If you try to convert a bytevector, to a bytevector, using u8-list->bytevector, guile crashes. $ guile -q GNU Guile 2.2.4 Copyright (C) 1995-2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Guile comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `,show w'. This program is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `,show c' for details. Enter `,help' for help. scheme@(guile-user)> (use-modules (rnrs bytevectors)) scheme@(guile-user)> (u8-list->bytevector (make-bytevector 32 0)) [1] 126190 abort (core dumped) guile -q $ build-aux/config.guess x86_64-pc-linux-gnu This was the release version of guile downloaded from the site. $ ./config.status --config <> gdb output: GNU Guile 2.2.4 Copyright (C) 1995-2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Guile comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `,show w'. This program is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `,show c' for details. Enter `,help' for help. scheme@(guile-user)> (use-modules (rnrs bytevectors)) scheme@(guile-user)> (u8-list->bytevector (make-bytevector 32)) Thread 1 "lt-guile" received signal SIGABRT, Aborted. 0x00007ffff74f6428 in __GI_raise (sig=sig@entry=6) at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/raise.c:54 54 ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/raise.c: No such file or directory. (gdb) backtrace #0 0x00007ffff74f6428 in __GI_raise (sig=sig@entry=6) at ../sysdeps/unix/sysv/linux/raise.c:54 #1 0x00007ffff74f802a in __GI_abort () at abort.c:89 #2 0x00007ffff7ae7f72 in make_bytevector ( element_type=SCM_ARRAY_ELEMENT_TYPE_VU8, len=18446744073709551615) at bytevectors.c:213 #3 scm_u8_list_to_bytevector (lst=0xa70640) at bytevectors.c:751 #4 0x00007ffff7b67961 in vm_debug_engine (thread=0x1f3ef, vp=0x706f30, registers=0x6, resume=-145791960) at vm-engine.c:786 #5 0x00007ffff7b71802 in scm_call_n (proc=0x7ffff7fd9030, argv=argv@entry=0x7fffffffda88, nargs=nargs@entry=1) at vm.c:1257 #6 0x00007ffff7af28e7 in scm_primitive_eval (exp=exp@entry=0x7befa0) at eval.c:662 #7 0x00007ffff7af2943 in scm_eval (exp=0x7befa0, module_or_state=module_or_state@entry=0x798140) at eval.c:696 #8 0x00007ffff7b3f4f0 in scm_shell (argc=1, argv=0x7fffffffe108) at script.c:454 #9 0x00007ffff7b09cfd in invoke_main_func (body_data=0x7fffffffdfa0) at init.c:340 #10 0x00007ffff7aeb68a in c_body (d=0x7fffffffdee0) at continuations.c:422 #11 0x00007ffff7b6e78b in vm_regular_engine (thread=0x1f3ef, vp=0x706f30, registers=0x6, resume=-145791960) at vm-engine.c:786 #12 0x00007ffff7b71802 in scm_call_n (proc=proc@entry=0x6fc320, argv=argv@entry=0x0, nargs=nargs@entry=0) at vm.c:1257 #13 0x00007ffff7af1619 in scm_call_0 (proc=proc@entry=0x6fc320) at eval.c:481 #14 0x00007ffff7b60729 in catch (tag=tag@entry=0x404, thunk=0x6fc320, handler=0x6fc300, pre_unwind_handler=0x6fc2a0) at throw.c:137 #15 0x00007ffff7b60a95 in scm_catch_with_pre_unwind_handler ( key=key@entry=0x404, thunk=, handler=, pre_unwind_handler=) at throw.c:254 ---Type to continue, or q to quit--- #16 0x00007ffff7b60c4f in scm_c_catch (tag=tag@entry=0x404, body=body@entry=0x7ffff7aeb680 , body_data=body_data@entry=0x7fffffffdee0, handler=handler@entry=0x7ffff7aeb920 , handler_data=handler_data@entry=0x7fffffffdee0, pre_unwind_handler=pre_unwind_handler@entry=0x7ffff7aeb780 , pre_unwind_handler_data=0x701b60) at throw.c:377 #17 0x00007ffff7aebc90 in scm_i_with_continuation_barrier ( body=body@entry=0x7ffff7aeb680 , body_data=body_data@entry=0x7fffffffdee0, handler=handler@entry=0x7ffff7aeb920 , handler_data=handler_data@entry=0x7fffffffdee0, pre_unwind_handler=pre_unwind_handler@entry=0x7ffff7aeb780 , pre_unwind_handler_data=0x701b60) at continuations.c:360 #18 0x00007ffff7aebd75 in scm_c_with_continuation_barrier ( func=, data=) at continuations.c:456 #19 0x00007ffff7b5f1fc in with_guile (base=0x7fffffffdf40, data=0x7fffffffdf70) at threads.c:661 #20 0x00007ffff726ac62 in GC_call_with_stack_base () from /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgc.so.1 #21 0x00007ffff7b5f5e8 in scm_i_with_guile ( dynamic_state=, data=0x7fffffffdf70, func=0x7ffff7b09ce0 ) at threads.c:704 #22 scm_with_guile (func=func@entry=0x7ffff7b09ce0 , data=data@entry=0x7fffffffdfa0) at threads.c:710 #23 0x00007ffff7b09ec2 in scm_boot_guile (argc=argc@entry=1, argv=argv@entry=0x7fffffffe108, main_func=main_func@entry=0x400b00 , closure=closure@entry=0x0) at init.c:323 #24 0x000000000040098c in main (argc=1, argv=0x7fffffffe108) at guile.c:101 (gdb)