diff --git a/src/buffer/Buffer.zig b/src/buffer/Buffer.zig
index b4a64a4..ee60656 100644
--- a/src/buffer/Buffer.zig
+++ b/src/buffer/Buffer.zig
@@ -966,7 +966,7 @@ pub fn load(self: *const Self, reader: anytype, size: usize) !Root {
         return error.BufferUnderrun;
     const final_read = try reader.read(buf);
     if (final_read != 0)
-        unreachable;
+        @panic("unexpected data in final read");
 
     var leaf_count: usize = 1;
     for (0..buf.len) |i| {
diff --git a/src/project_manager.zig b/src/project_manager.zig
index 4beb7c6..466c9b9 100644
--- a/src/project_manager.zig
+++ b/src/project_manager.zig
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ const FilteredWalker = struct {
                         if (is_filtered_dir(base.name))
                             continue;
                         var new_dir = top.iter.dir.openDir(base.name, .{ .iterate = true }) catch |err| switch (err) {
-                            error.NameTooLong => unreachable, // no path sep in base.name
+                            error.NameTooLong => @panic("unexpected error.NameTooLong"), // no path sep in base.name
                             else => continue,
                         };
                         {
diff --git a/src/tui/EventHandler.zig b/src/tui/EventHandler.zig
index e2ab0e2..f4c1969 100644
--- a/src/tui/EventHandler.zig
+++ b/src/tui/EventHandler.zig
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ pub const List = struct {
 
     pub fn send(self: *const List, from: tp.pid_ref, m: tp.message) tp.result {
         if (self.recursion_check)
-            unreachable;
+            @panic("recursive EventHandler call");
         const self_nonconst = @constCast(self);
         self_nonconst.recursion_check = true;
         defer self_nonconst.recursion_check = false;
diff --git a/src/tui/command.zig b/src/tui/command.zig
index a24d8db..97f8412 100644
--- a/src/tui/command.zig
+++ b/src/tui/command.zig
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ pub const Context = struct {
     args: tp.message = .{},
 
     pub fn fmt(value: anytype) Context {
-        return .{ .args = tp.message.fmtbuf(&context_buffer, value) catch unreachable };
+        return .{ .args = tp.message.fmtbuf(&context_buffer, value) catch @panic("command.Context.fmt failed") };
     }
 };
 threadlocal var context_buffer: [tp.max_message_size]u8 = undefined;
diff --git a/src/tui/editor.zig b/src/tui/editor.zig
index 2b0a534..82f3f1d 100644
--- a/src/tui/editor.zig
+++ b/src/tui/editor.zig
@@ -409,7 +409,9 @@ pub const Editor = struct {
                 return primary;
         if (idx == 0) {
             self.logger.print("ERROR: no more cursors", .{});
-            (@constCast(self).cursels.addOne() catch unreachable).* = CurSel{};
+            (@constCast(self).cursels.addOne() catch |e| switch (e) {
+                error.OutOfMemory => @panic("get_primary error.OutOfMemory"),
+            }).* = CurSel{};
         }
         return self.get_primary();
     }
@@ -2770,7 +2772,7 @@ pub const Editor = struct {
         if (query.len == 0) return;
         const history = if (self.find_history) |*hist| hist else ret: {
             self.find_history = std.ArrayList([]const u8).init(self.a);
-            if (self.find_history) |*hist| break :ret hist else unreachable;
+            break :ret &self.find_history.?;
         };
         for (history.items, 0..) |entry, i|
             if (std.mem.eql(u8, entry, query))
diff --git a/src/tui/home.zig b/src/tui/home.zig
index 9628145..649f98f 100644
--- a/src/tui/home.zig
+++ b/src/tui/home.zig
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ pub fn render(self: *Self, theme: *const Widget.Theme) bool {
     try tui.set_base_style_alpha(self.plane, "", theme.editor, nc.ALPHA_TRANSPARENT, nc.ALPHA_TRANSPARENT);
     self.plane.erase();
     self.plane.home();
-    if (self.fire) |*fire| fire.render() catch unreachable;
+    if (self.fire) |*fire| fire.render();
 
     const style_title = if (tui.find_scope_style(theme, "function")) |sty| sty.style else theme.editor;
     const style_subtext = if (tui.find_scope_style(theme, "comment")) |sty| sty.style else theme.editor;
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ pub fn handle_resize(self: *Self, pos: Widget.Box) void {
     self.plane.resize_simple(@intCast(pos.h), @intCast(pos.w)) catch return;
     if (self.fire) |*fire| {
         fire.deinit();
-        self.fire = Fire.init(self.a, self.plane, pos) catch unreachable;
+        self.fire = Fire.init(self.a, self.plane, pos) catch return;
     }
 }
 
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ const Fire = struct {
     const fire_black: u8 = 0;
     const fire_white: u8 = fire_palette.len - 1;
 
-    fn render(self: *Fire) !void {
+    fn render(self: *Fire) void {
         var rand = self.prng.random();
 
         //update fire buf
@@ -328,9 +328,9 @@ const Fire = struct {
                 const px_hi = self.screen_buf[frame_y * self.FIRE_W + frame_x];
                 const px_lo = self.screen_buf[(frame_y + 1) * self.FIRE_W + frame_x];
 
-                try self.plane.set_fg_palindex(fire_palette[px_hi]);
-                try self.plane.set_bg_palindex(fire_palette[px_lo]);
-                _ = try self.plane.putstr(px);
+                self.plane.set_fg_palindex(fire_palette[px_hi]) catch {};
+                self.plane.set_bg_palindex(fire_palette[px_lo]) catch {};
+                _ = self.plane.putstr(px) catch {};
             }
             self.plane.cursor_move_yx(-1, 0) catch {};
             self.plane.cursor_move_rel(1, 0) catch {};
diff --git a/src/tui/mainview.zig b/src/tui/mainview.zig
index 035db41..997e833 100644
--- a/src/tui/mainview.zig
+++ b/src/tui/mainview.zig
@@ -335,10 +335,10 @@ fn create_editor(self: *Self) tp.result {
     var editor_widget = ed.create(self.a, Widget.to(self)) catch |e| return tp.exit_error(e);
     errdefer editor_widget.deinit(self.a);
     if (editor_widget.get("editor")) |editor| {
-        editor.subscribe(EventHandler.to_unowned(self.statusbar)) catch unreachable;
-        editor.subscribe(EventHandler.bind(self, handle_editor_event)) catch unreachable;
+        editor.subscribe(EventHandler.to_unowned(self.statusbar)) catch @panic("subscribe unsupported");
+        editor.subscribe(EventHandler.bind(self, handle_editor_event)) catch @panic("subscribe unsupported");
         self.editor = if (editor.dynamic_cast(ed.EditorWidget)) |p| &p.editor else null;
-    } else unreachable;
+    } else @panic("mainview editor not found");
     self.widgets.replace(0, editor_widget);
     self.resize();
 }