diff --git a/native/Darwin.cpp b/native/Darwin.cpp
index ea07797..90ff141 100644
--- a/native/Darwin.cpp
+++ b/native/Darwin.cpp
@@ -366,8 +366,37 @@ namespace native {
 		// todo -- verify behavior on non-hfs volume.
 		//if ((oflag & O_ACCMODE) & O_WRONLY) oflag |= O_CREAT;
 
+		// under apfs, resource fork needs to be specifically created.
+		// (if 0-length, it doesn't actually exist...)
+
+		// apfs -- zero-length resource fork
+
+		int parent;
+		if (oflag & O_CREAT) {
+			int excl = oflag & O_EXCL;
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY | O_CREAT | excl, 0666);
+		} else {
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
+		}
+
+		if (parent < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
+		close(parent);
+
+		oflag &= ~(O_CREAT | O_EXCL);
+		int mode = oflag & O_ACCMODE;
+		if (mode == O_WRONLY || mode == O_RDWR) oflag |= O_CREAT;
+
 		int fd = open(rname.c_str(), oflag, 0666);
-		if (fd < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
+		if (fd < 0) {
+			auto e = macos_error_from_errno();
+
+			if (errno == ENOENT && mode == O_RDONLY) {
+				auto tmp = new empty_file(path_name);
+				tmp->resource = true;
+				return file_ptr(tmp);
+			}
+			return e;
+		}
 
 		auto tmp = new fd_file(path_name, fd);
 		tmp->resource = true;
diff --git a/native/Linux.cpp b/native/Linux.cpp
index 39e1286..fae3768 100644
--- a/native/Linux.cpp
+++ b/native/Linux.cpp
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ namespace {
 
 	class xattr_file final : public file {
 	public:
-		xattr_file(int fd): _fd(fd);
+		xattr_file(const std::string &path, int fd, bool readonly): file(path), _fd(fd), _readonly(readonly);
 		~xattr_file(); 
 
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ namespace {
 
 		int _fd = -1;
 		off_t _displacement = 0;
-
+		bool _readonly = false;
 	};
 
 	xattr_file::~xattr_file() {
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ namespace {
 
 
 	tool_return<size_t> xattr_file::write(const void *in_buffer, size_t count) {
+		if (_readonly) return MacOS::wrPermErr;
+
 		std::vector<uint8_t> buffer;
 		ssize_t size;
 		size = read_rfork(buffer);
@@ -140,6 +142,8 @@ namespace {
 
 	tool_return<void> xattr_file::set_eof(ssize_t new_eof) {
 
+		if (_readonly) return MacOS::wrPermErr;
+
 		if (new_eof < 0) return paramErr;
 
 		std::vector<uint8_t> buffer;
@@ -159,11 +163,26 @@ namespace {
  
 namespace native {
 
- 	tool_return<file_ptr> open_resource_fork(const std::string &path_name, int oflag) {
+	tool_return<file_ptr> open_resource_fork(const std::string &path_name, int oflag) {
 
- 		int fd = open(rname.c_str(), oflag);
- 		if (fd < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
- 		return std::make_shared<file>(fd);
+		/* under HFS, every file has a resource fork.
+		 * Therefore, create it if opening for O_RDWR or O_WRONLY
+		 */
+
+		int parent;
+		if (oflag & O_CREAT) {
+			int excl = oflag & O_EXCL;
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY | O_CREAT | excl, 0666);
+		} else {
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
+		}
+		if (parent < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
+
+		int mode = oflag & O_ACCMODE;
+
+		auto tmp = new xattr_file(path_name, parent, oflags == O_RDONLY);
+		tmp->resource = true;
+		return file_ptr(tmp);
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/native/SunOS.cpp b/native/SunOS.cpp
index ebefcf9..d611e8e 100644
--- a/native/SunOS.cpp
+++ b/native/SunOS.cpp
@@ -206,14 +206,35 @@ namespace native {
 		/* under HFS, every file has a resource fork.
 		 * Therefore, create it if opening for O_RDWR or O_WRONLY
 		 */
+
+		int parent;
+		if (oflag & O_CREAT) {
+			int excl = oflag & O_EXCL;
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY | O_CREAT | excl, 0666);
+		} else {
+			parent = open(path_name.c_str(), O_RDONLY);
+		}
+		if (parent < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
+
+		oflag &= ~(O_CREAT | O_EXCL);
 		int mode = oflag & O_ACCMODE;
 		if (mode == O_WRONLY || mode == O_RDWR) oflag |= O_CREAT;
-		int fd = attropen(path_name.c_str(), XATTR_RESOURCEFORK_NAME, oflag, 0666);
-		if (fd < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
+		//int fd = attropen(path_name.c_str(), XATTR_RESOURCEFORK_NAME, oflag, 0666);
+		int fd = openat(parent, XATTR_RESOURCEFORK_NAME, oflag | O_XATTR, 0666);
+		if (fd < 0) {
+			int e = macos_error_from_errno();
+			close(parent);
+			if (e == ENOENT && mode == O_RDONLY) {
+				auto tmp = new empty_file(path_name);
+				tmp->resource = true;
+				return file_ptr(tmp);
+			}
+			return e;
+		}
+		close(parent);
 
 		auto tmp = new fd_file(path_name, fd);
 		tmp->resource = true;
-
 		return file_ptr(tmp);
 	}
 
diff --git a/native/native.cpp b/native/native.cpp
index 2ff4e85..75808a1 100644
--- a/native/native.cpp
+++ b/native/native.cpp
@@ -328,25 +328,17 @@ namespace native {
 
 	}
 
-	tool_return<file_ptr> open_fork(const std::string &path_name, int fork, int oflag, int perm) {
+	tool_return<file_ptr> open_fork(const std::string &path_name, int fork, int oflag) {
 
 		if (!fork) {
-			int fd = ::open(path_name.c_str(), oflag, perm);
+			int fd = ::open(path_name.c_str(), oflag, 0666);
 			if (fd < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
 
 			return file_ptr(new fd_file(path_name, fd));
 		}
 
-		// if O_CREAT or E_EXCL, may need to create the file
-
-		int tmp = oflag & (O_CREAT | O_EXCL);
-		if (tmp) {
-			int fd = ::open(path_name.c_str(), (oflag & O_ACCMODE) | tmp, perm);
-			if (fd < 0) return macos_error_from_errno();
-			::close(fd);
-			oflag &= ~ (O_CREAT | O_EXCL);
-		}
 		return open_resource_fork(path_name, oflag);
+
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/native/native.h b/native/native.h
index 2ed2892..a31b226 100644
--- a/native/native.h
+++ b/native/native.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ namespace native {
 
 
 
-	tool_return<file_ptr> open_fork(const std::string &path_name, int fork, int oflag, int perm = 0666);
+	tool_return<file_ptr> open_fork(const std::string &path_name, int fork, int oflag);
 	tool_return<file_ptr> open_resource_fork(const std::string &path_name, int oflag);
 
 }