diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 853f6266..83a55e11 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 - add im_vips2dz(): run the deepzoom writer from vips7
 - vips_magickload() has an option to read all images in a sequence
 - redo im_make_xy(), im_*eye(), im_zone*(), im_sines() as classes
+- added vips_pngload_buffer()
 
 12/3/13 started 7.33.0
 - vipsthumbnail lets you specify the sharpening mask
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 774afe5d..ddb7142c 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-- need png load from buffer?
 
 - could we support streaming read? how would it work?
 
@@ -18,6 +17,13 @@
 	  reader.kick
 	end
 
+  looks ugly and stupid :( 
+
+  could maybe read from a socket? would we need to be able to pass file ids
+  in? can named sockets work like this?
+
+
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
index 8ef04e46..6298d2d7 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/foreign.c
@@ -1999,18 +1999,23 @@ vips_jpegsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
 	VipsArea *area;
 	int result;
 
+	area = NULL; 
+
 	va_start( ap, len );
 	result = vips_call_split( "jpegsave_buffer", ap, in, &area );
 	va_end( ap );
 
-	if( buf ) {
-		*buf = area->data;
-		area->free_fn = NULL;
-	}
-	if( buf ) 
-		*len = area->length;
+	if( !result &&
+		area ) { 
+		if( buf ) {
+			*buf = area->data;
+			area->free_fn = NULL;
+		}
+		if( buf ) 
+			*len = area->length;
 
-	vips_area_unref( area );
+		vips_area_unref( area );
+	}
 
 	return( result );
 }
@@ -2341,18 +2346,23 @@ vips_pngsave_buffer( VipsImage *in, void **buf, size_t *len, ... )
 	VipsArea *area;
 	int result;
 
+	area = NULL; 
+
 	va_start( ap, len );
 	result = vips_call_split( "pngsave_buffer", ap, in, &area );
 	va_end( ap );
 
-	if( buf ) {
-		*buf = area->data;
-		area->free_fn = NULL;
-	}
-	if( buf ) 
-		*len = area->length;
+	if( !result &&
+		area ) { 
+		if( buf ) {
+			*buf = area->data;
+			area->free_fn = NULL;
+		}
+		if( buf ) 
+			*len = area->length;
 
-	vips_area_unref( area );
+		vips_area_unref( area );
+	}
 
 	return( result );
 }
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/pngload.c b/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
index 97763eef..cf49b6dd 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/pngload.c
@@ -165,8 +165,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_png_buffer_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
 	VipsForeignLoadPngBuffer *png = (VipsForeignLoadPngBuffer *) load;
 
-	if( vips__png_header_buffer( load->out, 
-		png->buf->data, png->buf->length ) )
+	if( vips__png_header_buffer( png->buf->data, png->buf->length, 
+		load->out ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
@@ -177,8 +177,8 @@ vips_foreign_load_png_buffer_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
 	VipsForeignLoadPngBuffer *png = (VipsForeignLoadPngBuffer *) load;
 
-	if( vips__png_read_buffer( load->out, 
-		png->buf->data, png->buf->length ) )
+	if( vips__png_read_buffer( png->buf->data, png->buf->length, 
+		load->real ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
index ac39a7c4..54631e3d 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.c
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ vips__png_isinterlaced( const char *filename )
 }
 
 static int
-read_all( Read *read, VipsImage *out )
+png2vips_image( Read *read, VipsImage *out )
 {
 	int interlace_type = png_get_interlace_type( read->pPng, read->pInfo );
 	VipsImage **t = (VipsImage **) 
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ vips__png_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out )
 #endif /*DEBUG*/
 
 	if( !(read = read_new_filename( out, filename )) ||
-		read_all( read, out ) )
+		png2vips_image( read, out ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
@@ -567,6 +567,10 @@ vips_png_read_buffer( png_structp pPng, png_bytep data, png_size_t length )
 {
 	Read *read = png_get_io_ptr( pPng ); 
 
+#ifdef DEBUG
+	printf( "vips_png_read_buffer: read %zd bytes\n", length ); 
+#endif /*DEBUG*/
+
 	if( read->read_pos + length > read->length )
 		png_error( pPng, "not enough data in buffer" );
 
@@ -596,7 +600,7 @@ read_new_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length )
 }
 
 int
-vips__png_header_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length )
+vips__png_header_buffer( char *buffer, size_t length, VipsImage *out )
 {
 	Read *read;
 
@@ -608,12 +612,12 @@ vips__png_header_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length )
 }
 
 int
-vips__png_read_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length  )
+vips__png_read_buffer( char *buffer, size_t length, VipsImage *out  )
 {
 	Read *read;
 
 	if( !(read = read_new_buffer( out, buffer, length )) ||
-		read_all( read, out ) )
+		png2vips_image( read, out ) )
 		return( -1 ); 
 
 	return( 0 );
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
index c28951c1..9922eecd 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
+++ b/libvips/foreign/vipspng.h
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ int vips__png_read( const char *name, VipsImage *out );
 int vips__png_ispng( const char *filename );
 gboolean vips__png_isinterlaced( const char *filename );
 extern const char *vips__png_suffs[];
-int vips__png_read_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length  );
-int vips__png_header_buffer( VipsImage *out, char *buffer, size_t length );
+int vips__png_read_buffer( char *buffer, size_t length, VipsImage *out  );
+int vips__png_header_buffer( char *buffer, size_t length, VipsImage *out );
 
 int vips__png_write( VipsImage *in, const char *filename, 
 	int compress, int interlace );