diff --git a/src/basic/strxcpyx.c b/src/basic/strxcpyx.c
index aaf11d21f6b..c6fbe79647c 100644
--- a/src/basic/strxcpyx.c
+++ b/src/basic/strxcpyx.c
@@ -19,8 +19,13 @@
 
 /*
  * Concatenates/copies strings. In any case, terminates in all cases
- * with '\0' * and moves the @dest pointer forward to the added '\0'.
- * Returns the * remaining size, and 0 if the string was truncated.
+ * with '\0' and moves the @dest pointer forward to the added '\0'.
+ * Returns the remaining size, and 0 if the string was truncated.
+ *
+ * Due to the intended usage, these helpers silently noop invocations
+ * having zero size.  This is technically an exception to the above
+ * statement "terminates in all cases".  It's unexpected for such calls to
+ * occur outside of a loop where this is the preferred behavior.
  */
 
 #include <stdarg.h>
@@ -32,6 +37,12 @@
 size_t strpcpy(char **dest, size_t size, const char *src) {
         size_t len;
 
+        assert(dest);
+        assert(src);
+
+        if (size == 0)
+                return 0;
+
         len = strlen(src);
         if (len >= size) {
                 if (size > 1)
@@ -51,23 +62,30 @@ size_t strpcpyf(char **dest, size_t size, const char *src, ...) {
         va_list va;
         int i;
 
+        assert(dest);
+        assert(src);
+
+        if (size == 0)
+                return 0;
+
         va_start(va, src);
         i = vsnprintf(*dest, size, src, va);
         if (i < (int)size) {
                 *dest += i;
                 size -= i;
         } else {
-                *dest += size;
                 size = 0;
         }
         va_end(va);
-        *dest[0] = '\0';
         return size;
 }
 
 size_t strpcpyl(char **dest, size_t size, const char *src, ...) {
         va_list va;
 
+        assert(dest);
+        assert(src);
+
         va_start(va, src);
         do {
                 size = strpcpy(dest, size, src);
@@ -80,6 +98,9 @@ size_t strpcpyl(char **dest, size_t size, const char *src, ...) {
 size_t strscpy(char *dest, size_t size, const char *src) {
         char *s;
 
+        assert(dest);
+        assert(src);
+
         s = dest;
         return strpcpy(&s, size, src);
 }
@@ -88,6 +109,9 @@ size_t strscpyl(char *dest, size_t size, const char *src, ...) {
         va_list va;
         char *s;
 
+        assert(dest);
+        assert(src);
+
         va_start(va, src);
         s = dest;
         do {
diff --git a/src/test/test-strxcpyx.c b/src/test/test-strxcpyx.c
index 9bea7701314..d95945f6b01 100644
--- a/src/test/test-strxcpyx.c
+++ b/src/test/test-strxcpyx.c
@@ -51,6 +51,13 @@ static void test_strpcpyf(void) {
 
         assert_se(streq(target, "space left: 25. foobar"));
         assert_se(space_left == 3);
+
+        /* test overflow */
+        s = target;
+        space_left = strpcpyf(&s, 12, "00 left: %i. ", 999);
+        assert_se(streq(target, "00 left: 99"));
+        assert_se(space_left == 0);
+        assert_se(target[12] == '2');
 }
 
 static void test_strpcpyl(void) {