diff --git a/builtin.cpp b/builtin.cpp
index 6985c2208..a618479b9 100644
--- a/builtin.cpp
+++ b/builtin.cpp
@@ -100,13 +100,13 @@ struct builtin_data_t
 	*/
 	const wchar_t *desc;
     
-    bool operator<(const wchar_t *) const;
+    bool operator<(const wcstring &) const;
     bool operator<(const builtin_data_t *) const;
 };
 
-bool builtin_data_t::operator<(const wchar_t *other) const
+bool builtin_data_t::operator<(const wcstring &other) const
 {
-    return wcscmp(this->name, other) < 0;
+    return wcscmp(this->name, other.c_str()) < 0;
 }
 
 bool builtin_data_t::operator<(const builtin_data_t *other) const
@@ -187,49 +187,21 @@ static int count_char( const wchar_t *str, wchar_t c )
 	return res;
 }
 
-wchar_t *builtin_help_get( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *name )
+wcstring builtin_help_get( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *name )
 {
     wcstring_list_t lst;
-	string_buffer_t cmd;
-	wchar_t *name_esc;
-	
-	/*
-	  Because the contents of this buffer is returned by this
-	  function, it must not be free'd on exit, so we allocate it
-	  using halloc.
-	 */
-	static string_buffer_t *out = 0;
-	size_t i;
-	
-	sb_init( &cmd );
-	
-	if( !out )
-	{
-		out = sb_halloc( global_context );
-	}
-	else
-	{
-		sb_clear( out );
-	}
-
-	name_esc = escape( name, 1 );
-	sb_printf( &cmd, L"__fish_print_help %ls", name_esc );
-	
-
-	if( exec_subshell2( (wchar_t *)cmd.buff, lst ) >= 0 )
+    wcstring out;
+    const wcstring name_esc = escape_string(name, 1);
+    const wcstring cmd = format_string(L"__fish_print_help %ls", name_esc.c_str());
+	if( exec_subshell2( cmd, lst ) >= 0 )
 	{	
-		for( i=0; i<lst.size(); i++ )
+		for( size_t i=0; i<lst.size(); i++ )
 		{
-			sb_append( out, lst.at(i).c_str() );
-			sb_append( out, L"\n" );
+            out.append(lst.at(i));
+            out.push_back(L'\n');
 		}
 	}
-		
-	sb_destroy( &cmd );
-	free( name_esc );
-	
-	return (wchar_t *)out->buff;
-	
+	return out;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -246,7 +218,6 @@ wchar_t *builtin_help_get( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *name )
 static void builtin_print_help( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *cmd, string_buffer_t *b )
 {
 	
-	const wchar_t *h;
 	int is_short = 0;
 	
 	if( b == sb_err )
@@ -255,12 +226,12 @@ static void builtin_print_help( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *cmd, string_buf
 				   parser.current_line() );
 	}
 
-	h = builtin_help_get( parser, cmd );
+	const wcstring h = builtin_help_get( parser, cmd );
 
-	if( !h )
+	if( !h.size())
 		return;
 
-	wchar_t *str = wcsdup( h );
+	wchar_t *str = wcsdup( h.c_str() );
 	if( str )
 	{
 
@@ -3654,10 +3625,10 @@ static const builtin_data_t builtin_datas[]=
 
 #define BUILTIN_COUNT (sizeof builtin_datas / sizeof *builtin_datas)
 
-static const builtin_data_t *builtin_lookup(const wchar_t *name) {
+static const builtin_data_t *builtin_lookup(const wcstring &name) {
     const builtin_data_t *array_end = builtin_datas + BUILTIN_COUNT;
     const builtin_data_t *found = std::lower_bound(builtin_datas, array_end, name);
-    if (found != array_end && ! wcscmp(found->name, name)) {
+    if (found != array_end && name == found->name) {
         return found;
     } else {
         return NULL;
@@ -3681,10 +3652,8 @@ void builtin_destroy()
 	al_destroy( &io_stack );
 }
 
-int builtin_exists( const wchar_t *cmd )
+int builtin_exists( const wcstring &cmd )
 {
-	CHECK( cmd, 0 );
-    
 	return !!builtin_lookup(cmd);
 }
 
diff --git a/builtin.h b/builtin.h
index b73f33890..5b48fe845 100644
--- a/builtin.h
+++ b/builtin.h
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ void builtin_destroy();
 /**
   Is there a builtin command with the given name?
 */
-int builtin_exists( const wchar_t *cmd );
+int builtin_exists( const wcstring &cmd );
 
 /**
   Execute a builtin command 
@@ -142,9 +142,7 @@ int builtin_run( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t * const *argv, io_data_t *io );
 /** Returns a list of all builtin names */
 wcstring_list_t builtin_get_names(void);
 
-/**
-  Insert all builtin names into list.
-*/
+/** Insert all builtin names into list. */
 void builtin_get_names(std::vector<completion_t> &list);
 
 /**
@@ -174,10 +172,9 @@ const wchar_t *builtin_complete_get_temporary_buffer();
 
 /**
    Run the __fish_print_help function to obtain the help information
-   for the specified command. The resulting string will be valid until
-   the next time this function is called, and must never be free'd manually.
+   for the specified command.
 */
 
-wchar_t *builtin_help_get( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *cmd );
+wcstring builtin_help_get( parser_t &parser, const wchar_t *cmd );
 
 #endif
diff --git a/highlight.cpp b/highlight.cpp
index 7c680475a..5b023823a 100644
--- a/highlight.cpp
+++ b/highlight.cpp
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ void tokenize( const wchar_t * const buff, int * const color, const int pos, arr
 							 any files for that
 							 */
 							if( use_builtin )
-								is_cmd |= builtin_exists( cmd.c_str() );
+								is_cmd |= builtin_exists( cmd );
 							
 							if( use_function )
 								is_cmd |= function_exists_no_autoload( cmd.c_str(), vars );
diff --git a/parser.cpp b/parser.cpp
index 384b71ec4..e4a8efee7 100644
--- a/parser.cpp
+++ b/parser.cpp
@@ -1883,7 +1883,7 @@ int parser_t::parse_job( process_t *p,
 		if( !p->type )
 		{
 			if( use_builtin &&
-				builtin_exists(args.at(0).completion.c_str()))
+				builtin_exists(args.at(0).completion))
 			{
 				p->type = INTERNAL_BUILTIN;
 				is_new_block |= parser_keywords_is_block( args.at( 0 ).completion );
@@ -2504,7 +2504,6 @@ int parser_t::eval( const wcstring &cmdStr, io_data_t *io, enum block_type_t blo
 
 		if( (!error_code) && (!exit_status()) && (!proc_get_last_status()) )
 		{
-			wchar_t *h;
 
 			//debug( 2, L"Status %d\n", proc_get_last_status() );
 
@@ -2514,9 +2513,9 @@ int parser_t::eval( const wcstring &cmdStr, io_data_t *io, enum block_type_t blo
 				   BLOCK_END_ERR_MSG );
 			fwprintf( stderr, L"%ls", parser_t::current_line() );
 
-			h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"end" );
-			if( h )
-				fwprintf( stderr, L"%ls", h );
+			const wcstring h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"end" );
+			if( h.size() )
+				fwprintf( stderr, L"%ls", h.c_str() );
 			break;
 
 		}
@@ -3026,16 +3025,14 @@ int parser_t::test( const  wchar_t * buff,
 
 							if( out )
 							{
-								wchar_t *h;
-
 								error( SYNTAX_ERROR,
 									   tok_get_pos( &tok ),
 									   INVALID_CASE_ERR_MSG );
 
 								print_errors( out, prefix);
-								h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"case" );
-								if( h )
-									sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h );
+								const wcstring h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"case" );
+								if( h.size() )
+									sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h.c_str() );
 							}
 						}
 					}
@@ -3189,15 +3186,13 @@ int parser_t::test( const  wchar_t * buff,
 						err = 1;
 						if( out )
 						{
-							wchar_t *h;
-							
 							error( SYNTAX_ERROR,
 								   tok_get_pos( &tok ),
 								   INVALID_END_ERR_MSG );
 							print_errors( out, prefix );
-							h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"end" );
-							if( h )
-								sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h );
+							const wcstring h = builtin_help_get( *this, L"end" );
+							if( h.size() )
+								sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h.c_str() );
 						}
 					}
 					
@@ -3469,7 +3464,6 @@ int parser_t::test( const  wchar_t * buff,
 
 	if( out && count>0 )
 	{
-		const wchar_t *h;
 		const wchar_t *cmd;
 		
 		error( SYNTAX_ERROR,
@@ -3481,10 +3475,10 @@ int parser_t::test( const  wchar_t * buff,
 		cmd = parser_get_block_command(  block_type[count -1] );
 		if( cmd )
 		{
-			h = builtin_help_get( *this, cmd );
-			if( cmd )
+			const wcstring h = builtin_help_get( *this, cmd );
+			if( h.size() )
 			{
-				sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h );
+				sb_printf( out, L"%ls", h.c_str() );
 			}
 		}