diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/chat-cli.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/chat-cli.hoon
index c17e159496..62c9f4c9c6 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/chat-cli.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/chat-cli.hoon
@@ -894,15 +894,13 @@
         =/  =uid:post    (snag index history)
         =/  =node:graph  (got-node:libgraph uid)
         =.  audience     resource.uid
-        ?-    -.post.node
-            %|  [~ state]
-            %&
-          :_  put-ses
-          ^-  (list card)
-          :~  (print:sh-out ['?' ' ' number])
-              (effect:sh-out ~(render-activate mr resource.uid p.post.node))
-              prompt:sh-out
-          ==
+        ?:  ?=(%| -.post.node)
+          [~ state]
+        :_  put-ses
+        ^-  (list card)
+        :~  (print:sh-out ['?' ' ' number])
+            (effect:sh-out ~(render-activate mr resource.uid p.post.node))
+            prompt:sh-out
         ==
       --
     ::  +chats: display list of joined chats
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
index cb6cc2de94..ff4d0da93b 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
@@ -300,29 +300,25 @@
   =/  parent-index=index:store
     (scag (dec (lent index)) index)
   ?:  (~(has by nodes) parent-index)  %.y
-  ?-  -.post.node
-    %|  %.n
-  ::
-      %&
-    ?.  =(author.p.post.node src.bowl)
-      %.n
-    =/  =permissions:store
-      %^  add-mark  resource  vip
-      (node-to-indexed-post node)
-    =/  =permission-level:store
-      (get-permission permissions is-admin writers)
-    ?-  permission-level
-        %yes  %.y
-        %no   %.n
-      ::
-          %self
-        =/  parent-node=node:store
-          (got-node:gra resource parent-index)
-        ?-  -.post.parent-node
-          %|  %.n
-          %&  =(author.p.post.parent-node src.bowl)
-        ==
-    ==
+  ?:  ?=(%| -.post.node)
+    %.n
+  ?.  =(author.p.post.node src.bowl)
+    %.n
+  =/  =permissions:store
+    %^  add-mark  resource  vip
+    (node-to-indexed-post node)
+  =/  =permission-level:store
+    (get-permission permissions is-admin writers)
+  ?-  permission-level
+      %yes  %.y
+      %no   %.n
+    ::
+        %self
+      =/  parent-node=node:store
+        (got-node:gra resource parent-index)
+      ?:  ?=(%| -.post.parent-node)
+        %.n
+      =(author.p.post.parent-node src.bowl)
   ==
 ::
 ++  is-allowed-remove
@@ -337,20 +333,16 @@
   ^-  ?
   =/  =node:store
     (got-node:gra resource index)
-  ?-  -.post.node
-    %|  %.n
-  ::
-      %&
-    =/  =permissions:store
-      %^  remove-mark  resource  vip
-      (node-to-indexed-post node)
-    =/  =permission-level:store
-      (get-permission permissions is-admin writers)
-    ?-  permission-level
-      %yes   %.y
-      %no    %.n
-      %self  =(author.p.post.node src.bowl)
-    ==
+  ?:  ?=(%| -.post.node)  %.n
+  =/  =permissions:store
+    %^  remove-mark  resource  vip
+    (node-to-indexed-post node)
+  =/  =permission-level:store
+    (get-permission permissions is-admin writers)
+  ?-  permission-level
+    %yes   %.y
+    %no    %.n
+    %self  =(author.p.post.node src.bowl)
   ==
 ::
 ++  build-permissions
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-store.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-store.hoon
index 99ff3e7a2a..99bb75b5f8 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-store.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-store.hoon
@@ -368,11 +368,11 @@
           =/  =node:store
             ~|  "cannot remove index that does not exist {<index>}"
             (need (get:orm graph atom))
-          ~|  "cannot remove post that has already been removed"
-          ?>  ?=(%& -.post.node)
-          =*  p  p.post.node
-          %=    node
+          %_    node
               post
+            ~|  "cannot remove post that has already been removed"
+            ?>  ?=(%& -.post.node)
+            =*  p  p.post.node
             ^-  maybe-post:store
             :-  %|
             ?~  hash.p