diff --git a/lib/ns/client.c b/lib/ns/client.c
index 04a8da7d3e..2d568e30c4 100644
--- a/lib/ns/client.c
+++ b/lib/ns/client.c
@@ -286,45 +286,20 @@ client_senddone(isc_nmhandle_t *handle, isc_result_t result, void *cbarg) {
 	isc_nmhandle_unref(handle);
 }
 
-/*%
- * We only want to fail with ISC_R_NOSPACE when called from
- * ns_client_sendraw() and not when called from ns_client_send(),
- * tcpbuffer is NULL when called from ns_client_sendraw() and
- * length != 0.  tcpbuffer != NULL when called from ns_client_send()
- * and length == 0.
- */
-
-static isc_result_t
+static void
 client_allocsendbuf(ns_client_t *client, isc_buffer_t *buffer,
-		    isc_buffer_t *tcpbuffer, uint32_t length,
 		    unsigned char **datap) {
 	unsigned char *data;
 	uint32_t bufsize;
-	isc_result_t result;
 
 	REQUIRE(datap != NULL);
-	REQUIRE((tcpbuffer == NULL && length != 0) ||
-		(tcpbuffer != NULL && length == 0));
 
 	if (TCP_CLIENT(client)) {
 		INSIST(client->tcpbuf == NULL);
-		if (length + 2 > NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE) {
-			result = ISC_R_NOSPACE;
-			goto done;
-		}
 		client->tcpbuf = isc_mem_get(client->mctx,
 					     NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE);
 		data = client->tcpbuf;
-		if (tcpbuffer != NULL) {
-			isc_buffer_init(tcpbuffer, data,
-					NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE);
-			isc_buffer_init(buffer, data,
-					NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE);
-		} else {
-			isc_buffer_init(buffer, data,
-					NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE);
-			INSIST(length <= 0xffff);
-		}
+		isc_buffer_init(buffer, data, NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE);
 	} else {
 		data = client->sendbuf;
 		if ((client->attributes & NS_CLIENTATTR_HAVECOOKIE) == 0) {
@@ -342,17 +317,9 @@ client_allocsendbuf(ns_client_t *client, isc_buffer_t *buffer,
 		if (bufsize > NS_CLIENT_SEND_BUFFER_SIZE) {
 			bufsize = NS_CLIENT_SEND_BUFFER_SIZE;
 		}
-		if (length > bufsize) {
-			result = ISC_R_NOSPACE;
-			goto done;
-		}
 		isc_buffer_init(buffer, data, bufsize);
 	}
 	*datap = data;
-	result = ISC_R_SUCCESS;
-
-done:
-	return (result);
 }
 
 static isc_result_t
@@ -384,8 +351,10 @@ ns_client_sendraw(ns_client_t *client, dns_message_t *message) {
 		goto done;
 	}
 
-	result = client_allocsendbuf(client, &buffer, NULL, mr->length, &data);
-	if (result != ISC_R_SUCCESS) {
+	client_allocsendbuf(client, &buffer, &data);
+
+	if (mr->length > isc_buffer_length(&buffer)) {
+		result = ISC_R_NOSPACE;
 		goto done;
 	}
 
@@ -421,7 +390,6 @@ ns_client_send(ns_client_t *client) {
 	isc_result_t result;
 	unsigned char *data;
 	isc_buffer_t buffer = { .magic = 0 };
-	isc_buffer_t tcpbuffer = { .magic = 0 };
 	isc_region_t r;
 	dns_compress_t cctx;
 	bool cleanup_cctx = false;
@@ -490,13 +458,7 @@ ns_client_send(ns_client_t *client) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * XXXRTH  The following doesn't deal with TCP buffer resizing.
-	 */
-	result = client_allocsendbuf(client, &buffer, &tcpbuffer, 0, &data);
-	if (result != ISC_R_SUCCESS) {
-		goto done;
-	}
+	client_allocsendbuf(client, &buffer, &data);
 
 	result = dns_compress_init(&cctx, -1, client->mctx);
 	if (result != ISC_R_SUCCESS) {
@@ -618,7 +580,6 @@ renderend:
 		client->sendcb(&buffer);
 	} else if (TCP_CLIENT(client)) {
 		isc_buffer_usedregion(&buffer, &r);
-		isc_buffer_add(&tcpbuffer, r.length);
 #ifdef HAVE_DNSTAP
 		if (client->view != NULL) {
 			dns_dt_send(client->view, dtmsgtype, &client->peeraddr,
@@ -627,11 +588,10 @@ renderend:
 		}
 #endif /* HAVE_DNSTAP */
 
-		/* don't count the 2-octet length header */
-		respsize = isc_buffer_usedlength(&tcpbuffer) - 2;
+		respsize = isc_buffer_usedlength(&buffer);
 
 		isc_nmhandle_ref(client->handle);
-		result = client_sendpkg(client, &tcpbuffer);
+		result = client_sendpkg(client, &buffer);
 		if (result != ISC_R_SUCCESS) {
 			/* We won't get a callback to clean it up */
 			isc_nmhandle_unref(client->handle);
diff --git a/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h b/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
index 61612a32ea..74c435b0c6 100644
--- a/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
+++ b/lib/ns/include/ns/client.h
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
  *** Types
  ***/
 
-#define NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE  (65535 + 2)
+#define NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE  65535
 #define NS_CLIENT_SEND_BUFFER_SIZE 4096
 
 /*!
diff --git a/lib/ns/xfrout.c b/lib/ns/xfrout.c
index a92783cf1b..717d142ce2 100644
--- a/lib/ns/xfrout.c
+++ b/lib/ns/xfrout.c
@@ -648,14 +648,13 @@ typedef struct {
 	dns_db_t *db;
 	dns_dbversion_t *ver;
 	isc_quota_t *quota;
-	rrstream_t *stream;    /* The XFR RR stream */
-	bool question_added;   /* QUESTION section sent? */
-	bool end_of_stream;    /* EOS has been reached */
-	isc_buffer_t buf;      /* Buffer for message owner
-				* names and rdatas */
-	isc_buffer_t txlenbuf; /* Transmit length buffer */
-	isc_buffer_t txbuf;    /* Transmit message buffer */
-	size_t cbytes;	       /* Length of current message */
+	rrstream_t *stream;  /* The XFR RR stream */
+	bool question_added; /* QUESTION section sent? */
+	bool end_of_stream;  /* EOS has been reached */
+	isc_buffer_t buf;    /* Buffer for message owner
+			      * names and rdatas */
+	isc_buffer_t txbuf;  /* Transmit message buffer */
+	size_t cbytes;	     /* Length of current message */
 	void *txmem;
 	unsigned int txmemlen;
 	dns_tsigkey_t *tsigkey; /* Key used to create TSIG */
@@ -1231,12 +1230,11 @@ xfrout_ctx_create(isc_mem_t *mctx, ns_client_t *client, unsigned int id,
 
 	/*
 	 * Allocate another temporary buffer for the compressed
-	 * response message and its TCP length prefix.
+	 * response message.
 	 */
-	len = 2 + 65535;
+	len = NS_CLIENT_TCP_BUFFER_SIZE;
 	mem = isc_mem_get(mctx, len);
-	isc_buffer_init(&xfr->txlenbuf, mem, 2);
-	isc_buffer_init(&xfr->txbuf, (char *)mem + 2, len - 2);
+	isc_buffer_init(&xfr->txbuf, (char *)mem, len);
 	xfr->txmem = mem;
 	xfr->txmemlen = len;
 
@@ -1286,7 +1284,6 @@ sendstream(xfrout_ctx_t *xfr) {
 	int n_rrs;
 
 	isc_buffer_clear(&xfr->buf);
-	isc_buffer_clear(&xfr->txlenbuf);
 	isc_buffer_clear(&xfr->txbuf);
 
 	is_tcp = ((xfr->client->attributes & NS_CLIENTATTR_TCP) != 0);