diff --git a/cmd_debug.c b/cmd_debug.c
index 195e5885..974e862e 100644
--- a/cmd_debug.c
+++ b/cmd_debug.c
@@ -129,10 +129,10 @@ int cmd_dump(int argc, char *argv[])
 	BUG_ON(!nr_devices);
 
 	for_each_online_member(ca, c, i) {
-		int mode = O_WRONLY|O_CREAT|O_TRUNC;
+		int flags = O_WRONLY|O_CREAT|O_TRUNC;
 
 		if (!force)
-			mode |= O_EXCL;
+			flags |= O_EXCL;
 
 		if (!c->devs[i])
 			continue;
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ int cmd_dump(int argc, char *argv[])
 		char *path = nr_devices > 1
 			? mprintf("%s.%u", out, i)
 			: strdup(out);
-		fd = xopen(path, mode, 0600);
+		fd = xopen(path, flags, 0600);
 		free(path);
 
 		dump_one_device(c, ca, fd);
diff --git a/cmd_format.c b/cmd_format.c
index a4d12d77..6ab821ec 100644
--- a/cmd_format.c
+++ b/cmd_format.c
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ static void usage(void)
 	     "      --no_passphrase         Don't encrypt master encryption key\n"
 	     "      --error_action=(continue|readonly|panic)\n"
 	     "                              Action to take on filesystem error\n"
-	     "  -l, --label=label\n"
+	     "  -L, --label=label\n"
 	     "      --uuid=uuid\n"
 	     "  -f, --force\n"
 	     "\n"
diff --git a/linux/blkdev.c b/linux/blkdev.c
index c0c8fd0d..7fe638f6 100644
--- a/linux/blkdev.c
+++ b/linux/blkdev.c
@@ -167,15 +167,19 @@ struct block_device *blkdev_get_by_path(const char *path, fmode_t mode,
 	else if (mode & FMODE_WRITE)
 		flags = O_WRONLY;
 
+#if 0
+	/* using O_EXCL doesn't work with opening twice for an O_SYNC fd: */
 	if (mode & FMODE_EXCL)
 		flags |= O_EXCL;
+#endif
 
 	fd = open(path, flags);
 	if (fd < 0)
 		return ERR_PTR(-errno);
 
 	sync_fd = open(path, flags|O_SYNC);
-	if (fd < 0) {
+	if (sync_fd < 0) {
+		assert(0);
 		close(fd);
 		return ERR_PTR(-errno);
 	}
diff --git a/tools-util.c b/tools-util.c
index f48b015b..4b9c7aee 100644
--- a/tools-util.c
+++ b/tools-util.c
@@ -23,6 +23,87 @@
 #include "tools-util.h"
 #include "util.h"
 
+void die(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list args;
+
+	va_start(args, fmt);
+	vfprintf(stderr, fmt, args);
+	va_end(args);
+	fputc('\n', stderr);
+
+	exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+}
+
+char *mprintf(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list args;
+	char *str;
+	int ret;
+
+	va_start(args, fmt);
+	ret = vasprintf(&str, fmt, args);
+	va_end(args);
+
+	if (ret < 0)
+		die("insufficient memory");
+
+	return str;
+}
+
+void *xcalloc(size_t count, size_t size)
+{
+	void *p = calloc(count, size);
+
+	if (!p)
+		die("insufficient memory");
+
+	return p;
+}
+
+void *xmalloc(size_t size)
+{
+	void *p = malloc(size);
+
+	if (!p)
+		die("insufficient memory");
+
+	memset(p, 0, size);
+	return p;
+}
+
+void xpread(int fd, void *buf, size_t count, off_t offset)
+{
+	ssize_t r = pread(fd, buf, count, offset);
+
+	if (r != count)
+		die("read error (ret %zi)", r);
+}
+
+void xpwrite(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count, off_t offset)
+{
+	ssize_t r = pwrite(fd, buf, count, offset);
+
+	if (r != count)
+		die("write error (ret %zi err %m)", r);
+}
+
+struct stat xfstatat(int dirfd, const char *path, int flags)
+{
+	struct stat stat;
+	if (fstatat(dirfd, path, &stat, flags))
+		die("stat error: %m");
+	return stat;
+}
+
+struct stat xfstat(int fd)
+{
+	struct stat stat;
+	if (fstat(fd, &stat))
+		die("stat error: %m");
+	return stat;
+}
+
 /* Integer stuff: */
 
 struct units_buf __pr_units(u64 v, enum units units)
diff --git a/tools-util.h b/tools-util.h
index 8f4e3d73..0b73b283 100644
--- a/tools-util.h
+++ b/tools-util.h
@@ -17,57 +17,14 @@
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include "ccan/darray/darray.h"
 
-#define die(arg, ...)							\
-do {									\
-	fprintf(stderr, arg "\n", ##__VA_ARGS__);			\
-	exit(EXIT_FAILURE);						\
-} while (0)
-
-#define mprintf(...)							\
-({									\
-	char *_str;							\
-	int ret = asprintf(&_str, __VA_ARGS__);				\
-	if (ret < 0)							\
-		die("insufficient memory");				\
-	_str;								\
-})
-
-static inline void *xcalloc(size_t count, size_t size)
-{
-	void *p = calloc(count, size);
-
-	if (!p)
-		die("insufficient memory");
-
-	return p;
-}
-
-static inline void *xmalloc(size_t size)
-{
-	void *p = malloc(size);
-
-	if (!p)
-		die("insufficient memory");
-
-	memset(p, 0, size);
-	return p;
-}
-
-static inline void xpread(int fd, void *buf, size_t count, off_t offset)
-{
-	ssize_t r = pread(fd, buf, count, offset);
-
-	if (r != count)
-		die("read error (ret %zi)", r);
-}
-
-static inline void xpwrite(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count, off_t offset)
-{
-	ssize_t r = pwrite(fd, buf, count, offset);
-
-	if (r != count)
-		die("write error (ret %zi err %m)", r);
-}
+void die(const char *, ...);
+char *mprintf(const char *, ...);
+void *xcalloc(size_t, size_t);
+void *xmalloc(size_t);
+void xpread(int, void *, size_t, off_t);
+void xpwrite(int, const void *, size_t, off_t);
+struct stat xfstatat(int, const char *, int);
+struct stat xfstat(int);
 
 #define xopenat(_dirfd, _path, ...)					\
 ({									\
@@ -79,22 +36,6 @@ static inline void xpwrite(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count, off_t offset)
 
 #define xopen(...)	xopenat(AT_FDCWD, __VA_ARGS__)
 
-static inline struct stat xfstatat(int dirfd, const char *path, int flags)
-{
-	struct stat stat;
-	if (fstatat(dirfd, path, &stat, flags))
-		die("stat error: %m");
-	return stat;
-}
-
-static inline struct stat xfstat(int fd)
-{
-	struct stat stat;
-	if (fstat(fd, &stat))
-		die("stat error: %m");
-	return stat;
-}
-
 #define xioctl(_fd, _nr, ...)						\
 do {									\
 	if (ioctl((_fd), (_nr), ##__VA_ARGS__))				\