diff --git a/src/file.cc b/src/file.cc
index c0ffd6435..7dab64ec3 100644
--- a/src/file.cc
+++ b/src/file.cc
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ std::vector<String> list_files(StringView prefix, StringView dirname,
         {
             if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
                 filename += '/';
-            if (prefix.length() != 0 or filename[0] != '.')
+            if (prefix.length() != 0 or filename[0_byte] != '.')
             {
                 if (match_prefix)
                     result.push_back(filename);
diff --git a/src/remote.cc b/src/remote.cc
index d75e13dfa..a5643387d 100644
--- a/src/remote.cc
+++ b/src/remote.cc
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ String read<String>(int socket)
     if (length > 0)
     {
         res.resize((int)length);
-        read(socket, &res[0], (int)length);
+        read(socket, &res[0_byte], (int)length);
     }
     return res;
 }
diff --git a/src/string.hh b/src/string.hh
index 91bdbc609..c6c403521 100644
--- a/src/string.hh
+++ b/src/string.hh
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ public:
 
     char      operator[](ByteCount pos) const { return std::string::operator[]((int)pos); }
     char&     operator[](ByteCount pos) { return std::string::operator[]((int)pos); }
+    Codepoint operator[](CharCount pos) { return utf8::codepoint(utf8::advance(begin(), end(), pos), end()); }
     ByteCount length() const { return ByteCount{(int)std::string::length()}; }
     CharCount char_length() const { return utf8::distance(begin(), end()); }
     ByteCount byte_count_to(CharCount count) const { return utf8::advance(begin(), end(), (int)count) - begin(); }
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ public:
     char back() const { return m_data[(int)m_length - 1]; }
 
     char operator[](ByteCount pos) const { return m_data[(int)pos]; }
+    Codepoint operator[](CharCount pos) { return utf8::codepoint(utf8::advance(begin(), end(), pos), end()); }
 
     ByteCount length() const { return m_length; }
     CharCount char_length() const { return utf8::distance(begin(), end()); }