diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py b/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
index 1ad0f8242..63c39d39a 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/common_util.py
@@ -59,10 +59,10 @@ def run_cli_native(verb, *args, **kwargs):
     Most code should prefer ``run_cli_unicode`` which deals with all the
     necessary encoding considerations.
 
-    :param native_str verb: The command to run.  For example, ``b"create-node"``.
+    :param native_str verb: The command to run.  For example, ``"create-node"``.
 
     :param [native_str] args: The arguments to pass to the command.  For example,
-        ``(b"--hostname=localhost",)``.
+        ``("--hostname=localhost",)``.
 
     :param [native_str] nodeargs: Extra arguments to pass to the Tahoe executable
         before ``verb``.
diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/test_system.py b/src/allmydata/test/test_system.py
index 192b82e78..e8b27fa69 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/test_system.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/test_system.py
@@ -70,7 +70,13 @@ from ..scripts.common import (
 
 def run_cli(*args, **kwargs):
     """
-    Backwards compatible version so we don't have to change all the tests.
+    Run a Tahoe-LAFS CLI utility, but inline.
+
+    Version of run_cli_unicode() that takes any kind of string, and the
+    command-line args inline instead of as verb + list.
+
+    Backwards compatible version so we don't have to change all the tests that
+    expected this API.
     """
     nodeargs = [ensure_text(a) for a in kwargs.pop("nodeargs", [])]
     kwargs["nodeargs"] = nodeargs
@@ -658,7 +664,7 @@ def flush_but_dont_ignore(res):
 
 def _render_config(config):
     """
-    Convert a ``dict`` of ``dict`` of ``bytes`` to an ini-format string.
+    Convert a ``dict`` of ``dict`` of ``unicode`` to an ini-format string.
     """
     return u"\n\n".join(list(
         _render_config_section(k, v)
@@ -668,8 +674,8 @@ def _render_config(config):
 
 def _render_config_section(heading, values):
     """
-    Convert a ``bytes`` heading and a ``dict`` of ``bytes`` to an ini-format
-    section as ``bytes``.
+    Convert a ``unicode`` heading and a ``dict`` of ``unicode`` to an ini-format
+    section as ``unicode``.
     """
     return u"[{}]\n{}\n".format(
         heading, _render_section_values(values)
@@ -677,8 +683,8 @@ def _render_config_section(heading, values):
 
 def _render_section_values(values):
     """
-    Convert a ``dict`` of ``bytes`` to the body of an ini-format section as
-    ``bytes``.
+    Convert a ``dict`` of ``unicode`` to the body of an ini-format section as
+    ``unicode``.
     """
     return u"\n".join(list(
         u"{} = {}".format(k, v)
diff --git a/src/allmydata/util/base32.py b/src/allmydata/util/base32.py
index 75625c817..efad58841 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/util/base32.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/util/base32.py
@@ -134,8 +134,7 @@ def a2b(cs):
     @param cs the base-32 encoded data (as bytes)
     """
     # Workaround Future newbytes issues by converting to real bytes on Python 2:
-    if hasattr(cs, "__native__"):
-        cs = cs.__native__()
+    cs = backwardscompat_bytes(cs)
     precondition(could_be_base32_encoded(cs), "cs is required to be possibly base32 encoded data.", cs=cs)
     precondition(isinstance(cs, bytes), cs)