lib/PublicInbox/NNTP.pm | 8 ++++----
 t/nntpd.t               | 1 +

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/NNTP.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/NNTP.pm
index 87ddf7a4af83312e41edc775e0794066d73e6ce3..595a4046d4fccff1249784aca9d022c656cb9e08 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/NNTP.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/NNTP.pm
@@ -581,11 +581,11 @@ }
 
 sub cmd_stat ($;$) {
 	my ($self, $art) = @_;
-	my $r = art_lookup($self, $art);
-	return $r unless ref $r;
-	my ($n, $mid) = @$r;
+	my $smsg = art_lookup($self, $art); # art may be msgid
+	return $smsg unless ref $smsg;
+	$art = $smsg->{num};
 	set_art($self, $art);
-	"223 $n <$mid> article retrieved - request text separately";
+	"223 $art <$smsg->{mid}> article retrieved - request text separately";
 }
 
 sub cmd_ihave ($) { '435 article not wanted - do not send it' }
diff --git a/t/nntpd.t b/t/nntpd.t
index aaf6661deaab8cbd88af8fe454adf4abc690bfa0..0b4a2636ac9d28ca925c00ab9b018f9f12eca687 100644
--- a/t/nntpd.t
+++ b/t/nntpd.t
@@ -206,6 +206,7 @@ 		"XOVER by article works");
 
 	is_deeply($n->head(1), $n->head('<nntp@example.com>'), 'HEAD OK');
 	is_deeply($n->body(1), $n->body('<nntp@example.com>'), 'BODY OK');
+	is_deeply($n->nntpstat(1), '<nntp@example.com>', 'STAT');
 	is($n->body(1)->[0], "This is a test message for El\xc3\xa9anor\n",
 		'body really matches');
 	my $art = $n->article(1);