diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 250ed82..8651300 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 
 ## TODO
 
+- [x] get port to run
+  - [ ] something goes terribly wrong with traverse_ and for_ (related to erasure, I think)
+- [ ] sort through issues that came up during port
+- [ ] don't use `take` - it's not stack safe
+
 More comments in code! This is getting big enough that I need to re-find my bearings when fixing stuff.
 
 - [ ] report info in case of error
diff --git a/done/Data/IORef.newt b/done/Data/IORef.newt
index c9f2232..08014ed 100644
--- a/done/Data/IORef.newt
+++ b/done/Data/IORef.newt
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import Prelude
 ptype IORef : U → U
 pfunc primNewIORef uses (MkIORes MkUnit) : ∀ a. a → IO (IORef a) := `(_, a) => (w) => MkIORes(undefined, [a], w)`
 pfunc primReadIORef uses (MkIORes MkUnit) : ∀ a. IORef a → IO a := `(_, ref) => (w) => MkIORes(undefined, ref[0], w)`
-pfunc primWriteIORef uses (MkIORes MkUnit) : ∀ a. IORef a → a → IO a := `(_, ref, a) => (w) => {
+pfunc primWriteIORef uses (MkIORes MkUnit) : ∀ a. IORef a → a → IO Unit := `(_, ref, a) => (w) => {
   ref[0] = a
   return MkIORes(undefined,MkUnit,w)
 }`
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ readIORef : ∀ io a. {{HasIO io}} → IORef a → io a
 readIORef ref = liftIO $ primReadIORef ref
 
 writeIORef : ∀ io a. {{HasIO io}} → IORef a -> a -> io Unit
-writeIORef ref a = liftIO $ writeIORef ref a
+writeIORef ref a = liftIO $ primWriteIORef ref a
 
 -- Idris HasIO constraints to monad, we don't have those constraints yet
 modifyIORef : ∀ io a. {{Monad io}} {{HasIO io}} → IORef a -> (a -> a) -> io Unit
diff --git a/done/Hello.newt b/done/Hello.newt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7648652
--- /dev/null
+++ b/done/Hello.newt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+module Hello
+
+import Prelude
+
+main : IO Unit
+main = do
+    putStrLn "hello, world"
diff --git a/done/Lib/ProcessDecl.newt b/done/Lib/ProcessDecl.newt
index 0885c2c..2e8660c 100644
--- a/done/Lib/ProcessDecl.newt
+++ b/done/Lib/ProcessDecl.newt
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ processDecl ns  (TypeSig fc names tm) = do
   ty <- check (mkCtx fc) tm (VU fc)
   ty <- zonk top 0 Nil ty
   putStrLn "TypeSig \{unwords names} : \{render 90 $ pprint Nil ty}"
-  for_ names $ \nm => setDef (QN ns nm) fc ty Axiom
+  ignore $ for names $ \nm => setDef (QN ns nm) fc ty Axiom
   -- Zoo4eg has metas in TypeSig, need to decide if I want to support leaving them unsolved here
   -- logMetas mstart
 
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ processDecl ns (Record recordFC nm tele cname decls) = do
   putStrLn "Decl:"
   putStrLn $ render 90 $ pretty decl
   processDecl ns decl
-  for_ fields $ \case
+  ignore $ for fields $ \case
     (fc,name,ty) => do
       -- TODO dependency isn't handled yet
       -- we'll need to replace stuff like `len` with `len self`.
diff --git a/done/Main.newt b/done/Main.newt
index 0d1ba52..3692c70 100644
--- a/done/Main.newt
+++ b/done/Main.newt
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ processModule importFC base stk qn@(QN ns nm) = do
   let (Right (imports, ops, toks)) = partialParse fn parseImports ops toks
     | Left (err, toks) => exitFailure (showError src err)
 
-  for_ imports $ \case
+  for imports $ \case
     MkImport fc name' => do
       let (a,b) = unsnoc $ split1 name' "."
       let qname = QN a b
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ main' = do
   let (arg0 :: args) = getArgs
     | _ => error emptyFC "error reading args"
   (out, files) <- cmdLine args
-  traverse_ processFile files
+  traverse processFile files
 
   when (elem "--top" args) $ \ _ => do
     json <- jsonTopContext
diff --git a/done/Node.newt b/done/Node.newt
index 1577e9c..bb04eb6 100644
--- a/done/Node.newt
+++ b/done/Node.newt
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pfunc readFile uses (fs MkIORes Left Right) : (fn : String) -> IO (Either String
 }`
 
 -- I wonder if I should automatically `uses` the constructors in the types
-pfunc writeFile uses (fs MkIORes MkUnit) : String → String → IO (Either String Unit) := `(fn, content) => {
+pfunc writeFile uses (fs MkIORes MkUnit) : String → String → IO (Either String Unit) := `(fn, content) => (w) => {
   let result
   try {
     fs.writeFileSync(fn, content, 'utf8')
diff --git a/newt/Prelude.newt b/newt/Prelude.newt
index 6c7c715..76b58ea 100644
--- a/newt/Prelude.newt
+++ b/newt/Prelude.newt
@@ -185,15 +185,15 @@ instance Traversable List where
   traverse f Nil = return Nil
   traverse f (x :: xs) = return _::_ <*> f x <*> traverse f xs
 
-
-traverse_ : ∀ t f a b. {{Traversable t}} {{Applicative f}} → (a → f b) → t a → f Unit
-traverse_ f xs = return (const MkUnit) <*> traverse f xs
+-- something goes madly wrong with erasure in here.
+-- traverse_ : ∀ t f a b. {{Traversable t}} {{Applicative f}} → (a → f b) → t a → f Unit
+-- traverse_ f xs = return (const MkUnit) <*> traverse f xs
 
 for : {t : U → U} {f : U → U} → {{Traversable t}} {{appf : Applicative f}} → {a : U} → {b : U} → t a → (a → f b) → f (t b)
 for stuff fun = traverse fun stuff
 
-for_ : {t : U → U} {f : U → U} → {{Traversable t}} {{appf : Applicative f}} → {a : U} → {b : U} → t a → (a → f b) → f Unit
-for_ stuff fun = return (const MkUnit) <*> traverse fun stuff
+-- for_ : {t : U → U} {f : U → U} → {{Traversable t}} {{appf : Applicative f}} → {a : U} → {b : U} → t a → (a → f b) → f Unit
+-- for_ stuff fun = return (const MkUnit) <*> traverse fun stuff
 
 instance Applicative Maybe where
   return a = Just a
@@ -330,8 +330,8 @@ pfunc intToNat uses (Z S) : Int -> Nat := `(n) => {
 
 
 
-pfunc fastConcat : List String → String := `(xs) => listToArray(undefined, xs).join('')`
-pfunc replicate : Nat -> Char → String := `(n,c) => c.repeat(natToInt(n))`
+pfunc fastConcat uses (listToArray) : List String → String := `(xs) => listToArray(undefined, xs).join('')`
+pfunc replicate uses (natToInt) : Nat -> Char → String := `(n,c) => c.repeat(natToInt(n))`
 
 -- I don't want to use an empty type because it would be a proof of void
 ptype World