diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index c10fa56..1f515fd 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -362,7 +362,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "dirs",
  "flate2",
- "futures-util",
  "libc",
  "libloading",
  "log",
@@ -374,7 +373,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "tar",
  "tempfile",
  "thiserror",
- "tokio",
  "xz2",
  "zstd",
 ]
@@ -502,17 +500,6 @@ version = "0.3.34"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "53c0fa8157de1303bfffdaa1cc2a673bfffb60102f76b0ef4441659124373fed"
 
-[[package]]
-name = "futures-macro"
-version = "0.3.34"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "9fb9654ba8355388abeb8dcb4fc62f511300867002afc858860463bdd9fe0c44"
-dependencies = [
- "proc-macro2",
- "quote",
- "syn 3.0.9",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "futures-sink"
 version = "0.3.34"
@@ -533,7 +520,6 @@ checksum = "0d50a92467f8ba5dd6e3ee5d4bd04d73ab2e4e1c44474a0674821dfce14b79bc"
 dependencies = [
  "futures-core",
  "futures-io",
- "futures-macro",
  "futures-sink",
  "futures-task",
  "memchr",
@@ -1229,14 +1215,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "sync_wrapper",
  "tokio",
  "tokio-rustls",
- "tokio-util",
  "tower",
  "tower-http",
  "tower-service",
  "url",
  "wasm-bindgen",
  "wasm-bindgen-futures",
- "wasm-streams",
  "web-sys",
 ]
 
@@ -1691,21 +1675,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "mio",
  "pin-project-lite",
  "socket2",
- "tokio-macros",
  "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "tokio-macros"
-version = "2.7.2"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "78773a2a397f451582ce068015985c33193cf6dea8b74d2a639fe457b2f07b0e"
-dependencies = [
- "proc-macro2",
- "quote",
- "syn 3.0.9",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "tokio-rustls"
 version = "0.26.6"
@@ -1947,19 +1919,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "unicode-ident",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "wasm-streams"
-version = "0.5.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "9d1ec4f6517c9e11ae630e200b2b65d193279042e28edd4a2cda233e46670bbb"
-dependencies = [
- "futures-util",
- "js-sys",
- "wasm-bindgen",
- "wasm-bindgen-futures",
- "web-sys",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "web-sys"
 version = "0.3.106"
diff --git a/crates/ecrou/Cargo.toml b/crates/ecrou/Cargo.toml
index 9a52d0a..20f38b5 100644
--- a/crates/ecrou/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/ecrou/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_yaml = "0.9"
 
 # HTTP downloads
-reqwest = { version = "0.13", features = ["blocking", "stream"] }
+reqwest = { version = "0.13", features = ["blocking"] }
 
 # Tarball extraction
 tar = "0.4"
@@ -36,8 +36,6 @@ thiserror = "2"
 
 # Utilities
 dirs = "6"
-tokio = { version = "1", features = ["rt-multi-thread", "macros", "io-util"] }
-futures-util = "0.3"
 serde_json = "1"
 
 # libkrun FFI: raw ioctl for the KVM probe, runtime dlopen for the ABI
diff --git a/crates/ecrou/src/distro.rs b/crates/ecrou/src/distro.rs
index addfba7..683b5e0 100644
--- a/crates/ecrou/src/distro.rs
+++ b/crates/ecrou/src/distro.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::time::Duration;
 
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Context};
 
@@ -198,7 +199,10 @@ pub fn checksum_artifact_url(distro: &Distro, tarball_url: &str) -> Option<Strin
 /// Fetch the latest Ubuntu codename from a changelogs.ubuntu.com meta-release file.
 /// Pass the LTS-only URL to get the latest LTS, or the full URL for the latest release.
 fn fetch_ubuntu_codename(meta_release_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
-    let text = reqwest::blocking::get(meta_release_url)
+    let client = crate::download::http_client(Some(Duration::from_secs(30)))?;
+    let text = client
+        .get(meta_release_url)
+        .send()
         .with_context(|| format!("Failed to fetch {}", meta_release_url))?
         .text()
         .with_context(|| format!("Failed to read {}", meta_release_url))?;
@@ -240,7 +244,10 @@ fn fetch_alpine_version_from_branch(branch: &str, arch: &str) -> anyhow::Result<
         "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/{}/releases/{}/latest-releases.yaml",
         branch, arch
     );
-    let text = reqwest::blocking::get(&url)
+    let client = crate::download::http_client(Some(Duration::from_secs(30)))?;
+    let text = client
+        .get(&url)
+        .send()
         .with_context(|| {
             format!(
                 "Failed to fetch Alpine latest-releases.yaml for branch {}",
@@ -305,7 +312,10 @@ pub fn resolve_distro_version(
 /// meta-release file (e.g. "24.04" → "noble", "22.04" → "jammy").
 /// Uses the full meta-release (not -lts) so non-LTS versions are also covered.
 fn fetch_ubuntu_version_map() -> anyhow::Result<std::collections::HashMap<String, String>> {
-    let text = reqwest::blocking::get("https://changelogs.ubuntu.com/meta-release")
+    let client = crate::download::http_client(Some(Duration::from_secs(30)))?;
+    let text = client
+        .get("https://changelogs.ubuntu.com/meta-release")
+        .send()
         .context("Failed to fetch Ubuntu meta-release")?
         .text()
         .context("Failed to read Ubuntu meta-release")?;
diff --git a/crates/ecrou/src/download.rs b/crates/ecrou/src/download.rs
index fdea007..52ba5fd 100644
--- a/crates/ecrou/src/download.rs
+++ b/crates/ecrou/src/download.rs
@@ -1,17 +1,32 @@
 //! Download plumbing shared by both image sources: the digest hasher,
-//! distro checksum files, and plain file transfers into the cache.
+//! the shared HTTP client, distro checksum files, and plain file
+//! transfers into the cache.
 
 use crate::progress::{Progress, Unit};
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Context};
-use futures_util::StreamExt;
-use reqwest::Client;
+use reqwest::blocking::Client;
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256, Sha512};
+use std::io::{Read, Write};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 use crate::distro::{Distro, ImageSource};
 use crate::Result;
 
+/// One HTTP client shape for the crate: a connect window, plus an
+/// optional total request window. Metadata callers (checksum files,
+/// token endpoints, version lookups) pass `Some` — small bodies, so a
+/// total bound is safe. Transfer callers pass `None`: a slow transfer
+/// of any size must finish, and the blocking client offers no per-read
+/// window — a stalled stream is the operator's Ctrl-C.
+pub(crate) fn http_client(request_window: Option<Duration>) -> anyhow::Result<Client> {
+    let mut builder = Client::builder().connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30));
+    if let Some(window) = request_window {
+        builder = builder.timeout(window);
+    }
+    builder.build().context("Failed to create HTTP client")
+}
+
 /// Path of the digest sidecar file for a cached OCI image.
 /// e.g. `foo.tar.gz` → `foo.tar.gz.digest`
 pub fn digest_sidecar(cache_path: &Path) -> PathBuf {
@@ -91,11 +106,6 @@ pub fn download_image(
     arch: &str,
     progress: &dyn Progress,
 ) -> Result<()> {
-    // Create a single Tokio runtime for all async I/O in this download.
-    // Previously each of the two sync wrappers (download_file_sync and
-    // download_oci_image) created their own runtime; this consolidates them.
-    let rt = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().context("Failed to create Tokio runtime")?;
-
     match source {
         ImageSource::DirectTarball { distro, version } => {
             let url = crate::distro::resolve_distro_url(distro, version.as_deref(), arch)?;
@@ -107,7 +117,7 @@ pub fn download_image(
             // next to it.  A fetch failure (missing artifact, network error)
             // degrades to an unverified download with a warning rather than
             // hard-failing, mirroring the digest freshness check in rootfs.
-            let expected = match rt.block_on(fetch_published_checksum(distro, &url)) {
+            let expected = match fetch_published_checksum(distro, &url) {
                 Ok(expected) => Some(expected),
                 Err(e) => {
                     log::warn!(
@@ -118,12 +128,8 @@ pub fn download_image(
                     None
                 }
             };
-            Ok(rt.block_on(download_file_async(
-                &url,
-                dest,
-                progress,
-                expected.as_deref(),
-            ))?)
+            download_file(&url, dest, progress, expected.as_deref())?;
+            Ok(())
         }
         ImageSource::OciImage {
             registry,
@@ -132,14 +138,15 @@ pub fn download_image(
             architecture,
         } => {
             log::debug!("Pulling OCI image: {}/{}:{}", registry, repository, tag);
-            Ok(rt.block_on(crate::registry::download_oci_image_async(
+            crate::registry::download_oci_image(
                 registry,
                 repository,
                 tag,
                 architecture,
                 dest,
                 progress,
-            ))?)
+            )?;
+            Ok(())
         }
         // A local archive is read in place by the prepare step; there
         // is nothing to fetch.
@@ -152,22 +159,15 @@ pub fn download_image(
 }
 
 /// Fetch the sha256 the distro publishes for the tarball at `tarball_url`.
-async fn fetch_published_checksum(distro: &Distro, tarball_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+fn fetch_published_checksum(distro: &Distro, tarball_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     let Some(checksum_url) = crate::distro::checksum_artifact_url(distro, tarball_url) else {
         return Err(anyhow!("no checksum artifact for {}", tarball_url));
     };
 
-    // Metadata call: a small body, so the read window alone bounds it.
-    let client = Client::builder()
-        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .read_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .build()
-        .context("Failed to create HTTP client")?;
-
+    let client = http_client(Some(Duration::from_secs(30)))?;
     let response = client
         .get(&checksum_url)
         .send()
-        .await
         .with_context(|| format!("Failed to fetch checksum artifact {}", checksum_url))?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ async fn fetch_published_checksum(distro: &Distro, tarball_url: &str) -> anyhow:
         ));
     }
 
-    let text = response.text().await?;
+    let text = response.text()?;
     let filename = tarball_url.rsplit('/').next().unwrap_or("");
     expected_digest_from_checksums(&text, filename).ok_or_else(|| {
         anyhow!(
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ fn expected_digest_from_checksums(text: &str, filename: &str) -> Option<String>
     None
 }
 
-async fn download_file_async(
+fn download_file(
     url: &str,
     dest: &Path,
     progress: &dyn Progress,
@@ -212,20 +212,8 @@ async fn download_file_async(
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     log::debug!("Downloading: {}", url);
 
-    // No total timeout: a slow transfer of any size must finish. The
-    // connect window and the per-read window catch dead peers and
-    // stalled streams instead.
-    let client = Client::builder()
-        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .read_timeout(Duration::from_secs(60))
-        .build()
-        .context("Failed to create HTTP client")?;
-
-    let response = client
-        .get(url)
-        .send()
-        .await
-        .context("Failed to start download")?;
+    let client = http_client(None)?;
+    let mut response = client.get(url).send().context("Failed to start download")?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
         return Err(anyhow!("Download failed: HTTP {}", response.status()));
@@ -235,9 +223,7 @@ async fn download_file_async(
 
     // Create parent directories
     if let Some(parent) = dest.parent() {
-        tokio::fs::create_dir_all(parent)
-            .await
-            .context("Failed to create cache directory")?;
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(parent).context("Failed to create cache directory")?;
     }
 
     progress.begin(
@@ -256,17 +242,19 @@ async fn download_file_async(
     // reaches the cache; on any failure after the temp file is created we
     // remove it so stale partial files don't accumulate.
     let mut hasher = DownloadHasher::new();
-    let result: anyhow::Result<()> = async {
-        let mut file = tokio::fs::File::create(&temp_dest)
-            .await
-            .context("Failed to create temporary file")?;
+    let result: anyhow::Result<()> = (|| {
+        let mut file =
+            std::fs::File::create(&temp_dest).context("Failed to create temporary file")?;
 
-        let mut stream = response.bytes_stream();
-        while let Some(chunk) = stream.next().await {
-            let chunk = chunk.context("Download interrupted")?;
-            tokio::io::copy(&mut &chunk[..], &mut file).await?;
-            hasher.update(&chunk);
-            progress.advance(chunk.len() as u64);
+        let mut buf = [0u8; 64 * 1024];
+        loop {
+            let n = response.read(&mut buf).context("Download interrupted")?;
+            if n == 0 {
+                break;
+            }
+            file.write_all(&buf[..n]).context("Failed to write chunk")?;
+            hasher.update(&buf[..n]);
+            progress.advance(n as u64);
         }
 
         progress.finish();
@@ -275,18 +263,16 @@ async fn download_file_async(
             log::debug!("Verified content digest: {}", dest.display());
         }
 
-        tokio::fs::rename(&temp_dest, dest)
-            .await
+        std::fs::rename(&temp_dest, dest)
             .context("Failed to move partial download to final destination")?;
         log::debug!("Download complete: {}", dest.display());
 
         Ok(())
-    }
-    .await;
+    })();
 
     if result.is_err() {
         // Best-effort cleanup; ignore errors (file may not exist if creation failed).
-        let _ = tokio::fs::remove_file(&temp_dest).await;
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&temp_dest);
     }
 
     result
diff --git a/crates/ecrou/src/registry.rs b/crates/ecrou/src/registry.rs
index 41d3cc2..6079edd 100644
--- a/crates/ecrou/src/registry.rs
+++ b/crates/ecrou/src/registry.rs
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@
 //! and content-addressed layer blobs bundled into a cache entry.
 
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Context};
-use futures_util::StreamExt;
-use reqwest::Client;
+use reqwest::blocking::Client;
 use serde_json::Value;
+use std::io::{Read, Write};
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::time::Duration;
 
+use crate::download::http_client;
 use crate::download::{digest_sidecar, DownloadHasher};
 use crate::progress::{Progress, Unit};
 use crate::{Error, Result};
@@ -17,25 +18,13 @@ use crate::{Error, Result};
 /// layers.  The registry returns the content-addressable digest in the
 /// `Docker-Content-Digest` response header of any manifest GET.
 pub(crate) fn fetch_oci_digest(registry: &str, repository: &str, tag: &str) -> Result<String> {
-    let digest = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new()
-        .context("Failed to create Tokio runtime")?
-        .block_on(fetch_oci_digest_async(registry, repository, tag))?;
-    Ok(digest)
+    fetch_oci_digest_inner(registry, repository, tag).map_err(Error::Other)
 }
 
-async fn fetch_oci_digest_async(
-    registry: &str,
-    repository: &str,
-    tag: &str,
-) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
-    // Metadata call: a small body, so the read window alone bounds it.
-    let client = Client::builder()
-        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .read_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .build()
-        .context("Failed to create HTTP client")?;
-
-    let token = get_auth_token(&client, registry, repository).await?;
+fn fetch_oci_digest_inner(registry: &str, repository: &str, tag: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+    // Metadata: a small body, so a total request bound is safe.
+    let client = http_client(Some(Duration::from_secs(30)))?;
+    let token = get_auth_token(&client, registry, repository)?;
 
     let manifest_url = if registry == "docker.io" {
         format!(
@@ -57,7 +46,6 @@ async fn fetch_oci_digest_async(
         )
         .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token))
         .send()
-        .await
         .context("Failed to fetch manifest for digest check")?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
@@ -75,7 +63,7 @@ async fn fetch_oci_digest_async(
         .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("Registry did not return a Docker-Content-Digest header"))
 }
 
-pub(crate) async fn download_oci_image_async(
+pub(crate) fn download_oci_image(
     registry: &str,
     repository: &str,
     tag: &str,
@@ -83,17 +71,8 @@ pub(crate) async fn download_oci_image_async(
     dest: &Path,
     progress: &dyn Progress,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    // No total timeout: a slow transfer of any size must finish. The
-    // connect window and the per-read window catch dead peers and
-    // stalled streams instead.
-    let client = Client::builder()
-        .connect_timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .read_timeout(Duration::from_secs(60))
-        .build()
-        .context("Failed to create HTTP client")?;
-
-    let digest =
-        try_download_oci_image(&client, registry, repository, tag, arch, dest, progress).await?;
+    let client = http_client(None)?;
+    let digest = try_download_oci_image(&client, registry, repository, tag, arch, dest, progress)?;
 
     // Persist the manifest digest so the next run can skip the download when
     // the tag hasn't changed (see fetch_oci_digest / digest_sidecar).
@@ -104,7 +83,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn download_oci_image_async(
     Ok(())
 }
 
-async fn try_download_oci_image(
+fn try_download_oci_image(
     client: &Client,
     registry: &str,
     repository: &str,
@@ -114,7 +93,7 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
     progress: &dyn Progress,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     // Get authentication token for the registry
-    let token = get_auth_token(client, registry, repository).await?;
+    let token = get_auth_token(client, registry, repository)?;
 
     // Construct manifest URL based on registry
     let manifest_url = if registry == "docker.io" {
@@ -135,7 +114,6 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
         .header("Accept", "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.list.v2+json, application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json, application/vnd.oci.image.index.v1+json, application/vnd.oci.image.manifest.v1+json")
         .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token))
         .send()
-        .await
         .context("Failed to get image manifest")?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
@@ -156,7 +134,7 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
         .map(|s| s.to_string())
         .unwrap_or_default();
 
-    let body = response.text().await?;
+    let body = response.text()?;
     let manifest: Value = serde_json::from_str(&body).context("Failed to parse manifest JSON")?;
 
     // Check if this is a manifest list (multi-arch)
@@ -208,7 +186,6 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
             .header("Accept", "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json, application/vnd.oci.image.manifest.v1+json")
             .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token))
             .send()
-            .await
             .context("Failed to get architecture manifest")?;
 
         if !arch_response.status().is_success() {
@@ -218,7 +195,7 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
             ));
         }
 
-        let arch_body = arch_response.text().await?;
+        let arch_body = arch_response.text()?;
 
         // The arch manifest was requested by digest: verify the response
         // matches, since the layer digests read from it are trusted next.
@@ -293,8 +270,7 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
             &label,
             layer_digest,
             progress,
-        )
-        .await?;
+        )?;
         layer_names.push(layer_name);
     }
 
@@ -348,11 +324,7 @@ async fn try_download_oci_image(
     Ok(tag_digest)
 }
 
-async fn get_auth_token(
-    client: &Client,
-    registry: &str,
-    repository: &str,
-) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+fn get_auth_token(client: &Client, registry: &str, repository: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     // Docker Hub has a well-known, stable auth endpoint.
     if registry == "docker.io" {
         let url = format!(
@@ -360,7 +332,7 @@ async fn get_auth_token(
             repository
         );
         log::debug!("Getting auth token from: {}", url);
-        return fetch_bearer_token(client, &url).await;
+        return fetch_bearer_token(client, &url);
     }
 
     // For every other registry follow the OCI Distribution Spec §4.2:
@@ -371,7 +343,6 @@ async fn get_auth_token(
     let probe = client
         .get(&probe_url)
         .send()
-        .await
         .with_context(|| format!("Failed to probe registry at {}", probe_url))?;
 
     match probe.status().as_u16() {
@@ -412,7 +383,7 @@ async fn get_auth_token(
         realm, service, repository
     );
     log::debug!("Getting auth token from: {}", token_url);
-    fetch_bearer_token(client, &token_url).await
+    fetch_bearer_token(client, &token_url)
 }
 
 /// Parse a `Bearer realm="...",service="..."[,scope="..."]` header value.
@@ -452,11 +423,10 @@ fn parse_www_authenticate(header: &str) -> Option<(String, String)> {
 }
 
 /// Fetch a bearer token from a fully-constructed token URL.
-async fn fetch_bearer_token(client: &Client, token_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+fn fetch_bearer_token(client: &Client, token_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     let response = client
         .get(token_url)
         .send()
-        .await
         .context("Failed to request auth token")?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
@@ -464,7 +434,7 @@ async fn fetch_bearer_token(client: &Client, token_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<
         return Ok(String::new());
     }
 
-    let body = response.text().await?;
+    let body = response.text()?;
     let json: Value = serde_json::from_str(&body).context("Failed to parse auth token response")?;
 
     // OCI spec uses "token"; Docker also emits "access_token".
@@ -475,7 +445,7 @@ async fn fetch_bearer_token(client: &Client, token_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<
         .ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("No token field in auth response: {}", body))
 }
 
-async fn download_blob_with_auth(
+fn download_blob_with_auth(
     client: &Client,
     url: &str,
     dest: &Path,
@@ -489,7 +459,7 @@ async fn download_blob_with_auth(
         request = request.header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token));
     }
 
-    let response = request.send().await.context("Failed to start download")?;
+    let mut response = request.send().context("Failed to start download")?;
 
     if !response.status().is_success() {
         return Err(anyhow!(
@@ -502,24 +472,21 @@ async fn download_blob_with_auth(
 
     progress.begin(label, Unit::Bytes, (total_size > 0).then_some(total_size));
 
-    let mut file = tokio::fs::File::create(dest)
-        .await
-        .context("Failed to create destination file")?;
+    let mut file = std::fs::File::create(dest).context("Failed to create destination file")?;
 
     let mut hasher = DownloadHasher::new();
-    let mut stream = response.bytes_stream();
-    use tokio::io::AsyncWriteExt;
-
-    while let Some(chunk) = stream.next().await {
-        let chunk = chunk.context("Failed to read chunk")?;
-        file.write_all(&chunk)
-            .await
-            .context("Failed to write chunk")?;
-        hasher.update(&chunk);
-        progress.advance(chunk.len() as u64);
+    let mut buf = [0u8; 64 * 1024];
+    loop {
+        let n = response.read(&mut buf).context("Failed to read chunk")?;
+        if n == 0 {
+            break;
+        }
+        file.write_all(&buf[..n]).context("Failed to write chunk")?;
+        hasher.update(&buf[..n]);
+        progress.advance(n as u64);
     }
 
-    file.flush().await?;
+    file.flush().context("Failed to flush the layer file")?;
     progress.finish();
 
     // The blob was addressed by this digest in the manifest; a mismatch means