diff --git a/src/pkg/bufio/bufio.go b/src/pkg/bufio/bufio.go
index 1e0cdae38e..ecd2708f78 100644
--- a/src/pkg/bufio/bufio.go
+++ b/src/pkg/bufio/bufio.go
@@ -88,15 +88,26 @@ func (b *Reader) fill() {
 		b.r = 0
 	}
 
-	// Read new data.
-	n, err := b.rd.Read(b.buf[b.w:])
-	if n < 0 {
-		panic(errNegativeRead)
+	if b.w >= len(b.buf) {
+		panic("bufio: tried to fill full buffer")
 	}
-	b.w += n
-	if err != nil {
-		b.err = err
+
+	// Read new data: try a limited number of times.
+	for i := maxConsecutiveEmptyReads; i > 0; i-- {
+		n, err := b.rd.Read(b.buf[b.w:])
+		if n < 0 {
+			panic(errNegativeRead)
+		}
+		b.w += n
+		if err != nil {
+			b.err = err
+			return
+		}
+		if n > 0 {
+			return
+		}
 	}
+	b.err = io.ErrNoProgress
 }
 
 func (b *Reader) readErr() error {
@@ -116,8 +127,9 @@ func (b *Reader) Peek(n int) ([]byte, error) {
 	if n > len(b.buf) {
 		return nil, ErrBufferFull
 	}
+	// 0 <= n <= len(b.buf)
 	for b.w-b.r < n && b.err == nil {
-		b.fill()
+		b.fill() // b.w-b.r < len(b.buf) => buffer is not full
 	}
 	m := b.w - b.r
 	if m > n {
@@ -143,7 +155,7 @@ func (b *Reader) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	if n == 0 {
 		return 0, b.readErr()
 	}
-	if b.w == b.r {
+	if b.r == b.w {
 		if b.err != nil {
 			return 0, b.readErr()
 		}
@@ -151,13 +163,16 @@ func (b *Reader) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 			// Large read, empty buffer.
 			// Read directly into p to avoid copy.
 			n, b.err = b.rd.Read(p)
+			if n < 0 {
+				panic(errNegativeRead)
+			}
 			if n > 0 {
 				b.lastByte = int(p[n-1])
 				b.lastRuneSize = -1
 			}
 			return n, b.readErr()
 		}
-		b.fill()
+		b.fill() // buffer is empty
 		if b.w == b.r {
 			return 0, b.readErr()
 		}
@@ -181,7 +196,7 @@ func (b *Reader) ReadByte() (c byte, err error) {
 		if b.err != nil {
 			return 0, b.readErr()
 		}
-		b.fill()
+		b.fill() // buffer is empty
 	}
 	c = b.buf[b.r]
 	b.r++
@@ -211,8 +226,8 @@ func (b *Reader) UnreadByte() error {
 // rune and its size in bytes. If the encoded rune is invalid, it consumes one byte
 // and returns unicode.ReplacementChar (U+FFFD) with a size of 1.
 func (b *Reader) ReadRune() (r rune, size int, err error) {
-	for b.r+utf8.UTFMax > b.w && !utf8.FullRune(b.buf[b.r:b.w]) && b.err == nil {
-		b.fill()
+	for b.r+utf8.UTFMax > b.w && !utf8.FullRune(b.buf[b.r:b.w]) && b.err == nil && b.w-b.r < len(b.buf) {
+		b.fill() // b.w-b.r < len(buf) => buffer is not full
 	}
 	b.lastRuneSize = -1
 	if b.r == b.w {
@@ -256,36 +271,28 @@ func (b *Reader) Buffered() int { return b.w - b.r }
 // ReadBytes or ReadString instead.
 // ReadSlice returns err != nil if and only if line does not end in delim.
 func (b *Reader) ReadSlice(delim byte) (line []byte, err error) {
-	// Look in buffer.
-	if i := bytes.IndexByte(b.buf[b.r:b.w], delim); i >= 0 {
-		line1 := b.buf[b.r : b.r+i+1]
-		b.r += i + 1
-		return line1, nil
-	}
-
-	// Read more into buffer, until buffer fills or we find delim.
 	for {
+		// Search buffer.
+		if i := bytes.IndexByte(b.buf[b.r:b.w], delim); i >= 0 {
+			line := b.buf[b.r : b.r+i+1]
+			b.r += i + 1
+			return line, nil
+		}
+
+		// Pending error?
 		if b.err != nil {
 			line := b.buf[b.r:b.w]
 			b.r = b.w
 			return line, b.readErr()
 		}
 
-		n := b.Buffered()
-		b.fill()
-
-		// Search new part of buffer
-		if i := bytes.IndexByte(b.buf[n:b.w], delim); i >= 0 {
-			line := b.buf[0 : n+i+1]
-			b.r = n + i + 1
-			return line, nil
-		}
-
-		// Buffer is full?
-		if b.Buffered() >= len(b.buf) {
+		// Buffer full?
+		if n := b.Buffered(); n >= len(b.buf) {
 			b.r = b.w
 			return b.buf, ErrBufferFull
 		}
+
+		b.fill() // buffer is not full
 	}
 }
 
@@ -417,12 +424,18 @@ func (b *Reader) WriteTo(w io.Writer) (n int64, err error) {
 		return n, err
 	}
 
-	for b.fill(); b.r < b.w; b.fill() {
+	if b.w-b.r < len(b.buf) {
+		b.fill() // buffer not full
+	}
+
+	for b.r < b.w {
+		// b.r < b.w => buffer is not empty
 		m, err := b.writeBuf(w)
 		n += m
 		if err != nil {
 			return n, err
 		}
+		b.fill() // buffer is empty
 	}
 
 	if b.err == io.EOF {
@@ -435,6 +448,9 @@ func (b *Reader) WriteTo(w io.Writer) (n int64, err error) {
 // writeBuf writes the Reader's buffer to the writer.
 func (b *Reader) writeBuf(w io.Writer) (int64, error) {
 	n, err := w.Write(b.buf[b.r:b.w])
+	if n < b.r-b.w {
+		panic(errors.New("bufio: writer did not write all data"))
+	}
 	b.r += n
 	return int64(n), err
 }
diff --git a/src/pkg/bufio/bufio_test.go b/src/pkg/bufio/bufio_test.go
index 32ca86161f..406eb153ba 100644
--- a/src/pkg/bufio/bufio_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/bufio/bufio_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/iotest"
+	"time"
 	"unicode/utf8"
 )
 
@@ -174,6 +175,34 @@ func TestReader(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+type zeroReader struct{}
+
+func (zeroReader) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	return 0, nil
+}
+
+func TestZeroReader(t *testing.T) {
+	var z zeroReader
+	r := NewReader(z)
+
+	c := make(chan error)
+	go func() {
+		_, err := r.ReadByte()
+		c <- err
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-c:
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Error("error expected")
+		} else if err != io.ErrNoProgress {
+			t.Error("unexpected error:", err)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Error("test timed out (endless loop in ReadByte?)")
+	}
+}
+
 // A StringReader delivers its data one string segment at a time via Read.
 type StringReader struct {
 	data []string