lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm | 20 +++++++++++---------
 lib/PublicInbox/NetReader.pm  | 16 +++++++++-------
 lib/PublicInbox/NetWriter.pm  |  2 +-

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
index ba375772369065d725c08ec3d0cc845a68225b18..3a714502bb71988b4f1c42f13fb65cabd50517d2 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/LeiConvert.pm
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ sub do_convert { # via wq_do
 	my ($self) = @_;
 	my $lei = $self->{lei};
 	my $in_fmt = $lei->{opt}->{'in-format'};
+	my $mics;
+	if (my $nrd = $lei->{nrd}) { # may prompt user once
+		$nrd->{mics_cached} = $nrd->imap_common_init($lei);
+	}
 	if (my $stdin = delete $self->{0}) {
 		PublicInbox::MboxReader->$in_fmt($stdin, \&mbox_cb, $self);
 	}
@@ -120,16 +124,14 @@ 	if (@d) { # TODO: check for MH vs Maildir, here
 		require PublicInbox::MdirReader;
 	}
 	$self->{inputs} = \@inputs;
-	return convert_start($lei) if !$nrd;
-
-	if (my $err = $nrd->errors) {
-		return $lei->fail($err);
+	if ($nrd) {
+		if (my $err = $nrd->errors) {
+			return $lei->fail($err);
+		}
+		$nrd->{quiet} = $opt->{quiet};
+		$lei->{nrd} = $nrd;
 	}
-	$nrd->{quiet} = $opt->{quiet};
-	$lei->{nrd} = $nrd;
-	require PublicInbox::LeiAuth;
-	my $auth = $lei->{auth} = PublicInbox::LeiAuth->new($nrd);
-	$auth->auth_start($lei, \&convert_start, $lei);
+	convert_start($lei);
 }
 
 sub ipc_atfork_child {
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/NetReader.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/NetReader.pm
index 0956d5dad6517509194e093fcc4db9efd74e9f64..c29e09c190a6159c9c1a442e110ee5c4ffe018ff 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/NetReader.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/NetReader.pm
@@ -423,14 +423,16 @@ }
 
 # uses cached auth info prepared by mic_for
 sub mic_get {
-	my ($self, $sec) = @_;
-	my $mic_arg = $self->{mic_arg}->{$sec};
-	unless ($mic_arg) {
-		my $uri = ref $sec ? $sec : PublicInbox::URIimap->new($sec);
-		$sec = uri_section($uri);
-		$mic_arg = $self->{mic_arg}->{$sec} or
-			die "BUG: no Mail::IMAPClient->new arg for $sec";
+	my ($self, $uri) = @_;
+	my $sec = uri_section($uri);
+	# see if caller saved result of imap_common_init
+	if (my $cached = $self->{mics_cached}) {
+		my $mic = $cached->{$sec};
+		return $mic if $mic && $mic->IsConnected;
+		delete $cached->{$sec};
 	}
+	my $mic_arg = $self->{mic_arg}->{$sec} or
+			die "BUG: no Mail::IMAPClient->new arg for $sec";
 	if (defined(my $cb_name = $mic_arg->{Authcallback})) {
 		if (ref($cb_name) ne 'CODE') {
 			$mic_arg->{Authcallback} = $self->can($cb_name);
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/NetWriter.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/NetWriter.pm
index 89f8662efa647009ce68778e94c95c2d94a1e7ff..c68b0669e2f67435d54369883c31de3251d7f321 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/NetWriter.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/NetWriter.pm
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ 	my ($self, $url) = @_;
 	my $uri = PublicInbox::URIimap->new($url);
 	my $sec = $self->can('uri_section')->($uri);
 	local $0 = $uri->mailbox." $sec";
-	my $mic = $self->mic_get($sec) or die "E: not connected: $@";
+	my $mic = $self->mic_get($uri) or die "E: not connected: $@";
 	$mic->select($uri->mailbox) or return; # non-existent
 	if ($mic->delete_message('1:*')) {
 		$mic->expunge;