dep.go    | 24 ++++++++++++------------
 depfix.go |  8 ++++----
 inode.go  | 39 ++++++++++++++++++++-------------------
 main.go   |  8 +++++---
 ood.go    |  3 ++-
 run.go    |  4 ++--

diff --git a/dep.go b/dep.go
index a9d9855b8ed72c8ec02ee4080568f5e094e9d9d2a479adfd99294cb7251b4672..a301a0e0c4032a06b5578718ca086601f4680b6e4d55a814655861a67570bb98 100644
--- a/dep.go
+++ b/dep.go
@@ -67,11 +67,12 @@ }
 
 type Ifchange struct {
 	tgt  *Tgt
-	meta string
+	meta [InodeLen + HashLen]byte
 }
 
-func (ifchange *Ifchange) Inode() Inode {
-	return Inode(ifchange.meta[:InodeLen])
+func (ifchange *Ifchange) Inode() *Inode {
+	inode := Inode(ifchange.meta[:InodeLen])
+	return &inode
 }
 
 func (ifchange *Ifchange) Hash() Hash {
@@ -140,7 +141,7 @@ 		}
 	}
 	_, err = io.Copy(w, bytes.NewBuffer(chunkWrite(bytes.Join([][]byte{
 		{DepTypeIfchange},
-		[]byte(inode),
+		inode[:],
 		[]byte(hsh),
 		[]byte(tgt.RelTo(cwd)),
 	}, nil))))
@@ -226,20 +227,19 @@ func depBinIfchangeParse(tgt *Tgt, chunk []byte) (*Ifchange, string, error) {
 	if len(chunk) < InodeLen+HashLen+1 {
 		return nil, "", errors.New("too short \"ifchange\" format")
 	}
-	name := string(chunk[InodeLen+HashLen:])
-	meta := string(chunk[:InodeLen+HashLen])
 
 	tgtH, _ := pathSplit(tgt.a)
-	ifchange := &Ifchange{tgt: NewTgt(path.Join(tgtH, name)), meta: meta}
-	cachedFound := false
+	name := string(chunk[InodeLen+HashLen:])
+	ifchange := &Ifchange{
+		tgt:  NewTgt(path.Join(tgtH, name)),
+		meta: ([InodeLen + HashLen]byte)(chunk),
+	}
 	for _, cached := range IfchangeCache[ifchange.tgt.rel] {
 		if ifchange.meta == cached.meta {
-			ifchange = cached
-			cachedFound = true
-			break
+			return cached, name, nil
 		}
 	}
-	if IfchangeCache != nil && !cachedFound {
+	if IfchangeCache != nil {
 		IfchangeCache[ifchange.tgt.rel] = append(IfchangeCache[ifchange.tgt.rel], ifchange)
 	}
 	return ifchange, name, nil
diff --git a/depfix.go b/depfix.go
index 8a27eacbd5ca0e3e250635eccc15a0cf57d2110cbc4c82f6f1011ad552090b85..59bd7db1786f8a3b6d6f81af626b2ff02c8dd145ce7ceecef4d16f020d127363 100644
--- a/depfix.go
+++ b/depfix.go
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ 						fd, err = os.Open(p)
 						if err != nil {
 							break
 						}
-						var inode Inode
+						var inode *Inode
 						inode, _, err = inodeFromFileByFd(fd)
 						if err != nil {
 							fd.Close()
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ 						fd.Close()
 						_, err = io.Copy(fdDepW, bytes.NewBuffer(
 							chunkWrite(bytes.Join([][]byte{
 								{DepTypeIfchange},
-								[]byte(inode),
+								inode[:],
 								[]byte(hsh),
 								[]byte(name),
 							}, nil))))
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ 						fd, err = os.Open(p)
 						if err != nil {
 							break
 						}
-						var inode Inode
+						var inode *Inode
 						inode, _, err = inodeFromFileByFd(fd)
 						if err != nil {
 							fd.Close()
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ 						fd.Close()
 						_, err = io.Copy(fdDepW, bytes.NewBuffer(
 							chunkWrite(bytes.Join([][]byte{
 								{DepTypeIfchange},
-								[]byte(inode),
+								inode[:],
 								[]byte(hsh),
 								[]byte(name),
 							}, nil))))
diff --git a/inode.go b/inode.go
index 6ec715449773081879bfa49565ceb80aa96a1e31eeff884eea3f3fa2dc0c58ca..b5ad6c3f56114037adcc7460d364ab178ef67828dd5244faf45e01d9c831ddc2 100644
--- a/inode.go
+++ b/inode.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
@@ -45,26 +46,26 @@ var InodeTrust InodeTrustType
 
 // It is big-endian 64-bit unsigned integers: size, inodeNum,
 // ctime sec, ctime nsec, mtime sec, mtime nsec.
-type Inode string
+type Inode [InodeLen]byte
 
-func (our Inode) Equals(their Inode) bool {
-	if our[:2*8] != their[:2*8] {
+func (our *Inode) Equals(their *Inode) bool {
+	if !bytes.Equal(our[:2*8], their[:2*8]) {
 		return false
 	}
 	switch InodeTrust {
 	case InodeTrustCtime:
-		if our[2*8:4*8] != their[2*8:4*8] {
+		if !bytes.Equal(our[2*8:4*8], their[2*8:4*8]) {
 			return false
 		}
 	case InodeTrustMtime:
-		if our[4*8:6*8] != their[4*8:6*8] {
+		if !bytes.Equal(our[4*8:6*8], their[4*8:6*8]) {
 			return false
 		}
 	}
 	return true
 }
 
-func (inode Inode) RecfileFields() []recfile.Field {
+func (inode *Inode) RecfileFields() []recfile.Field {
 	return []recfile.Field{
 		{Name: "Size", Value: strconv.FormatUint(binary.BigEndian.Uint64(
 			[]byte(inode[0*8:1*8])), 10)},
@@ -81,21 +82,21 @@ 			[]byte(inode[5*8:6*8])), 10)},
 	}
 }
 
-func inodeFromFileStat(fi os.FileInfo, stat unix.Stat_t) Inode {
+func inodeFromFileStat(fi os.FileInfo, stat unix.Stat_t) *Inode {
 	ctimeSec, ctimeNsec := stat.Ctim.Unix()
 	mtimeSec := fi.ModTime().Unix()
 	mtimeNsec := fi.ModTime().UnixNano()
-	buf := make([]byte, InodeLen)
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[0*8:1*8], uint64(fi.Size()))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[1*8:2*8], uint64(stat.Ino))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[2*8:3*8], uint64(ctimeSec))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[3*8:4*8], uint64(ctimeNsec))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[4*8:5*8], uint64(mtimeSec))
-	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(buf[5*8:6*8], uint64(mtimeNsec))
-	return Inode(buf)
+	inode := new(Inode)
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[0*8:1*8], uint64(fi.Size()))
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[1*8:2*8], uint64(stat.Ino))
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[2*8:3*8], uint64(ctimeSec))
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[3*8:4*8], uint64(ctimeNsec))
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[4*8:5*8], uint64(mtimeSec))
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(inode[5*8:6*8], uint64(mtimeNsec))
+	return inode
 }
 
-func inodeFromFileByFd(fd *os.File) (inode Inode, isDir bool, err error) {
+func inodeFromFileByFd(fd *os.File) (inode *Inode, isDir bool, err error) {
 	fi, err := fd.Stat()
 	if err != nil {
 		return
@@ -113,15 +114,15 @@ 	inode = inodeFromFileStat(fi, stat)
 	return
 }
 
-func inodeFromFileByPath(p string) (Inode, error) {
+func inodeFromFileByPath(p string) (*Inode, error) {
 	fi, err := os.Stat(p)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	var stat unix.Stat_t
 	err = unix.Stat(p, &stat)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	return inodeFromFileStat(fi, stat), nil
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 1df0ae28f4fcbafe045a86fcb9cde5c24cfcf082d7b445cda6aff4f6e9f46099..1111a7f37523411c960406e7208806b6208bcaff9ab5dad0ba1ca211deb19857 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ 		IfchangeCache = nil
 		DepFixHashCache = make(map[string]Hash)
 		err = depFix(Cwd)
 	case CmdNameRedoInode:
-		var inode Inode
+		var inode *Inode
 		for _, tgt := range tgts {
 			inode, err = inodeFromFileByPath(tgt.a)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -542,6 +542,7 @@ 			break
 		}
 		var typ byte
 		var chunk []byte
+		var inode Inode
 		for len(data) > 0 {
 			typ, chunk, data, _ = chunkRead(data)
 			switch typ {
@@ -561,7 +562,7 @@ 					{Name: "Target", Value: string(chunk)},
 				}...)
 			case DepTypeIfchange:
 				name := string(chunk[InodeLen+HashLen:])
-				meta := string(chunk[:InodeLen+HashLen])
+				meta := chunk[:InodeLen+HashLen]
 				fields := []recfile.Field{
 					{Name: "Type", Value: "ifchange"},
 					{Name: "Target", Value: name},
@@ -569,7 +570,8 @@ 				}
 				fields = append(fields, recfile.Field{
 					Name: "Hash", Value: Hash(meta[InodeLen:]).String(),
 				})
-				fields = append(fields, Inode(meta[:InodeLen]).RecfileFields()...)
+				inode = Inode(meta[:][:InodeLen])
+				fields = append(fields, inode.RecfileFields()...)
 				err = recfileWrite(w, fields...)
 			case DepTypeIfchangeNonex:
 				err = recfileWrite(w, []recfile.Field{
diff --git a/ood.go b/ood.go
index efb86bc80c41cd46d3602d4522346f13c8156b34fb031edc35b58a1715d862e3..6da0c4430ed0604fb25ee87380c6bfccc825aa80a11f84ffc438950bcafd1227 100644
--- a/ood.go
+++ b/ood.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ 			}
 			return ood, TgtError{tgt, ErrLine(err)}
 		}
 
-		if inode[:8] != ifchange.Inode()[:8] {
+		if !bytes.Equal(inode[:8], ifchange.Inode()[:8]) {
 			tracef(CDebug, "ood: %s%s -> %s: size differs", indent, tgt, ifchange.tgt)
 			ood = true
 			OODCache[ifchange.tgt.rel] = ood
diff --git a/run.go b/run.go
index 345e16681130c724323476cd94dfc9fbe7650f4d2ae9afdda4c001239bde274a..1d5303e8fe929d5cffc67bc963b65bce4135dd95416a225d3dc4d227015c9485 100644
--- a/run.go
+++ b/run.go
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ 	return os.MkdirAll(pth, os.FileMode(0777))
 }
 
 func isModified(dep *Dep, tgt *Tgt) (
-	modified bool, ourInode Inode, hshPrev Hash, err error,
+	modified bool, ourInode *Inode, hshPrev Hash, err error,
 ) {
 	if dep == nil {
 		return
@@ -666,7 +666,7 @@ 		}
 
 		// Was $1 touched?
 		if inode, err := inodeFromFileByPath(tgt.a); err == nil {
-			if inodePrev == "" {
+			if inodePrev == nil {
 				runErr.Err = Err1WasTouched
 				errs <- runErr
 				return