diff --git a/pureboot/pureboot.py b/pureboot/pureboot.py
index 98befab..441164c 100644
--- a/pureboot/pureboot.py
+++ b/pureboot/pureboot.py
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@ def load_image(path):
     """Raw binary, or Intel HEX by extension (.hex/.ihx/.ihex)."""
     data = open(path, "rb").read()
     if not path.lower().endswith((".hex", ".ihx", ".ihex")):
+        if not data:
+            raise Error(f"{path}: empty image")
         return data
     memory = {}
     for number, line in enumerate(data.decode("ascii", "replace").splitlines(), 1):
@@ -284,8 +286,9 @@ def covered(pages, skip_blank):
 
 
 def op_erase_flash(loader):
-    """0xff over the whole application area, page 0 first — an interrupted
-    erase leaves the entry word blank and the chip still boots the loader."""
+    """0xff over the whole application area. Order does not matter here —
+    every target byte is the same value — and a blank word 0 still falls
+    through to the loader, so an interruption is harmless."""
     blank = bytes([0xFF] * loader.info.page)
     for address in range(0, loader.info.base, loader.info.page):
         loader.write_page(address, blank)
diff --git a/test/pureboot_device.c b/test/pureboot_device.c
index d14352e..245edbf 100644
--- a/test/pureboot_device.c
+++ b/test/pureboot_device.c
@@ -159,6 +159,18 @@ static void rx_start_next(void)
 	avr_cycle_timer_register(avr, bit_cycles, rx_step, NULL);
 }
 
+// A reset abandons whatever the bridge was mid-transfer: bytes still queued
+// for a chip that no longer has the context to receive them meaningfully,
+// and a decode in progress on a TX line the reset may have already changed.
+static void bridge_reset(void)
+{
+	rx_head = rx_tail = 0;
+	rx_active = 0;
+	tx_active = 0;
+	tx_level = 1;
+	avr_raise_irq(rx_pin, 1); // idle line
+}
+
 static void poll_pty(void)
 {
 	uint8_t chunk[256];
@@ -262,7 +274,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		nvm.io.ioctl = nvm_ioctl;
 		avr_register_io(avr, &nvm.io);
 
-		bit_cycles = avr->frequency / baud;
+		bit_cycles = (avr->frequency + baud / 2) / baud; // matches uart.hpp's own rounding exactly
 		rx_pin = avr_io_getirq(avr, AVR_IOCTL_IOPORT_GETIRQ('B'), 0);
 		avr_irq_register_notify(avr_io_getirq(avr, AVR_IOCTL_IOPORT_GETIRQ('B'), 1), tx_hook, NULL);
 		avr_raise_irq(rx_pin, 1); // idle line
@@ -297,6 +309,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 				avr_ioctl(avr, AVR_IOCTL_UART_GET_FLAGS('0'), &flags);
 				flags &= ~AVR_UART_FLAG_POLL_SLEEP;
 				avr_ioctl(avr, AVR_IOCTL_UART_SET_FLAGS('0'), &flags);
+			} else {
+				bridge_reset();
 			}
 		}
 		if (!use_uart_pty && ++since_poll >= 2000) {