diff --git a/misc/multistream-select/src/negotiated.rs b/misc/multistream-select/src/negotiated.rs
index 3519d6cc..5e2c7ac9 100644
--- a/misc/multistream-select/src/negotiated.rs
+++ b/misc/multistream-select/src/negotiated.rs
@@ -227,37 +227,14 @@ where
     fn write(&mut self, buf: &[u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
         match &mut self.state {
             State::Completed { io, ref mut remaining } => {
-                if !remaining.is_empty() {
-                    // Try to write `buf` together with `remaining` for efficiency,
-                    // regardless of whether the underlying I/O stream is buffered.
-                    // Every call to `write` may imply a syscall and separate
-                    // network packet.
-                    let remaining_len = remaining.len();
-                    remaining.extend_from_slice(buf);
-                    match io.write(&remaining) {
-                        Err(e) => {
-                            remaining.split_off(remaining_len);
-                            Err(e)
-                        }
-                        Ok(n) => {
-                            remaining.split_to(n);
-                            if !remaining.is_empty() {
-                                let written = if n < buf.len() {
-                                    remaining.split_off(remaining_len);
-                                    n
-                                } else {
-                                    buf.len()
-                                };
-                                debug_assert!(remaining.len() <= remaining_len);
-                                Ok(written)
-                            } else {
-                                Ok(buf.len())
-                            }
-                        }
+                while !remaining.is_empty() {
+                    let n = io.write(&remaining)?;
+                    if n == 0 {
+                        return Err(io::ErrorKind::WriteZero.into())
                     }
-                } else {
-                    io.write(buf)
+                    remaining.split_to(n);
                 }
+                io.write(buf)
             },
             State::Expecting { io, .. } => io.write(buf),
             State::Invalid => panic!("Negotiated: Invalid state")
@@ -382,44 +359,40 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn write_remaining() {
-        fn prop(rem: Vec<u8>, new: Vec<u8>, free: u8) -> TestResult {
+        fn prop(rem: Vec<u8>, new: Vec<u8>, free: u8, step: u8) -> TestResult {
             let cap = rem.len() + free as usize;
-            let buf = Capped { buf: Vec::with_capacity(cap), step: free as usize };
-            let mut rem = BytesMut::from(rem);
+            let step = u8::min(free, step) as usize + 1;
+            let buf = Capped { buf: Vec::with_capacity(cap), step };
+            let rem = BytesMut::from(rem);
             let mut io = Negotiated::completed(buf, rem.clone());
             let mut written = 0;
             loop {
-                // Write until `new` has been fully written or the capped buffer is
-                // full (in which case the buffer should remain unchanged from the
-                // last successful write).
+                // Write until `new` has been fully written or the capped buffer runs
+                // over capacity and yields WriteZero.
                 match io.write(&new[written..]) {
                     Ok(n) =>
                         if let State::Completed { remaining, .. } = &io.state {
-                            if n == rem.len() + new[written..].len() {
-                                assert!(remaining.is_empty())
-                            } else {
-                                assert!(remaining.len() <= rem.len());
-                            }
+                            assert!(remaining.is_empty());
                             written += n;
                             if written == new.len() {
                                 return TestResult::passed()
                             }
-                            rem = remaining.clone();
                         } else {
                             return TestResult::failed()
                         }
-                    Err(_) =>
-                        if let State::Completed { remaining, .. } = &io.state {
-                            assert!(rem.len() + new[written..].len() > cap);
-                            assert_eq!(remaining, &rem);
+                    Err(e) if e.kind() == io::ErrorKind::WriteZero => {
+                        if let State::Completed { .. } = &io.state {
+                            assert!(rem.len() + new.len() > cap);
                             return TestResult::passed()
                         } else {
                             return TestResult::failed()
                         }
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => panic!("Unexpected error: {:?}", e)
                 }
             }
         }
-        quickcheck(prop as fn(_,_,_) -> _)
+        quickcheck(prop as fn(_,_,_,_) -> _)
     }
 }