diff --git a/kordophoned/src/xpc/agent.rs b/kordophoned/src/xpc/agent.rs
index 61948f5..e337c08 100644
--- a/kordophoned/src/xpc/agent.rs
+++ b/kordophoned/src/xpc/agent.rs
@@ -110,9 +110,39 @@ fn make_error_reply(code: &str, message: &str) -> Message {
     Message::Dictionary(reply)
 }
 
+type XpcMap = HashMap<CString, Message>;
+
+fn dict_get_str(map: &XpcMap, key: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let k = CString::new(key).ok()?;
+    match map.get(&k) {
+        Some(Message::String(v)) => Some(v.to_string_lossy().into_owned()),
+        _ => None,
+    }
+}
+
+fn dict_get_i64_from_str(map: &XpcMap, key: &str) -> Option<i64> {
+    dict_get_str(map, key).and_then(|s| s.parse::<i64>().ok())
+}
+
+fn dict_put_str(map: &mut XpcMap, key: &str, value: impl AsRef<str>) {
+    map.insert(cstr(key), Message::String(cstr(value.as_ref())));
+}
+
+fn dict_put_i64_as_str(map: &mut XpcMap, key: &str, value: i64) {
+    dict_put_str(map, key, value.to_string());
+}
+
+fn array_from_strs(values: impl IntoIterator<Item = String>) -> Message {
+    let arr = values
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|s| Message::String(cstr(&s)))
+        .collect();
+    Message::Array(arr)
+}
+
 async fn dispatch(agent: &XpcAgent, root: &HashMap<CString, Message>) -> Message {
     // Standardized request: { method: String, arguments: Dictionary? }
-    let method = match get_string_field(root, "method").or_else(|| get_string_field(root, "type")) {
+    let method = match dict_get_str(root, "method").or_else(|| dict_get_str(root, "type")) {
         Some(m) => m,
         None => return make_error_reply("InvalidRequest", "Missing method/type"),
     };
@@ -124,9 +154,9 @@ async fn dispatch(agent: &XpcAgent, root: &HashMap<CString, Message>) -> Message
         "GetVersion" => {
             match agent.send_event(Event::GetVersion).await {
                 Ok(version) => {
-                    let mut reply: HashMap<CString, Message> = HashMap::new();
-                    reply.insert(cstr("type"), Message::String(cstr("GetVersionResponse")));
-                    reply.insert(cstr("version"), Message::String(cstr(&version)));
+                    let mut reply: XpcMap = HashMap::new();
+                    dict_put_str(&mut reply, "type", "GetVersionResponse");
+                    dict_put_str(&mut reply, "version", &version);
                     Message::Dictionary(reply)
                 }
                 Err(e) => make_error_reply("DaemonError", &format!("{}", e)),
@@ -139,8 +169,8 @@ async fn dispatch(agent: &XpcAgent, root: &HashMap<CString, Message>) -> Message
             let mut offset: i32 = 0;
 
             if let Some(args) = get_dictionary_field(root, "arguments") {
-                if let Some(Message::String(v)) = args.get(&cstr("limit")) { limit = v.to_string_lossy().parse().unwrap_or(100); }
-                if let Some(Message::String(v)) = args.get(&cstr("offset")) { offset = v.to_string_lossy().parse().unwrap_or(0); }
+                if let Some(v) = dict_get_i64_from_str(args, "limit") { limit = v as i32; }
+                if let Some(v) = dict_get_i64_from_str(args, "offset") { offset = v as i32; }
             }
 
             match agent.send_event(|r| Event::GetAllConversations(limit, offset, r)).await {
@@ -148,28 +178,28 @@ async fn dispatch(agent: &XpcAgent, root: &HashMap<CString, Message>) -> Message
                     // Build array of conversation dictionaries
                     let mut items: Vec<Message> = Vec::with_capacity(conversations.len());
                     for conv in conversations {
-                        let mut m: HashMap<CString, Message> = HashMap::new();
-                        m.insert(cstr("guid"), Message::String(cstr(&conv.guid)));
-                        m.insert(cstr("display_name"), Message::String(cstr(&conv.display_name.unwrap_or_default())));
-                        m.insert(cstr("unread_count"), Message::String(cstr(&(conv.unread_count as i64).to_string())));
-                        m.insert(cstr("last_message_preview"), Message::String(cstr(&conv.last_message_preview.unwrap_or_default())));
+                        let mut m: XpcMap = HashMap::new();
+                        dict_put_str(&mut m, "guid", &conv.guid);
+                        dict_put_str(&mut m, "display_name", &conv.display_name.unwrap_or_default());
+                        dict_put_i64_as_str(&mut m, "unread_count", conv.unread_count as i64);
+                        dict_put_str(&mut m, "last_message_preview", &conv.last_message_preview.unwrap_or_default());
 
                         // participants -> array of strings
-                        let participants: Vec<Message> = conv
+                        let participant_names: Vec<String> = conv
                             .participants
                             .into_iter()
-                            .map(|p| Message::String(cstr(&p.display_name())))
+                            .map(|p| p.display_name())
                             .collect();
-                        m.insert(cstr("participants"), Message::Array(participants));
+                        m.insert(cstr("participants"), array_from_strs(participant_names));
 
                         // date as unix timestamp (i64)
-                        m.insert(cstr("date"), Message::String(cstr(&conv.date.and_utc().timestamp().to_string())));
+                        dict_put_i64_as_str(&mut m, "date", conv.date.and_utc().timestamp());
 
                         items.push(Message::Dictionary(m));
                     }
 
-                    let mut reply: HashMap<CString, Message> = HashMap::new();
-                    reply.insert(cstr("type"), Message::String(cstr("GetConversationsResponse")));
+                    let mut reply: XpcMap = HashMap::new();
+                    dict_put_str(&mut reply, "type", "GetConversationsResponse");
                     reply.insert(cstr("conversations"), Message::Array(items));
                     Message::Dictionary(reply)
                 }
diff --git a/kpcli/src/daemon/xpc.rs b/kpcli/src/daemon/xpc.rs
index efd85fb..3595651 100644
--- a/kpcli/src/daemon/xpc.rs
+++ b/kpcli/src/daemon/xpc.rs
@@ -138,8 +138,14 @@ impl XpcDaemonInterface {
         }
     }
 
+    fn key(k: &str) -> CString { CString::new(k).unwrap() }
+
     fn get_string<'a>(map: &'a HashMap<CString, Message>, key: &str) -> Option<&'a CStr> {
-        map.get(&CString::new(key).ok()?).and_then(|v| match v { Message::String(s) => Some(s.as_c_str()), _ => None })
+        map.get(&Self::key(key)).and_then(|v| match v { Message::String(s) => Some(s.as_c_str()), _ => None })
+    }
+
+    fn get_i64_from_str(map: &HashMap<CString, Message>, key: &str) -> Option<i64> {
+        Self::get_string(map, key).and_then(|s| s.to_string_lossy().parse().ok())
     }
 }
 
@@ -180,7 +186,7 @@ impl DaemonInterface for XpcDaemonInterface {
             .await?;
 
         // Expect an array under "conversations"
-        match reply.get(&CString::new("conversations").unwrap()) {
+        match reply.get(&Self::key("conversations")) {
             Some(Message::Array(items)) => {
                 println!("Number of conversations: {}", items.len());
 
@@ -191,10 +197,10 @@ impl DaemonInterface for XpcDaemonInterface {
                         let display_name = Self::get_string(map, "display_name").map(|s| s.to_string_lossy().into_owned());
                         let last_preview = Self::get_string(map, "last_message_preview").map(|s| s.to_string_lossy().into_owned());
 
-                        let unread_count = match map.get(&CString::new("unread_count").unwrap()) { Some(Message::String(v)) => v.to_string_lossy().parse().unwrap_or(0), _ => 0 };
-                        let date_ts: i64 = match map.get(&CString::new("date").unwrap()) { Some(Message::String(v)) => v.to_string_lossy().parse().unwrap_or(0), _ => 0 };
+                        let unread_count = Self::get_i64_from_str(map, "unread_count").unwrap_or(0) as i32;
+                        let date_ts: i64 = Self::get_i64_from_str(map, "date").unwrap_or(0);
 
-                        let participants: Vec<String> = match map.get(&CString::new("participants").unwrap()) {
+                        let participants: Vec<String> = match map.get(&Self::key("participants")) {
                             Some(Message::Array(arr)) => arr.iter().filter_map(|m| match m { Message::String(s) => Some(s.to_string_lossy().into_owned()), _ => None }).collect(),
                             _ => Vec::new(),
                         };