diff --git a/creds.txt b/creds.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b2cf97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/creds.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+username=probotic
+server=irc.rizon.net
+port=6667
+channel=#/g/chad
diff --git a/include/parse.h b/include/parse.h
index d3ac359..dd7310b 100644
--- a/include/parse.h
+++ b/include/parse.h
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ typedef struct
 extern creds_t creds;
 
 DECL char * slurp(const char * fn);
-DECL int  parse_pair(char * const buf, size_t const len);
+DECL int  parse_pair(char const * buf, size_t const len);
 DECL void parse_command(char  * cmd);
 DECL void clean_creds(void);
 
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index a71722a..96a15be 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -84,9 +84,13 @@ main (int argc,
         { creds.password = argv[1]; }
         else if (strcmp(arg, "auth") == 0)
         {
+          authfile = argv[1];
           buf = slurp(authfile);
           if (!buf)
-          {  PERROR(1); }
+          {
+            fprintf(stderr, "file: %s\n", authfile);
+            PERROR(1);
+          }
 
           authfile = argv[1];
           if (parse_pair(buf, strlen(buf)))
diff --git a/src/parse.c b/src/parse.c
index 6ffa133..87eab76 100644
--- a/src/parse.c
+++ b/src/parse.c
@@ -115,8 +115,11 @@ parse_pair(char const * buf, size_t const len)
       /* X macro for handling this data may be better */
       for (f = 0; f < ARRAY_SIZE(cred_names[i]); ++i)
       {
+        fprintf(stderr, "ARRAY_SIZE(cred_names[i]) = %d\n",
+                ARRAY_SIZE(cred_names[i]));
         if (strncmp(buf, cred_names[i], ARRAY_SIZE(cred_names[i])) == 0)
         {
+          buf += i;
           x = i;
           while (i != '\0' ||
                  i != '\n')
@@ -124,15 +127,14 @@ parse_pair(char const * buf, size_t const len)
           x = i - x;
           switch (i)
           {
-            case USERNAME: creds.username = strndup(buf+x); break;
-            case PASSWORD: creds.password = strndup(buf+x); break;
-            case  CHANNEL: creds.channel  = strndup(buf+x); break;
-            case   SERVER: creds.server   = strndup(buf+x); break;
-            case     PORT: creds.port     = atoi(buf+x);    break;
+            case USERNAME: creds.username = strndup(buf,x); break;
+            case PASSWORD: creds.password = strndup(buf,x); break;
+            case  CHANNEL: creds.channel  = strndup(buf,x); break;
+            case   SERVER: creds.server   = strndup(buf,x); break;
+            case     PORT: creds.port     = atoi(buf);      break;
           }
           while (i != '\0' ||
-                 i != '\n')
-          buf[i] = '\0';
+                 i != '\n');
         }
 #ifndef NDEBUG
         else