diff --git a/src/api/lib.zig b/src/api/lib.zig
index a48170a..c13d981 100644
--- a/src/api/lib.zig
+++ b/src/api/lib.zig
@@ -276,7 +276,10 @@ fn ApiConn(comptime DbConn: type) type {
                 username,
                 password,
                 self.community.id,
-                .{ .invite_id = if (maybe_invite) |inv| inv.id else null, .email = opt.email },
+                .{
+                    .invite_id = if (maybe_invite) |inv| @as(?Uuid, inv.id) else null,
+                    .email = opt.email,
+                },
                 self.arena.allocator(),
             );
 
diff --git a/src/api/services/actors.zig b/src/api/services/actors.zig
index ee7c38d..2a7f964 100644
--- a/src/api/services/actors.zig
+++ b/src/api/services/actors.zig
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ pub const Actor = struct {
     created_at: DateTime,
 };
 
-pub fn get(db: anytype, id: Uuid, alloc: std.mem.Allocator) !Actor {
+pub const GetError = error{ NotFound, DatabaseFailure };
+pub fn get(db: anytype, id: Uuid, alloc: std.mem.Allocator) GetError!Actor {
     return db.queryRow(
         Actor,
         \\SELECT
diff --git a/src/api/services/communities.zig b/src/api/services/communities.zig
index 8f0e21d..1187fef 100644
--- a/src/api/services/communities.zig
+++ b/src/api/services/communities.zig
@@ -83,11 +83,12 @@ pub fn create(db: anytype, origin: []const u8, options: CreateOptions, alloc: st
         else => return error.DatabaseFailure,
     }
 
+    const name = options.name orelse host;
     db.insert("community", .{
         .id = id,
         .owner_id = null,
         .host = host,
-        .name = options.name orelse host,
+        .name = name,
         .scheme = scheme,
         .kind = options.kind,
         .created_at = DateTime.now(),
@@ -262,14 +263,20 @@ pub fn query(db: anytype, args: QueryArgs, alloc: std.mem.Allocator) !QueryResul
 
     _ = try builder.array.appendSlice("\nLIMIT $7");
 
-    const query_args = .{
-        args.owner_id,
-        args.like,
-        args.created_before,
-        args.created_after,
-        if (args.prev) |prev| prev.order_val else null,
-        if (args.prev) |prev| prev.id else null,
-        max_items,
+    const query_args = blk: {
+        const ord_val =
+            if (args.prev) |prev| @as(?QueryArgs.OrderVal, prev.order_val) else null;
+        const id =
+            if (args.prev) |prev| @as(?Uuid, prev.id) else null;
+        break :blk .{
+            args.owner_id,
+            args.like,
+            args.created_before,
+            args.created_after,
+            ord_val,
+            id,
+            max_items,
+        };
     };
 
     try builder.array.append(0);
diff --git a/src/api/services/invites.zig b/src/api/services/invites.zig
index 09a156c..2a58354 100644
--- a/src/api/services/invites.zig
+++ b/src/api/services/invites.zig
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ pub fn create(db: anytype, created_by: Uuid, community_id: ?Uuid, options: Invit
             .max_uses = options.max_uses,
             .created_at = created_at,
             .expires_at = if (options.lifespan) |lifespan|
-                created_at.add(lifespan)
+                @as(?DateTime, created_at.add(lifespan))
             else
                 null,
 
diff --git a/src/http/request/parser.zig b/src/http/request/parser.zig
index b7f0c31..57fae33 100644
--- a/src/http/request/parser.zig
+++ b/src/http/request/parser.zig
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ pub fn parse(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, reader: anytype) !Request(@TypeOf(reader)
 
     // discard \r\n
     switch (try reader.readByte()) {
-        '\r' => if (try reader.readByte() != '\n') return error.BadRequest,
+        '\r' => if ((try reader.readByte()) != '\n') return error.BadRequest,
         '\n' => {},
         else => return error.BadRequest,
     }
diff --git a/src/http/socket.zig b/src/http/socket.zig
index cae032a..eab1a1d 100644
--- a/src/http/socket.zig
+++ b/src/http/socket.zig
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ pub fn handshake(alloc: std.mem.Allocator, req: *http.Request, res: *http.Respon
     if (std.ascii.indexOfIgnoreCase(connection, "Upgrade") == null) return error.BadHandshake;
 
     const key_hdr = req.headers.get("Sec-WebSocket-Key") orelse return error.BadHandshake;
-    if (try std.base64.standard.Decoder.calcSizeForSlice(key_hdr) != 16) return error.BadHandshake;
+    if ((try std.base64.standard.Decoder.calcSizeForSlice(key_hdr)) != 16) return error.BadHandshake;
     var key: [16]u8 = undefined;
     std.base64.standard.Decoder.decode(&key, key_hdr) catch return error.BadHandshake;
 
@@ -164,15 +164,15 @@ fn writeFrame(writer: anytype, header: FrameInfo, buf: []const u8) !void {
     const initial_len: u7 = if (header.len < 126)
         @intCast(u7, header.len)
     else if (std.math.cast(u16, header.len)) |_|
-        126
+        @as(u7, 126)
     else
-        127;
+        @as(u7, 127);
 
     var hdr_buf = [2]u8{ 0, 0 };
-    hdr_buf[0] |= if (header.is_final) 0b1000_0000 else 0;
+    hdr_buf[0] |= if (header.is_final) @as(u8, 0b1000_0000) else 0;
     hdr_buf[0] |= @as(u8, header.rsv) << 4;
     hdr_buf[0] |= @enumToInt(header.opcode);
-    hdr_buf[1] |= if (header.masking_key) |_| 0b1000_0000 else 0;
+    hdr_buf[1] |= if (header.masking_key) |_| @as(u8, 0b1000_0000) else 0;
     hdr_buf[1] |= initial_len;
     try writer.writeAll(&hdr_buf);
     if (initial_len == 126)
diff --git a/src/main/controllers/communities.zig b/src/main/controllers/communities.zig
index f6b4c69..b7d33e9 100644
--- a/src/main/controllers/communities.zig
+++ b/src/main/controllers/communities.zig
@@ -151,31 +151,37 @@ fn formatQueryParams(
     return formatRecursive("", params, writer);
 }
 
+fn formatField(comptime name: []const u8, val: anytype, writer: anytype) !void {
+    // TODO: percent-encode this
+    _ = try switch (@TypeOf(val)) {
+        []const u8 => blk: {
+            break :blk std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}={s}&", .{ name, val });
+        },
+
+        else => |U| blk: {
+            if (comptime std.meta.trait.isContainer(U) and std.meta.trait.hasFn("format")(U)) {
+                break :blk std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}={}&", .{ name, val });
+            }
+
+            break :blk switch (@typeInfo(U)) {
+                .Enum => std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}={s}&", .{ name, @tagName(val) }),
+                .Struct => formatRecursive(name ++ ".", val, writer),
+                else => std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}={}&", .{ name, val }),
+            };
+        },
+    };
+}
+
 fn formatRecursive(comptime prefix: []const u8, params: anytype, writer: anytype) !void {
     inline for (std.meta.fields(@TypeOf(params))) |field| {
         const val = @field(params, field.name);
-        const is_optional = comptime std.meta.trait.is(.Optional)(field.field_type);
-        const present = if (comptime is_optional) val != null else true;
-        if (present) {
-            const unwrapped = if (is_optional) val.? else val;
-            // TODO: percent-encode this
-            _ = try switch (@TypeOf(unwrapped)) {
-                []const u8 => blk: {
-                    break :blk std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}{s}={s}&", .{ prefix, field.name, unwrapped });
-                },
-
-                else => |U| blk: {
-                    if (comptime std.meta.trait.isContainer(U) and std.meta.trait.hasFn("format")(U)) {
-                        break :blk std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}{s}={}&", .{ prefix, field.name, unwrapped });
-                    }
-
-                    break :blk switch (@typeInfo(U)) {
-                        .Enum => std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}{s}={s}&", .{ prefix, field.name, @tagName(unwrapped) }),
-                        .Struct => formatRecursive(field.name ++ ".", unwrapped, writer),
-                        else => std.fmt.format(writer, "{s}{s}={}&", .{ prefix, field.name, unwrapped }),
-                    };
-                },
-            };
+        const name = prefix ++ field.name;
+        if (comptime std.meta.trait.is(.Optional)(field.field_type)) {
+            if (val) |v| {
+                try formatField(name, v, writer);
+            }
+        } else {
+            try formatField(name, val, writer);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/sql/engines/postgres.zig b/src/sql/engines/postgres.zig
index a7afd95..6bff648 100644
--- a/src/sql/engines/postgres.zig
+++ b/src/sql/engines/postgres.zig
@@ -186,10 +186,19 @@ pub const Db = struct {
                 var arena = std.heap.ArenaAllocator.init(alloc orelse return error.AllocatorRequired);
                 defer arena.deinit();
                 const params = try arena.allocator().alloc(?[*:0]const u8, args.len);
+                // TODO: The following is a fix for the stage1 compiler. remove this
                 //inline for (args) |arg, i| {
                 inline for (std.meta.fields(@TypeOf(args))) |field, i| {
                     const arg = @field(args, field.name);
-                    params[i] = if (try common.prepareParamText(&arena, arg)) |slice|
+
+                    // The stage1 compiler has issues with runtime branches that in any
+                    // way involve compile time values
+                    const maybe_slice = if (@import("builtin").zig_backend == .stage1)
+                        common.prepareParamText(&arena, arg) catch unreachable
+                    else
+                        try common.prepareParamText(&arena, arg);
+
+                    params[i] = if (maybe_slice) |slice|
                         slice.ptr
                     else
                         null;
diff --git a/src/sql/engines/sqlite.zig b/src/sql/engines/sqlite.zig
index 081cb4b..e2bb697 100644
--- a/src/sql/engines/sqlite.zig
+++ b/src/sql/engines/sqlite.zig
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ pub const Db = struct {
         };
 
         if (@TypeOf(args) != void) {
+            // TODO: Fix for stage1 compiler
             //inline for (args) |arg, i| {
             inline for (std.meta.fields(@TypeOf(args))) |field, i| {
                 const arg = @field(args, field.name);