diff --git a/mpi/ChangeLog b/mpi/ChangeLog
index 775f437b4..a2af9f303 100644
--- a/mpi/ChangeLog
+++ b/mpi/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2005-09-01  David Shaw  <dshaw@jabberwocky.com>
+
+	* mpicoder.c (mpi_read): Fix minor bug in reading a zero-length
+	MPI (was failing unnecessarily).
+
 2005-05-06  Werner Koch  <wk@g10code.com>
 
 	* mpi-scan.c (mpi_putbyte, mpi_getbyte): Removed.  Not used.
diff --git a/mpi/mpicoder.c b/mpi/mpicoder.c
index 46cfb5b1d..d5ce99971 100644
--- a/mpi/mpicoder.c
+++ b/mpi/mpicoder.c
@@ -80,16 +80,20 @@ mpi_read(IOBUF inp, unsigned *ret_nread, int secure)
     mpi_limb_t a;
     MPI val = MPI_NULL;
 
+    if (nread == nmax)
+        goto overflow;
     if( (c = iobuf_get(inp)) == -1 )
 	goto leave;
-    if (++nread >= nmax)
-        goto overflow;
+    nread++;
     nbits = c << 8;
+
+    if (nread == nmax)
+        goto overflow;
     if( (c = iobuf_get(inp)) == -1 )
 	goto leave;
-    if (++nread >= nmax)
-        goto overflow;
+    nread++;
     nbits |= c;
+
     if( nbits > MAX_EXTERN_MPI_BITS ) {
 	log_error("mpi too large for this implementation (%u bits)\n", nbits);
 	goto leave;
@@ -112,7 +116,7 @@ mpi_read(IOBUF inp, unsigned *ret_nread, int secure)
     for( ; j > 0; j-- ) {
 	a = 0;
 	for(; i < BYTES_PER_MPI_LIMB; i++ ) {
-            if (nread >= nmax) {
+            if (nread == nmax) {
 #ifdef M_DEBUG
                 mpi_debug_free (val);
 #else