usize];
         }
 
-        let n = self.reader.read(buf)?;
+        let n = try_or_poison!(self.reader, self.reader.inner.read(buf));
         self.len -= n as u64;
 
         if n == 0 {
+            self.reader.status.poison();
             return Err(UnexpectedEof.into());
         }
 
@@ -200,36 +243,42 @@ impl FileReader<'_, '_> {
 
         if pad != 0 {
             let mut buf = [0; 8];
-            self.reader.read_exact(&mut buf[pad..])?;
+            try_or_poison!(self.reader, self.reader.inner.read_exact(&mut buf[pad..]));
 
             if buf != [0; 8] {
+                self.reader.status.poison();
                 return Err(InvalidData.into());
             }
         }
 
-        read::token(self.reader, &wire::TOK_PAR)
+        try_or_poison!(self.reader, read::token(self.reader.inner, &wire::TOK_PAR));
+
+        // Done with reading this file, allow going back up the chain of readers
+        self.reader.status.ready_parent();
+
+        Ok(())
     }
 }
 
 /// A directory iterator, yielding a sequence of [Node]s.
 /// It must be fully consumed before reading further from the [DirReader] that produced it, if any.
 pub struct DirReader<'a, 'r> {
-    reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>,
+    reader: ArchiveReader<'a, 'r>,
     /// Previous directory entry name.
     /// We have to hang onto this to enforce name monotonicity.
-    prev_name: Option<Vec<u8>>,
+    prev_name: Vec<u8>,
 }
 
 pub struct Entry<'a, 'r> {
-    pub name: Vec<u8>,
+    pub name: &'a [u8],
     pub node: Node<'a, 'r>,
 }
 
 impl<'a, 'r> DirReader<'a, 'r> {
-    fn new(reader: &'a mut Reader<'r>) -> Self {
+    fn new(reader: ArchiveReader<'a, 'r>) -> Self {
         Self {
             reader,
-            prev_name: None,
+            prev_name: vec![],
         }
     }
 
@@ -242,23 +291,28 @@ impl<'a, 'r> DirReader<'a, 'r> {
     ///  * You must abandon the entire archive reader on the first error.
     ///  * You must abandon the directory reader upon the first [None].
     ///  * Even if you know the amount of elements up front, you must keep reading until you encounter [None].
-    ///
-    /// TODO(edef): enforce these in `#[cfg(debug_assertions)]`
     #[allow(clippy::should_implement_trait)]
-    pub fn next(&mut self) -> io::Result<Option<Entry>> {
+    pub fn next(&mut self) -> io::Result<Option<Entry<'_, 'r>>> {
+        self.reader.check_correct();
+
         // COME FROM the previous iteration: if we've already read an entry,
         // read its terminating TOK_PAR here.
-        if self.prev_name.is_some() {
-            read::token(self.reader, &wire::TOK_PAR)?;
+        if !self.prev_name.is_empty() {
+            try_or_poison!(self.reader, read::token(self.reader.inner, &wire::TOK_PAR));
         }
 
         // Determine if there are more entries to follow
-        if let wire::Entry::None = read::tag(self.reader)? {
+        if let wire::Entry::None = try_or_poison!(self.reader, read::tag(self.reader.inner)) {
             // We've reached the end of this directory.
+            self.reader.status.ready_parent();
             return Ok(None);
         }
 
-        let name = read::bytes(self.reader, wire::MAX_NAME_LEN)?;
+        let mut name = [0; wire::MAX_NAME_LEN + 1];
+        let name = try_or_poison!(
+            self.reader,
+            read::bytes_buf(self.reader.inner, &mut name, wire::MAX_NAME_LEN)
+        );
 
         if name.is_empty()
             || name.contains(&0)
@@ -266,28 +320,160 @@ impl<'a, 'r> DirReader<'a, 'r> {
             || name == b"."
             || name == b".."
         {
+            self.reader.status.poison();
             return Err(InvalidData.into());
         }
 
         // Enforce strict monotonicity of directory entry names.
-        match &mut self.prev_name {
-            None => {
-                self.prev_name = Some(name.clone());
+        if &self.prev_name[..] >= name {
+            self.reader.status.poison();
+            return Err(InvalidData.into());
+        }
+
+        self.prev_name.clear();
+        self.prev_name.extend_from_slice(name);
+
+        try_or_poison!(self.reader, read::token(self.reader.inner, &wire::TOK_NOD));
+
+        Ok(Some(Entry {
+            name: &self.prev_name,
+            // Don't need to worry about poisoning here: Node::new will do it for us if needed
+            node: Node::new(self.reader.child())?,
+        }))
+    }
+}
+
+/// We use a stack of statuses to:
+///   * Share poisoned state across all objects from the same underlying reader,
+///     so we can check they are abandoned when an error occurs
+///   * Make sure only the most recently created object is read from, and is fully exhausted
+///     before anything it was created from is used again.
+enum ArchiveReaderStatus<'a> {
+    #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+    None(PhantomData<&'a ()>),
+    #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+    StackTop { poisoned: bool, ready: bool },
+    #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+    StackChild {
+        poisoned: &'a mut bool,
+        parent_ready: &'a mut bool,
+        ready: bool,
+    },
+}
+
+impl ArchiveReaderStatus<'_> {
+    fn top() -> Self {
+        #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+        {
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop {
+                poisoned: false,
+                ready: true,
             }
-            Some(prev_name) => {
-                if *prev_name >= name {
-                    return Err(InvalidData.into());
-                }
+        }
+
+        #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+        ArchiveReaderStatus::None(PhantomData)
+    }
 
-                name[..].clone_into(prev_name);
+    /// Poison all the objects sharing the same reader, to be used when an error occurs
+    fn poison(&mut self) {
+        match self {
+            #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::None(_) => {}
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop { poisoned: x, .. } => *x = true,
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild { poisoned: x, .. } => **x = true,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Mark the parent as ready, allowing it to be used again and preventing this reference to the reader being used again.
+    fn ready_parent(&mut self) {
+        match self {
+            #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::None(_) => {}
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop { ready, .. } => {
+                *ready = false;
+            }
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild {
+                ready,
+                parent_ready,
+                ..
+            } => {
+                *ready = false;
+                **parent_ready = true;
             }
+        };
+    }
+
+    fn poisoned(&self) -> bool {
+        match self {
+            #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::None(_) => false,
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop { poisoned, .. } => *poisoned,
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild { poisoned, .. } => **poisoned,
         }
+    }
 
-        read::token(self.reader, &wire::TOK_NOD)?;
+    fn ready(&self) -> bool {
+        match self {
+            #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::None(_) => true,
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop { ready, .. } => *ready,
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild { ready, .. } => *ready,
+        }
+    }
+}
 
-        Ok(Some(Entry {
-            name,
-            node: Node::new(&mut self.reader)?,
-        }))
+impl<'a, 'r> ArchiveReader<'a, 'r> {
+    /// Create a new child reader from this one.
+    /// In debug mode, this reader will panic if called before the new child is exhausted / calls `ready_parent`
+    fn child(&mut self) -> ArchiveReader<'_, 'r> {
+        ArchiveReader {
+            inner: self.inner,
+            #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
+            status: ArchiveReaderStatus::None(PhantomData),
+            #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
+            status: match &mut self.status {
+                ArchiveReaderStatus::StackTop { poisoned, ready } => {
+                    *ready = false;
+                    ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild {
+                        poisoned,
+                        parent_ready: ready,
+                        ready: true,
+                    }
+                }
+                ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild {
+                    poisoned, ready, ..
+                } => {
+                    *ready = false;
+                    ArchiveReaderStatus::StackChild {
+                        poisoned,
+                        parent_ready: ready,
+                        ready: true,
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Check the reader is in the correct status.
+    /// Only does anything when debug assertions are on.
+    #[inline(always)]
+    fn check_correct(&self) {
+        assert!(
+            !self.status.poisoned(),
+            "Archive reader used after it was meant to be abandoned!"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            self.status.ready(),
+            "Non-ready archive reader used! (Should've been reading from something else)"
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/read.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/read.rs
index 1ce161376424..9938581f2a2e 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/read.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/read.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,38 @@ pub fn u64(reader: &mut Reader) -> io::Result<u64> {
     Ok(u64::from_le_bytes(buf))
 }
 
+/// Consume a byte string from the reader into a provided buffer,
+/// returning the data bytes.
+pub fn bytes_buf<'a, const N: usize>(
+    reader: &mut Reader,
+    buf: &'a mut [u8; N],
+    max_len: usize,
+) -> io::Result<&'a [u8]> {
+    assert_eq!(N % 8, 0);
+    assert!(max_len <= N);
+
+    // read the length, and reject excessively large values
+    let len = self::u64(reader)?;
+    if len > max_len as u64 {
+        return Err(InvalidData.into());
+    }
+    // we know the length fits in a usize now
+    let len = len as usize;
+
+    // read the data and padding into a buffer
+    let buf_len = (len + 7) & !7;
+    reader.read_exact(&mut buf[..buf_len])?;
+
+    // verify that the padding is all zeroes
+    for &b in &buf[len..buf_len] {
+        if b != 0 {
+            return Err(InvalidData.into());
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(&buf[..len])
+}
+
 /// Consume a byte string of up to `max_len` bytes from the reader.
 pub fn bytes(reader: &mut Reader, max_len: usize) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
     assert!(max_len <= isize::MAX as usize);
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/test.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/test.rs
index fd0d6a9f5afd..63e4fb289ffc 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/test.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/reader/test.rs
@@ -46,75 +46,233 @@ fn complicated() {
     match node {
         nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
             // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
-            let entry = dir_reader
-                .next()
-                .expect("next must succeed")
-                .expect("must be some");
-
-            assert_eq!(&b".keep"[..], &entry.name);
-
-            match entry.node {
-                nar::reader::Node::File {
-                    executable,
-                    mut reader,
-                } => {
-                    assert!(!executable);
-                    assert_eq!(reader.read(&mut [0]).unwrap(), 0);
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut subdir_reader) => {
+                        {
+                            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+                            let entry = subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .expect("must be some");
+
+                            must_read_file(".keep", entry);
+                        }
+
+                        // we must read the None
+                        assert!(
+                            subdir_reader.next().expect("next must succeed").is_none(),
+                            "keep directory contains only .keep"
+                        );
+                    }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
                 }
-                _ => panic!("unexpected type for .keep"),
-            }
+            };
+
+            // reading more entries yields None (and we actually must read until this)
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic]
+fn file_read_abandoned() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            {
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b".keep", entry.name);
+                // don't bother to finish reading it.
+            };
+
+            // this should panic (not return an error), because we are meant to abandon the archive reader now.
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic]
+fn dir_read_abandoned() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
 
             // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
-            let entry = dir_reader
-                .next()
-                .expect("next must be some")
-                .expect("must be some");
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
 
-            assert_eq!(&b"aa"[..], &entry.name);
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
 
-            match entry.node {
-                nar::reader::Node::Symlink { target } => {
-                    assert_eq!(&b"/nix/store/somewhereelse"[..], &target);
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(_) => {
+                        // don't finish using it, which poisons the archive reader
+                    }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
                 }
-                _ => panic!("unexpected type for aa"),
-            }
-
-            // third entry is a directory called "keep"
-            let entry = dir_reader
-                .next()
-                .expect("next must be some")
-                .expect("must be some");
-
-            assert_eq!(&b"keep"[..], &entry.name);
-
-            match entry.node {
-                nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut subdir_reader) => {
-                    // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
-                    let entry = subdir_reader
-                        .next()
-                        .expect("next must succeed")
-                        .expect("must be some");
-
-                    // … it contains a single .keep, an empty regular file.
-                    assert_eq!(&b".keep"[..], &entry.name);
-
-                    match entry.node {
-                        nar::reader::Node::File {
-                            executable,
-                            mut reader,
-                        } => {
-                            assert!(!executable);
-                            assert_eq!(reader.read(&mut [0]).unwrap(), 0);
-                        }
-                        _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
+            };
+
+            // this should panic, because we didn't finish reading the child subdirectory
+            assert!(dir_reader.next().expect("must succeed").is_none());
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic]
+fn dir_read_after_none() {
+    let mut f = std::io::Cursor::new(include_bytes!("../tests/complicated.nar"));
+    let node = nar::reader::open(&mut f).unwrap();
+
+    match node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut dir_reader) => {
+            // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+            must_read_file(
+                ".keep",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must succeed")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            // second entry is aa, a symlink to /nix/store/somewhereelse
+            must_be_symlink(
+                "aa",
+                "/nix/store/somewhereelse",
+                dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some"),
+            );
+
+            {
+                // third entry is a directory called "keep"
+                let entry = dir_reader
+                    .next()
+                    .expect("next must be some")
+                    .expect("must be some");
+
+                assert_eq!(b"keep", entry.name);
+
+                match entry.node {
+                    nar::reader::Node::Directory(mut subdir_reader) => {
+                        // first entry is .keep, an empty regular file.
+                        must_read_file(
+                            ".keep",
+                            subdir_reader
+                                .next()
+                                .expect("next must succeed")
+                                .expect("must be some"),
+                        );
+
+                        // we must read the None
+                        assert!(
+                            subdir_reader.next().expect("next must succeed").is_none(),
+                            "keep directory contains only .keep"
+                        );
                     }
+                    _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
                 }
-                _ => panic!("unexpected type for keep/.keep"),
-            }
+            };
 
             // reading more entries yields None (and we actually must read until this)
             assert!(dir_reader.next().expect("must succeed").is_none());
+
+            // this should panic, because we already got a none so we're meant to stop.
+            dir_reader.next().unwrap();
+            unreachable!()
         }
         _ => panic!("unexpected type"),
     }
 }
+
+fn must_read_file(name: &'static str, entry: nar::reader::Entry<'_, '_>) {
+    assert_eq!(name.as_bytes(), entry.name);
+
+    match entry.node {
+        nar::reader::Node::File {
+            executable,
+            mut reader,
+        } => {
+            assert!(!executable);
+            assert_eq!(reader.read(&mut [0]).unwrap(), 0);
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type for {}", name),
+    }
+}
+
+fn must_be_symlink(
+    name: &'static str,
+    exp_target: &'static str,
+    entry: nar::reader::Entry<'_, '_>,
+) {
+    assert_eq!(name.as_bytes(), entry.name);
+
+    match entry.node {
+        nar::reader::Node::Symlink { target } => {
+            assert_eq!(exp_target.as_bytes(), &target);
+        }
+        _ => panic!("unexpected type for {}", name),
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/tests/nixos-release.ls b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/tests/nixos-release.ls
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9dd350b7cf86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/tests/nixos-release.ls
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"root":{"entries":{"iso":{"entries":{"nixos-minimal-new-kernel-no-zfs-24.11pre660688.bee6b69aad74-x86_64-linux.iso":{"narOffset":440,"size":1051721728,"type":"regular"}},"type":"directory"},"nix-support":{"entries":{"hydra-build-products":{"narOffset":1051722544,"size":211,"type":"regular"},"system":{"narOffset":1051722944,"size":13,"type":"regular"}},"type":"directory"}},"type":"directory"},"version":1}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/mod.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/mod.rs
index b9e021249543..ddf021bc1fa1 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/mod.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/mod.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 //! TOK_NAR ::= "nix-archive-1" "(" "type"
 //! TOK_SYM ::= "symlink" "target"
 //! TOK_REG ::= "regular" "contents"
-//! TOK_EXE ::= "regular" "executable" ""
+//! TOK_EXE ::= "regular" "executable" "" "contents"
 //! TOK_DIR ::= "directory"
 //! TOK_ENT ::= "entry" "(" "name"
 //! TOK_NOD ::= "node" "(" "type"
@@ -90,6 +90,23 @@ pub const TOK_DIR: [u8; 24] = *b"\x09\0\0\0\0\0\0\0directory\0\0\0\0\0\0\0";
 pub const TOK_ENT: [u8; 48] = *b"\x05\0\0\0\0\0\0\0entry\0\0\0\x01\0\0\0\0\0\0\0(\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\x04\0\0\0\0\0\0\0name\0\0\0\0";
 pub const TOK_NOD: [u8; 48] = *b"\x04\0\0\0\0\0\0\0node\0\0\0\0\x01\0\0\0\0\0\0\0(\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\x04\0\0\0\0\0\0\0type\0\0\0\0";
 pub const TOK_PAR: [u8; 16] = *b"\x01\0\0\0\0\0\0\0)\0\0\0\0\0\0\0";
+#[cfg(feature = "async")]
+const TOK_PAD_PAR: [u8; 24] = *b"\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\x01\0\0\0\0\0\0\0)\0\0\0\0\0\0\0";
+
+#[cfg(feature = "async")]
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub(crate) enum PadPar {}
+
+#[cfg(all(feature = "async", feature = "wire"))]
+impl crate::wire::reader::Tag for PadPar {
+    const PATTERN: &'static [u8] = &TOK_PAD_PAR;
+
+    type Buf = [u8; 24];
+
+    fn make_buf() -> Self::Buf {
+        [0; 24]
+    }
+}
 
 #[test]
 fn tokens() {
@@ -102,6 +119,8 @@ fn tokens() {
         (&TOK_ENT, &["entry", "(", "name"]),
         (&TOK_NOD, &["node", "(", "type"]),
         (&TOK_PAR, &[")"]),
+        #[cfg(feature = "async")]
+        (&TOK_PAD_PAR, &["", ")"]),
     ];
 
     for &(tok, xs) in cases {
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/tag.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/tag.rs
index 55b93f998541..4982a0d7079f 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/tag.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/wire/tag.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ pub trait Tag: Sized {
     const MIN: usize;
 
     /// Minimal suitably sized buffer for reading the wire representation
+    ///
     /// HACK: This is a workaround for const generics limitations.
     type Buf: AsMut<[u8]> + Send;
 
diff --git a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/writer/sync.rs b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/writer/sync.rs
index 6270129028fa..584b5a7192e5 100644
--- a/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/writer/sync.rs
+++ b/tvix/nix-compat/src/nar/writer/sync.rs
@@ -35,11 +35,8 @@ use std::io::{
     Write,
 };
 
-/// Convenience type alias for types implementing [`Write`].
-pub type Writer<'a> = dyn Write + Send + 'a;
-
 /// Create a new NAR, writing the output to the specified writer.
-pub fn open<'a, 'w: 'a>(writer: &'a mut Writer<'w>) -> io::Result<Node<'a, 'w>> {
+pub fn open<W: Write>(writer: &mut W) -> io::Result<Node<W>> {
     let mut node = Node { writer };
     node.write(&wire::TOK_NAR)?;
     Ok(node)
@@ -49,11 +46,11 @@ pub fn open<'a, 'w: 'a>(writer: &'a mut Writer<'w>) -> io::Result<Node<'a, 'w>>
 ///
 /// A NAR can be thought of as a tree of nodes represented by this type. Each
 /// node can be a file, a symlink or a directory containing other nodes.
-pub struct Node<'a, 'w: 'a> {
-    writer: &'a mut Writer<'w>,
+pub struct Node<'a, W: Write> {
+    writer: &'a mut W,
 }
 
-impl<'a, 'w> Node<'a, 'w> {
+impl<'a, W: Write> Node<'a, W> {
     fn write(&mut self, data: &[u8]) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.writer.write_all(data)
     }
@@ -128,7 +125,7 @@ impl<'a, 'w> Node<'a, 'w> {
     ///
     /// It is the caller's responsibility to invoke [`Directory::close`],
     /// or invalid archives will be produced silently.
-    pub fn directory(mut self) -> io::Result<Directory<'a, 'w>> {
+    pub fn directory(mut self) -> io::Result<Directory<'a, W>> {
         self.write(&wire::TOK_DIR)?;
         Ok(Directory::new(self))
     }
@@ -145,13 +142,13 @@ fn into_name(_name: &[u8]) -> Name {
 }
 
 /// Content of a NAR node that represents a directory.
-pub struct Directory<'a, 'w> {
-    node: Node<'a, 'w>,
+pub struct Directory<'a, W: Write> {
+    node: Node<'a, W>,
     prev_name: Option<Name>,
 }
 
-impl<'a, 'w> Directory<'a, 'w> {
-    fn new(node: Node<'a, 'w>) -> Self {
+impl<'a, W: Write> Directory<'a, W> {
+    fn new(node: Node<'a, W>) -> Self {
         Self {
             node,
             prev_name: None,
@@ -166,7 +163,7 @@ impl<'a, 'w> Directory<'a, 'w> {
     /// It is the caller's responsibility to ensure that directory entries are
     /// written in order of ascending name. If this is not ensured, this method
     /// may panic or silently produce invalid archives.
-    pub fn entry(&mut self, name: &[u8]) -> io::Result<Node<'_, 'w>> {
+    pub fn entry(&mut self, name: &[u8]) -> io::Result<Node<'_, W>> {
         debug_assert!(
             name.len() <= wire::MAX_NAME_LEN,
             "name.len() > {}",