diff --git a/benches/micro_ops.cm b/benches/micro_ops.cm
index 408c8313..400b2050 100644
--- a/benches/micro_ops.cm
+++ b/benches/micro_ops.cm
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ return {
     for (var j = 0; j < n; j++) {
       var a = []
       for (var i = 0; i < 256; i++) a.push(i)
-      x = (x + a.length) | 0
+      x = (x + length(a)) | 0
     }
     return blackhole(sink, x)
   },
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ return {
     for (var j = 0; j < n; j++) {
       var s = ""
       for (var i = 0; i < 16; i++) s = s + "x"
-      x = (x + s.length) | 0
+      x = (x + length(s)) | 0
     }
     return blackhole(sink, x)
   },
diff --git a/benchmarks/wota_nota_json.ce b/benchmarks/wota_nota_json.ce
index e25f0841..4564bd56 100644
--- a/benchmarks/wota_nota_json.ce
+++ b/benchmarks/wota_nota_json.ce
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ def libraries = [
     decode: json.decode,
     // json produces a JS string. We'll measure its UTF-16 code unit length
     // as a rough "size". Alternatively, you could convert to UTF-8 for
-    // a more accurate byte size. Here we just use `string.length`.
     getSize(encodedStr) {
       return length(encodedStr);
     }
diff --git a/build.cm b/build.cm
index 5cffec7b..a73812e6 100644
--- a/build.cm
+++ b/build.cm
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ function ensure_dir(path) {
   if (fd.stat(path).isDirectory) return
   var parts = array(path, '/')
   var current = starts_with(path, '/') ? '/' : ''
-  for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(parts); i++) {
     if (parts[i] == '') continue
     current += parts[i] + '/'
     if (!fd.stat(current).isDirectory) {
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ function compute_link_key(objects, ldflags, target_ldflags, target, cc) {
 Build.build_dynamic = function(pkg, target = Build.detect_host_target(), buildtype = 'release') {
   var objects = Build.build_package(pkg, target, true, buildtype) // exclude main.c
 
-  if (objects.length == 0) {
+  if (length(objects) == 0) {
     log.console('No C files in ' + pkg)
     return null
   }
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ Build.build_static = function(packages, target = Build.detect_host_target(), out
     }
   })
   
-  if (all_objects.length == 0) {
+  if (length(all_objects) == 0) {
     throw Error('No object files to link')
   }
   
diff --git a/cellfs.cm b/cellfs.cm
index cb72e198..923b8798 100644
--- a/cellfs.cm
+++ b/cellfs.cm
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ function mount(source, name) {
 
 // Unmount
 function unmount(name_or_source) {
-  for (var i = 0; i < mounts.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(mounts); i++) {
     if (mounts[i].name == name_or_source || mounts[i].source == name_or_source) {
       mounts.splice(i, 1)
       return
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ function enumerate(path, recurse) {
     } else if (res.mount.type == 'qop') {
         var all = res.mount.handle.list()
         var prefix = res.path ? res.path + "/" : ""
-        var prefix_len = prefix.length
+        var prefix_len = length(prefix)
         
         // Use a set to avoid duplicates if we are simulating directories
         var seen = {}
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ function enumerate(path, recurse) {
         arrfor(all, function(p) {
             if (starts_with(p, prefix)) {
                 var rel = text(p, prefix_len)
-                if (rel.length == 0) return
+                if (length(rel) == 0) return
 
                 if (!recurse) {
                     var slash = search(rel, '/')
@@ -430,12 +430,12 @@ function globfs(globs, dir) {
    } else if (res.mount.type == 'qop') {
         var all = res.mount.handle.list()
         var prefix = res.path ? res.path + "/" : ""
-        var prefix_len = prefix.length
+        var prefix_len = length(prefix)
         
         arrfor(all, function(p) {
             if (starts_with(p, prefix)) {
                 var rel = text(p, prefix_len)
-                if (rel.length == 0) return
+                if (length(rel) == 0) return
 
                 if (!check_neg(rel) && check_pos(rel)) {
                     results.push(rel)
diff --git a/internal/engine.cm b/internal/engine.cm
index 5c76b3b5..9d5b3980 100644
--- a/internal/engine.cm
+++ b/internal/engine.cm
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ $_.start = function start(cb, program, ...args) {
     if (!program) return
 
     var id = guid()
-    if (args.length == 1 && is_array(args[0])) args = args[0]
+    if (length(args) == 1 && is_array(args[0])) args = args[0]
     var startup = { 
       id, 
       overling: $_.self, 
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ function actor_send(actor, message) {
   // message to actor in same flock
   if (actor[ACTORDATA].id && actor_mod.mailbox_exist(actor[ACTORDATA].id)) {
     var wota_blob = wota.encode(message)
-//    log.console(`sending wota blob of ${wota_blob.length/8} bytes`)
+//    log.console(`sending wota blob of ${length(wota_blob)/8} bytes`)
     actor_mod.mailbox_push(actor[ACTORDATA].id, wota_blob)
     return
   }
@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ var need_stop = false
    // if we've been flagged to stop, bail out before doing anything
    if (need_stop) {
      disrupt()
-     message_queue.length = 0
+     message_queue = []
      return
    }
 
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ var need_stop = false
      }
    }
 
-   message_queue.length = 0
+   message_queue = []
  }
 
 var replies = {}
diff --git a/internal/shop.cm b/internal/shop.cm
index 6f1e5f1e..9d741f37 100644
--- a/internal/shop.cm
+++ b/internal/shop.cm
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function ensure_dir(path) {
   if (fd.stat(path).isDirectory) return
   var parts = array(path, '/')
   var current = starts_with(path, '/') ? '/' : ''
-  for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(parts); i++) {
     if (parts[i] == '') continue
     current += parts[i] + '/'
     if (!fd.stat(current).isDirectory) {
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ Shop.get_reports_dir = function() {
 
 function get_import_package(name) {
   var parts = array(name, '/')
-  if (parts.length > 1)
+  if (length(parts) > 1)
     return parts[0]
 
   return null
@@ -108,16 +108,16 @@ function split_explicit_package_import(path)
   if (!path) return null
   var parts = array(path, '/')
 
-  if (parts.length < 2) return null
+  if (length(parts) < 2) return null
 
   var looks_explicit = starts_with(path, '/') || (parts[0] && search(parts[0], '.') != null)
   if (!looks_explicit) return null
 
   // Find the longest prefix that is an installed package
-  for (var i = parts.length - 1; i >= 1; i--) {
+  for (var i = length(parts) - 1; i >= 1; i--) {
     var pkg_candidate = text(array(parts, 0, i), '/')
     var mod_path = text(array(parts, i), '/')
-    if (!mod_path || mod_path.length == 0) continue
+    if (!mod_path || length(mod_path) == 0) continue
 
     var candidate_dir = get_packages_dir() + '/' + safe_package_path(pkg_candidate)
     if (fd.is_file(candidate_dir + '/cell.toml'))
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ function abs_path_to_package(package_dir)
   }
 
   if (starts_with(package_dir, packages_prefix))
-    return text(package_dir, packages_prefix.length)
+    return text(package_dir, length(packages_prefix))
 
   // Check if this local path is the target of a link
   // If so, return the canonical package name (link origin) instead
@@ -206,11 +206,11 @@ Shop.file_info = function(file) {
     info.package = abs_path_to_package(pkg_dir)
 
     if (info.is_actor)
-      info.name = text(file, pkg_dir.length + 1, file.length - ACTOR_EXT.length)
+      info.name = text(file, length(pkg_dir) + 1, length(file) - length(ACTOR_EXT))
     else if (info.is_module)
-      info.name = text(file, pkg_dir.length + 1, file.length - MOD_EXT.length)
+      info.name = text(file, length(pkg_dir) + 1, length(file) - length(MOD_EXT))
     else
-      info.name = text(file, pkg_dir.length + 1)
+      info.name = text(file, length(pkg_dir) + 1)
   }
   
   return info
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ Shop.file_info = function(file) {
 function get_import_name(path)
 {
   var parts = array(path, '/')
-  if (parts.length < 2) return null
+  if (length(parts) < 2) return null
   return text(array(parts, 1), '/')
 }
 
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ Shop.load_lock = function() {
     return {}
   
   var content = text(fd.slurp(path))
-  if (!content.length) return {}
+  if (!length(content)) return {}
   
   _lock = toml.decode(content)
   
@@ -382,13 +382,13 @@ Shop.get_script_capabilities = function(path) {
 }
 
 function inject_params(inject) {
-  if (!inject || !inject.length) return ''
+  if (!inject || !length(inject)) return ''
   return ', ' + text(inject, ', ')
 }
 
 function inject_values(inject) {
   var vals = []
-  for (var i = 0; i < inject.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(inject); i++) {
     var key = strip_dollar(inject[i])
     if (key == 'fd') vals.push(fd)
     else vals.push(my$_[key])
@@ -1101,7 +1101,7 @@ function install_zip(zip_blob, target_dir) {
     if (zip.is_directory(i)) continue
     var filename = zip.get_filename(i)
     var parts = array(filename, '/')
-    if (parts.length <= 1) continue
+    if (length(parts) <= 1) continue
 
     parts.shift()
     var rel_path = text(parts, '/')
@@ -1201,7 +1201,7 @@ function get_package_scripts(package)
   var files = pkg_tools.list_files(package)
   var scripts = []
   
-  for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(files); i++) {
     var file = files[i]
     if (ends_with(file, '.cm') || ends_with(file, '.ce')) {
       scripts.push(file)
@@ -1300,7 +1300,7 @@ Shop.parse_package = function(locator) {
   
   // Extract package name (last component of path)
   var parts = array(clean, '/')
-  var name = parts[parts.length - 1]
+  var name = parts[length(parts) - 1]
   
   return {
     path: clean,
diff --git a/internal/testlib.cm b/internal/testlib.cm
index 6d6a37ea..abac1d9f 100644
--- a/internal/testlib.cm
+++ b/internal/testlib.cm
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ function ensure_dir(path) {
 
   var parts = array(path, '/')
   var current = starts_with(path, '/') ? '/' : ''
-  for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(parts); i++) {
     if (parts[i] == '') continue
     current += parts[i] + '/'
     if (!fd.is_dir(current)) {
diff --git a/link.cm b/link.cm
index ab9fa4f8..51daf2f1 100644
--- a/link.cm
+++ b/link.cm
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ function ensure_dir(path) {
   if (fd.stat(path).isDirectory) return
   var parts = array(path, '/')
   var current = starts_with(path, '/') ? '/' : ''
-  for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(parts); i++) {
     if (parts[i] == '') continue
     current += parts[i] + '/'
     if (!fd.stat(current).isDirectory) {
diff --git a/package.cm b/package.cm
index 1917e8b1..ba91c1ef 100644
--- a/package.cm
+++ b/package.cm
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ package.find_package_dir = function(file)
   if (fd.is_file(dir))
     dir = fd.dirname(dir)
   
-  while (dir && dir.length > 0) {
+  while (dir && length(dir) > 0) {
     var toml_path = dir + '/cell.toml'
     if (fd.is_file(toml_path)) {
       return dir
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ package.find_package_dir = function(file)
 // Returns null if no alias is found for the given path
 package.split_alias = function(name, path)
 {
-  if (!path || path.length == 0) {
+  if (!path || length(path) == 0) {
     return null
   }
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ package.list_files = function(pkg) {
     var list = fd.readdir(current_dir)
     if (!list) return
     
-    for (var i = 0; i < list.length; i++) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < length(list); i++) {
       var item = list[i]
       if (item == '.' || item == '..') continue
       if (starts_with(item, '.')) continue 
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ package.list_files = function(pkg) {
 package.list_modules = function(name) {
   var files = package.list_files(name)
   var modules = []
-  for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(files); i++) {
     if (ends_with(files[i], '.cm')) {
       modules.push(text(files[i], 0, -3))
     }
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ package.list_modules = function(name) {
 package.list_programs = function(name) {
   var files = package.list_files(name)
   var programs = []
-  for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(files); i++) {
     if (ends_with(files[i], '.ce')) {
       programs.push(text(files[i], 0, -3))
     }
@@ -257,13 +257,13 @@ package.get_flags = function(name, flag_type, target) {
   // Base flags
   if (config.compilation && config.compilation[flag_type]) {
     var base = config.compilation[flag_type]
-    flags = array(flags, filter(array(base, /\s+/), function(f) { return f.length > 0 }))
+    flags = array(flags, filter(array(base, /\s+/), function(f) { return length(f) > 0 }))
   }
   
   // Target-specific flags
   if (target && config.compilation && config.compilation[target] && config.compilation[target][flag_type]) {
     var target_flags = config.compilation[target][flag_type]
-    flags = array(flags, filter(array(target_flags, /\s+/), function(f) { return f.length > 0 }))
+    flags = array(flags, filter(array(target_flags, /\s+/), function(f) { return length(f) > 0 }))
   }
   
   return flags
@@ -280,12 +280,12 @@ package.get_c_files = function(name, target, exclude_main) {
   // Group files by their base name (without target suffix)
   var groups = {} // base_key -> { generic: file, variants: { target: file } }
   
-  for (var i = 0; i < files.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(files); i++) {
     var file = files[i]
     if (!ends_with(file, '.c') && !ends_with(file, '.cpp')) continue
     
     var ext = ends_with(file, '.cpp') ? '.cpp' : '.c'
-    var base = text(file, 0, -ext.length)
+    var base = text(file, 0, -length(ext))
     var name_part = fd.basename(base)
     var dir_part = fd.dirname(base)
     var dir = (dir_part && dir_part != '.') ? dir_part + '/' : ''
@@ -295,12 +295,12 @@ package.get_c_files = function(name, target, exclude_main) {
     var variant_target = null
     var generic_name = name_part
     
-    for (var t = 0; t < known_targets.length; t++) {
+    for (var t = 0; t < length(known_targets); t++) {
       var suffix = '_' + known_targets[t]
       if (ends_with(name_part, suffix)) {
         is_variant = true
         variant_target = known_targets[t]
-        generic_name = text(name_part, 0, -suffix.length)
+        generic_name = text(name_part, 0, -length(suffix))
         break
       }
     }
diff --git a/pronto.cm b/pronto.cm
index 9d491cc1..45160e1e 100644
--- a/pronto.cm
+++ b/pronto.cm
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ function make_reason(factory, excuse, evidence) {
 }
 
 function is_requestor(fn) {
-  return is_function(fn) && (fn.length == 1 || fn.length == 2)
+  return is_function(fn) && (length(fn) == 1 || length(fn) == 2)
 }
 
 function check_requestors(list, factory) {
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ function check_requestors(list, factory) {
 }
 
 function check_callback(cb, factory) {
-  if (!is_function(cb) || cb.length != 2)
+  if (!is_function(cb) || length(cb) != 2)
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Not a callback.', cb)
 }
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ function check_callback(cb, factory) {
 // Tries each requestor in order until one succeeds.
 function fallback(requestor_array) {
   def factory = 'fallback'
-  if (!is_array(requestor_array) || requestor_array.length == 0)
+  if (!is_array(requestor_array) || length(requestor_array) == 0)
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Empty requestor array.')
   check_requestors(requestor_array, factory)
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ function fallback(requestor_array) {
 
     function try_next() {
       if (cancelled) return
-      if (index >= requestor_array.length) {
+      if (index >= length(requestor_array)) {
         callback(null, make_reason(factory, 'All requestors failed.'))
         return
       }
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function parallel(requestor_array, throttle, need) {
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Not an array.', requestor_array)
   check_requestors(requestor_array, factory)
 
-  def length = requestor_array.length
+  def length = length(requestor_array)
   if (length == 0)
     return function(callback, value) { callback([]) }
 
@@ -165,11 +165,11 @@ function parallel(requestor_array, throttle, need) {
 // Runs requestors in parallel, returns first success(es).
 function race(requestor_array, throttle, need) {
   def factory = 'race'
-  if (!is_array(requestor_array) || requestor_array.length == 0)
+  if (!is_array(requestor_array) || length(requestor_array) == 0)
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Empty requestor array.')
   check_requestors(requestor_array, factory)
 
-  def length = requestor_array.length
+  def length = length(requestor_array)
   if (need == null) need = 1
   if (!is_number(need) || need < 1 || need > length)
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Bad need.', need)
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ function sequence(requestor_array) {
     throw make_reason(factory, 'Not an array.', requestor_array)
   check_requestors(requestor_array, factory)
 
-  if (requestor_array.length == 0)
+  if (length(requestor_array) == 0)
     return function(callback, value) { callback(value) }
 
   return function sequence_requestor(callback, value) {
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ function sequence(requestor_array) {
 
     function run_next(val) {
       if (cancelled) return
-      if (index >= requestor_array.length) {
+      if (index >= length(requestor_array)) {
         callback(val)
         return
       }
diff --git a/source/quickjs.c b/source/quickjs.c
index 1c6c6453..25e5ee83 100644
--- a/source/quickjs.c
+++ b/source/quickjs.c
@@ -36282,15 +36282,6 @@ static JSValue js_blob_pad_q(JSContext *ctx, JSValueConst this_val,
   return JS_NewBool(ctx, blob_pad_check(bd, from, block_size));
 }
 
-/* blob.length getter */
-static JSValue js_blob_get_length(JSContext *ctx, JSValueConst this_val)
-{
-  blob *bd = js_get_blob(ctx, this_val);
-  if (!bd)
-    return JS_ThrowTypeError(ctx, "length: not called on a blob");
-  return JS_NewInt64(ctx, bd->length);
-}
-
 static const JSCFunctionListEntry js_blob_proto_funcs[] = {
   /* Write methods */
   JS_CFUNC_DEF("write_bit", 1, js_blob_write_bit),
@@ -36310,9 +36301,6 @@ static const JSCFunctionListEntry js_blob_proto_funcs[] = {
   JS_CFUNC_DEF("read_fit", 2, js_blob_read_fit),
   JS_CFUNC_DEF("read_text", 1, js_blob_read_text),
   JS_CFUNC_DEF("pad?", 2, js_blob_pad_q),
-
-  /* Length property getter */
-  JS_CGETSET_DEF("length", js_blob_get_length, NULL),
 };
 
 /* ============================================================================
diff --git a/tests/blob.cm b/tests/blob.cm
index 9bbd513b..ccd80b37 100644
--- a/tests/blob.cm
+++ b/tests/blob.cm
@@ -17,12 +17,12 @@ function assertEqual(actual, expected, message) {
 return {
     test_create_empty_blob: function() {
         var b = Blob();
-        assertEqual(b.length, 0, "Empty blob should have length 0");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 0, "Empty blob should have length 0");
     },
     
     test_create_blob_with_capacity: function() {
         var b = Blob(100);
-        assertEqual(b.length, 0, "New blob with capacity should still have length 0");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 0, "New blob with capacity should still have length 0");
     },
     
     test_write_and_read_single_bit: function() {
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ return {
         b.write_bit(false);
         b.write_bit(1);
         b.write_bit(0);
-        assertEqual(b.length, 4, "Should have 4 bits after writing");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 4, "Should have 4 bits after writing");
         
         stone(b);
         assertEqual(b.read_logical(0), true, "First bit should be true");
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ return {
         var b2 = Blob(10);
         b2.write_blob(b1);
         b2.write_bit(false);
-        assertEqual(b2.length, 4, "Combined blob should have 4 bits");
+        assertEqual(length(b2), 4, "Combined blob should have 4 bits");
         
         stone(b2);
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(0), true);
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ return {
         
         var b2 = Blob(b1);
         stone(b2);
-        assertEqual(b2.length, 4, "Copied blob should have same length");
+        assertEqual(length(b2), 4, "Copied blob should have same length");
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(0), true);
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(3), true);
     },
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ return {
         
         var b2 = Blob(b1, 2, 7);
         stone(b2);
-        assertEqual(b2.length, 5, "Partial copy should have 5 bits");
+        assertEqual(length(b2), 5, "Partial copy should have 5 bits");
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(0), true);
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(2), true);
     },
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ return {
         b.write_bit(true);
         b.write_pad(8);
         
-        assertEqual(b.length, 8, "Should be padded to 8 bits");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 8, "Should be padded to 8 bits");
         stone(b);
         
         assert(b['pad?'](3, 8), "Should detect valid padding at position 3");
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ return {
         
         var b2 = b1.read_blob(4, 12);
         stone(b2);
-        assertEqual(b2.length, 8, "Read blob should have 8 bits");
+        assertEqual(length(b2), 8, "Read blob should have 8 bits");
         
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(2), true);
         assertEqual(b2.read_logical(5), true);
@@ -248,20 +248,20 @@ return {
         b.write_bit(false);
         b.write_number(-999.999);
         
-        var originalLength = b.length;
+        var originalLength = length(b);
         stone(b);
         
         var b2 = Blob(b);
         stone(b2);
-        assertEqual(b2.length, originalLength, "Copy should have same length");
+        assertEqual(length(b2), originalLength, "Copy should have same length");
         assertEqual(b2.read_text(0), "Test", "First text should match");
     },
     
     test_zero_capacity_blob: function() {
         var b = Blob(0);
-        assertEqual(b.length, 0, "Zero capacity blob should have length 0");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 0, "Zero capacity blob should have length 0");
         b.write_bit(true);
-        assertEqual(b.length, 1, "Should expand when writing");
+        assertEqual(length(b), 1, "Should expand when writing");
     },
     
     test_large_blob_handling: function() {
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ return {
             b.write_bit(i % 7 == 0);
         }
         
-        assertEqual(b.length, testSize, "Should have " + testSize + " bits");
+        assertEqual(length(b), testSize, "Should have " + testSize + " bits");
         stone(b);
         
         assertEqual(b.read_logical(0), true, "Bit 0 should be true");
diff --git a/tests/chunkread.cm b/tests/chunkread.cm
index 83d7062c..616ecedb 100644
--- a/tests/chunkread.cm
+++ b/tests/chunkread.cm
@@ -20,11 +20,7 @@ return {
         while(true) {
             var chunk = fd.read(f2, chunksize);
             data.write_blob(chunk);
-            // chunk.length is in bits, chunksize is bytes? 
-            // fd.read usually takes bytes. Blob.length is bits.
-            // If chunk is blob, length is bits.
-            // fd.read returns blob.
-            if (chunk.length < chunksize * 8) break; 
+            if (length(chunk) < chunksize * 8) break; 
         }
         fd.close(f2)
         log.console(`read took ${time.number()-st}`)
diff --git a/tests/guid.cm b/tests/guid.cm
index 757c8c53..3833204a 100644
--- a/tests/guid.cm
+++ b/tests/guid.cm
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ return {
         st = time.number()-st
         log.console(`took ${btime*1000000} us to make blob; took ${st*1000000} us to make it text`)
         log.console(lower(guid))
-        log.console(guid.length)
+        log.console(length(guid))
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/http.cm b/tests/http.cm
index 77491fc2..85289397 100644
--- a/tests/http.cm
+++ b/tests/http.cm
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@ var http = use('http')
 return function() {
   var url = "http://example.com"
   var b2 = http.fetch(url)
-  if (b2.length == 0) throw "Empty response"
+  if (length(b2) == 0) throw "Empty response"
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/miniz.cm b/tests/miniz.cm
index f7c9c670..84009cdd 100644
--- a/tests/miniz.cm
+++ b/tests/miniz.cm
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ return {
           var reader = miniz.read(zip_blob)
         
           var listed = reader.list()
-          if (listed.length != reader.count())
+          if (length(listed) != reader.count())
             throw "list/count mismatch"
-          if (listed.length != 2)
+          if (length(listed) != 2)
             throw "unexpected entry count"
         } finally {
            try { fd.unlink(ZIP_PATH) } catch(e) {}
diff --git a/tests/nota.cm b/tests/nota.cm
index 4d92e92d..bb03a0fa 100644
--- a/tests/nota.cm
+++ b/tests/nota.cm
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ function stone_if_needed(b) { if (!stone.p(b)) stone(b) }
 
 function bytes_to_blob(bytes) {
   var b = blob()
-  for (var i = 0; i < bytes.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(bytes); i++) {
     var byte = bytes[i]
     for (var bit = 7; bit >= 0; bit--) b.write_bit((byte >> bit) & 1)
   }
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ function deepCompare(expected, actual, path) {
   if (is_blob(expected) && is_blob(actual)) {
     stone_if_needed(expected); stone_if_needed(actual)
     if (expected.length != actual.length)
-      return { passed: false, messages: [`blob length mismatch at ${path}: ${expected.length} vs ${actual.length}`] }
+      return { passed: false, messages: [`blob length mismatch at ${path}: ${length(expected)} vs ${length(actual)}`] }
     for (var i = 0; i < expected.length; i++) {
       if (expected.read_logical(i) != actual.read_logical(i))
         return { passed: false, messages: [`blob bit mismatch at ${path}[${i}]`] }
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ function deepCompare(expected, actual, path) {
     if (expected.length != actual.length)
       return {
         passed: false,
-        messages: [`Array length mismatch at ${path}: expected ${expected.length}, got ${actual.length}`]
+        messages: [`Array length mismatch at ${path}: expected ${length(expected)}, got ${length(actual)}`]
       };
     var messages = [];
     for (var i = 0; i < expected.length; i++) {
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ var testCases = [
 ];
 
 var tests = {};
-for (var i = 0; i < testCases.length; i++) {
+for (var i = 0; i < length(testCases); i++) {
   var t = testCases[i];
   tests[t.name] = makeTest(t);
 }
diff --git a/tests/suite.cm b/tests/suite.cm
index 527d42ea..05ae04db 100644
--- a/tests/suite.cm
+++ b/tests/suite.cm
@@ -1905,7 +1905,7 @@ return {
         var fn = function(a, b) { return a + b }
         var caught = false
         try {
-            var x = fn.length
+            var x = length(fn)
         } catch (e) {
             caught = true
         }
@@ -3543,7 +3543,7 @@ return {
     test_text_split_text: function() {
         var text = "hello world"
         var result = array(text, " ")
-        if (result.length != 2) throw "text split failed"
+        if (length(result) != 2) throw "text split failed"
         if (result[0] != "hello") throw "text split failed"
         if (result[1] != "world") throw "text split failed"
     },
@@ -3551,7 +3551,7 @@ return {
     test_text_split_regex: function() {
         var text = "hello      world"
         var result = array(text, /\s+/)
-        if (result.length != 2) throw "text split failed"
+        if (length(result) != 2) throw "text split failed"
         if (result[0] != "hello") throw "text split failed"
         if (result[1] != "world") throw "text split failed"
     },
diff --git a/tests/toml.cm b/tests/toml.cm
index a40b1001..63a8976d 100644
--- a/tests/toml.cm
+++ b/tests/toml.cm
@@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ function deep_equal(a, b) {
   if (is_object(a)) {
     var keys_a = array(a)
     var keys_b = array(b)
-    if (keys_a.length != keys_b.length) return false
+    if (length(keys_a) != length(keys_b)) return false
     
-    for (var i = 0; i < keys_a.length; i++) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < length(keys_a); i++) {
       if (!deep_equal(a[keys_a[i]], b[keys_a[i]])) return false
     }
     return true
diff --git a/tests/wota.cm b/tests/wota.cm
index 76f2fae6..8a004f70 100644
--- a/tests/wota.cm
+++ b/tests/wota.cm
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ function deep_compare(expected, actual, path) {
 
   if (is_blob(expected) && is_blob(actual)) {
     stone_if_needed(expected); stone_if_needed(actual)
-    if (expected.length != actual.length)
-      return { passed: false, messages: [`blob length mismatch at ${path}: ${expected.length} vs ${actual.length}`] }
-    for (var i = 0; i < expected.length; i++) {
+    if (length(expected) != length(actual))
+      return { passed: false, messages: [`blob length mismatch at ${path}: ${length(expected)} vs ${actual)}`] }
+    for (var i = 0; i < length(expected); i++) {
       if (expected.read_logical(i) != actual.read_logical(i))
         return { passed: false, messages: [`blob bit mismatch at ${path}[${i}]`] }
     }
@@ -31,16 +31,16 @@ function deep_compare(expected, actual, path) {
   }
 
   if (is_array(expected) && is_array(actual)) {
-    if (expected.length != actual.length)
-      return { passed: false, messages: [`Array length mismatch at ${path}: ${expected.length} vs ${actual.length}`] }
+    if (length(expected) != length(actual))
+      return { passed: false, messages: [`Array length mismatch at ${path}: ${length(expected)} vs ${length(actual)}`] }
     var msgs = []
-    for (var i = 0; i < expected.length; i++) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < length(expected); i++) {
       var res = deep_compare(expected[i], actual[i], `${path}[${i}]`)
       if (!res.passed) {
           for(var m of res.messages) msgs.push(m)
       }
     }
-    return { passed: msgs.length == 0, messages: msgs }
+    return { passed: length(msgs) == 0, messages: msgs }
   }
 
   if (is_object(expected) && is_object(actual)) {
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ function deep_compare(expected, actual, path) {
           for(var m of res.messages) msgs.push(m)
       }
     }
-    return { passed: msgs.length == 0, messages: msgs }
+    return { passed: length(msgs) == 0, messages: msgs }
   }
 
   return { passed: false, messages: [`Value mismatch at ${path}: ${JSON.stringify(expected)} vs ${JSON.stringify(actual)}`] }
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ function make_test(t) {
 }
 
 var tests = {}
-for (var i = 0; i < testCases.length; i++) {
+for (var i = 0; i < length(testCases); i++) {
   var t = testCases[i]
   var name = t.name || ('case_' + i)
   tests[name] = make_test(t)
diff --git a/toml.cm b/toml.cm
index 559350ad..1eb41b8b 100644
--- a/toml.cm
+++ b/toml.cm
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ function parse_toml(toml_text) {
   var current_section = result
   var current_section_name = ''
 
-  for (var i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(lines); i++) {
     var line = trim(lines[i])
     if (line == null) line = lines[i]
     // Skip empty lines and comments
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ function parse_toml(toml_text) {
       current_section = result
       current_section_name = text(section_path, '.')
 
-      for (var j = 0; j < section_path.length; j++) {
+      for (var j = 0; j < length(section_path); j++) {
         var key = section_path[j]
 
         // Only treat null as "missing"; do not clobber false/0/""
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ function parse_key_path(str) {
   var current = ''
   var in_quote = false
 
-  for (var i = 0; i < str.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(str); i++) {
     var c = str[i]
     if (c == '"' && (i == 0 || str[i - 1] != '\\')) {
       in_quote = !in_quote
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ function parse_key_path(str) {
 
   var tail = trim(current)
   if (tail == null) tail = trim(current)
-  if (tail.length > 0) parts.push(parse_key(tail))
+  if (length(tail) > 0) parts.push(parse_key(tail))
 
   return parts
 }
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ function parse_array(str) {
   var current = ''
   var in_quotes = false
 
-  for (var i = 0; i < str.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(str); i++) {
     var ch = str[i]
 
     if (ch == '"' && (i == 0 || str[i - 1] != '\\')) {
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ function encode_toml(obj) {
     if (is_number(value)) return text(value)
     if (is_array(value)) {
       var items = []
-      for (var i = 0; i < value.length; i++) items.push(encode_value(value[i]))
+      for (var i = 0; i < length(value); i++) items.push(encode_value(value[i]))
       return '[' + text(items, ', ') + ']'
     }
     return text(value)
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ function encode_toml(obj) {
 
   // First pass: encode top-level simple values
   var keys = array(obj)
-  for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; i++) {
+  for (var i = 0; i < length(keys); i++) {
     var key = keys[i]
     var value = obj[key]
     if (!is_object(value)) result.push(quote_key(key) + ' = ' + encode_value(value))
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ function encode_toml(obj) {
   // Second pass: encode nested objects
   function encode_section(o, path) {
     var keys = array(o)
-    for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; i++) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < length(keys); i++) {
       var key = keys[i]
       var value = o[key]
 
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ function encode_toml(obj) {
 
         // Direct properties
         var section_keys = array(value)
-        for (var j = 0; j < section_keys.length; j++) {
+        for (var j = 0; j < section_length(keys); j++) {
           var sk = section_keys[j]
           var sv = value[sk]
           if (!is_object(sv)) result.push(quote_key(sk) + ' = ' + encode_value(sv))