diff --git a/src/interface.zig b/src/interface.zig
index 588539f..8969404 100644
--- a/src/interface.zig
+++ b/src/interface.zig
@@ -96,11 +96,7 @@ pub fn zigInit(parent_allocator: *anyopaque) callconv(.C) void {
 /// and is also used by the main processing loop to coerce request headers
 fn toHeaders(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, headers: std.http.Headers) ![*]Header {
     var header_array = try std.ArrayList(Header).initCapacity(alloc, headers.list.items.len);
-    log.err("enter ({d})", .{headers.list.items.len});
     for (headers.list.items) |*field| {
-        // var name = try alloc.dupe(u8, field.name);
-        // var val = try alloc.dupe(u8, field.value);
-        // log.err(" response header name {s}, val {s}", .{ name, val });
         header_array.appendAssumeCapacity(.{
             .name_ptr = @constCast(field.name.ptr),
             .name_len = field.name.len,
@@ -109,7 +105,6 @@ fn toHeaders(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, headers: std.http.Headers) ![*]Header {
             .value_len = field.value.len,
         });
     }
-    log.err("exit", .{});
     return header_array.items.ptr;
 }
 
@@ -128,7 +123,6 @@ pub fn handleRequest(request: *Request, zigRequestHandler: ZigRequestHandler) ?*
     var response = std.ArrayList(u8).init(alloc);
 
     // setup headers
-    var response_headers = std.http.Headers.init(alloc);
     var request_headers = std.http.Headers.init(alloc);
     for (0..request.headers_len) |i|
         request_headers.append(
@@ -142,17 +136,9 @@ pub fn handleRequest(request: *Request, zigRequestHandler: ZigRequestHandler) ?*
             return null;
         };
 
-    //     if (serve_result.prepended_request_data_len > 0) {
-    //     var al = std.ArrayList(u8).initCapacity(allocator, slice.len + serve_result.prepended_request_data_len);
-    //     defer al.deinit();
-    //     al.appendSliceAssumeCapacity(serve_result.prepended_request_data[0..serve_result.prepended_request_data_len]);
-    //     al.appendSliceAssumeCapacity(slice);
-    //     slice = al.toOwnedSlice();
-    // }
-
     var prepend = std.ArrayList(u8).init(alloc);
     var zig_response = ZigResponse{
-        .headers = response_headers,
+        .headers = .{ .allocator = alloc },
         .body = &response,
         .prepend = prepend,
         .request = .{
@@ -170,11 +156,16 @@ pub fn handleRequest(request: *Request, zigRequestHandler: ZigRequestHandler) ?*
         if (@errorReturnTrace()) |trace| {
             std.debug.dumpStackTrace(trace.*);
         }
-        return null;
+        if (zig_response.status == .ok) // this was an unexpected throw
+            zig_response.status = .internal_server_error;
+        return buildResponse(alloc, &zig_response);
     };
 
     // Marshall data back for handling by server
+    return buildResponse(alloc, &zig_response);
+}
 
+fn buildResponse(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, zig_response: *ZigResponse) ?*Response {
     var rc = alloc.create(Response) catch {
         log.err("Could not allocate memory for response object. This may be fatal", .{});
         return null;
@@ -183,23 +174,22 @@ pub fn handleRequest(request: *Request, zigRequestHandler: ZigRequestHandler) ?*
         log.err("Could not allocate memory for response object. This may be fatal", .{});
         return null;
     };
-    rc.ptr = response.items.ptr;
-    rc.len = response.items.len;
-    rc.headers = toHeaders(alloc, response_headers) catch |e| {
+
+    rc.ptr = zig_response.body.items.ptr;
+    rc.len = zig_response.body.items.len;
+    rc.headers = toHeaders(alloc, zig_response.headers) catch |e| {
         log.err("Unexpected error processing request: {any}", .{e});
         if (@errorReturnTrace()) |trace| {
             std.debug.dumpStackTrace(trace.*);
         }
         return null;
     };
-    //log.err("headers len: {d} header[0] name: {s}", .{ rc.headers_len, rc.headers[0].name_ptr[0..rc.headers[0].name_len] });
-    rc.headers_len = response_headers.list.items.len;
+    rc.headers_len = zig_response.headers.list.items.len;
     rc.status = if (zig_response.status == .ok) 0 else @intFromEnum(zig_response.status);
     rc.reason_len = 0;
     if (zig_response.reason) |*r| {
         rc.reason_ptr = @constCast(r.ptr);
         rc.reason_len = r.len;
     }
-
     return rc;
 }
diff --git a/src/main-lib.zig b/src/main-lib.zig
index d05fd67..2053b4d 100644
--- a/src/main-lib.zig
+++ b/src/main-lib.zig
@@ -79,9 +79,11 @@ fn handleRequest(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, response: *interface.ZigResponse)
     if (response.request.headers.getFirstValue("x-status")) |s| {
         response.status = @enumFromInt(std.fmt.parseInt(u10, s, 10) catch 500);
     }
+    if (response.request.headers.getFirstValue("x-throw")) |_| {
+        return error.Thrown;
+    }
     try response_writer.print(" {d}", .{response.request.headers.list.items.len});
     try response.headers.append("X-custom-foo", "bar");
-    log.info("handlerequest header count {d}", .{response.headers.list.items.len});
 }
 
 test "handle_request" {
@@ -103,7 +105,7 @@ test "handle_request" {
         .content = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
         .content_len = 3,
         .headers = headers.ptr,
-        .headers_len = 1,
+        .headers_len = headers.len,
     };
     const response = handle_request(&req).?;
     try testing.expectEqualStrings(" 1", response.ptr[0..response.len]);
@@ -111,3 +113,96 @@ test "handle_request" {
     try testing.expectEqualStrings("X-custom-foo", response.headers[0].name_ptr[0..response.headers[0].name_len]);
     try testing.expectEqualStrings("bar", response.headers[0].value_ptr[0..response.headers[0].value_len]);
 }
+
+test "lib can write data directly" {
+    var arena = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(std.testing.allocator);
+    defer arena.deinit();
+    var aa = arena.allocator();
+    interface.zigInit(&aa);
+    var headers: []interface.Header = @constCast(&[_]interface.Header{.{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-log-this".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-log-this".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("I am a teapot".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "I am a teapot".len,
+    }});
+    var req = interface.Request{
+        .target = @ptrCast(@constCast("/".ptr)),
+        .target_len = 1,
+        .method = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .method_len = 3,
+        .content = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .content_len = 3,
+        .headers = headers.ptr,
+        .headers_len = headers.len,
+    };
+    const response = handle_request(&req).?;
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 1), response.headers_len);
+    try testing.expectEqualStrings("X-custom-foo", response.headers[0].name_ptr[0..response.headers[0].name_len]);
+    try testing.expectEqualStrings("bar", response.headers[0].value_ptr[0..response.headers[0].value_len]);
+    try testing.expectEqualStrings("I am a teapot 1", response.ptr[0..response.len]);
+}
+test "lib can write data directly and still throw" {
+    var arena = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(std.testing.allocator);
+    defer arena.deinit();
+    var aa = arena.allocator();
+    interface.zigInit(&aa);
+    var headers: []interface.Header = @constCast(&[_]interface.Header{ .{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-log-this".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-log-this".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("I am a teapot".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "I am a teapot".len,
+    }, .{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-throw".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-throw".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("I am a teapot".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "I am a teapot".len,
+    } });
+    var req = interface.Request{
+        .target = @ptrCast(@constCast("/".ptr)),
+        .target_len = 1,
+        .method = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .method_len = 3,
+        .content = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .content_len = 3,
+        .headers = headers.ptr,
+        .headers_len = headers.len,
+    };
+    const response = handle_request(&req).?;
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 500), response.status);
+    try testing.expectEqualStrings("I am a teapot", response.ptr[0..response.len]);
+}
+test "lib can set status, update data directly and still throw" {
+    var arena = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(std.testing.allocator);
+    defer arena.deinit();
+    var aa = arena.allocator();
+    interface.zigInit(&aa);
+    var headers: []interface.Header = @constCast(&[_]interface.Header{ .{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-log-this".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-log-this".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("I am a teapot".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "I am a teapot".len,
+    }, .{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-throw".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-throw".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("I am a teapot".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "I am a teapot".len,
+    }, .{
+        .name_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("x-status".ptr)),
+        .name_len = "x-status".len,
+        .value_ptr = @ptrCast(@constCast("418".ptr)),
+        .value_len = "418".len,
+    } });
+    var req = interface.Request{
+        .target = @ptrCast(@constCast("/".ptr)),
+        .target_len = 1,
+        .method = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .method_len = 3,
+        .content = @ptrCast(@constCast("GET".ptr)),
+        .content_len = 3,
+        .headers = headers.ptr,
+        .headers_len = headers.len,
+    };
+    const response = handle_request(&req).?;
+    try testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 418), response.status);
+    try testing.expectEqualStrings("I am a teapot", response.ptr[0..response.len]);
+}
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index 377114f..56a3184 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -625,6 +625,7 @@ test {
     std.testing.refAllDecls(@This());
     std.testing.refAllDecls(config);
     std.testing.refAllDecls(interface);
+    std.testing.refAllDecls(@import("main-lib.zig"));
 }
 var test_resp_buf: [1024]u8 = undefined;
 var test_resp_buf_len: usize = undefined;