diff --git a/include/QF/dstring.h b/include/QF/dstring.h
index 073de9011..9a05861e4 100644
--- a/include/QF/dstring.h
+++ b/include/QF/dstring.h
@@ -140,12 +140,12 @@ void dstring_copystr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str);
 void dstring_copysubstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str, size_t len);
 /** Append the null terminated string to the end of the dstring.
 	The dstring does not have to be null terminated but will become so.
-	However, any embedded nulls will be treated as the end of the dstring.
+	\note any embedded nulls will be ignored.
 */
 void dstring_appendstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str);
 /** Append up to len bytes from the string to the end of the dstring.
 	The dstring does not have to be null terminated but will become so.
-	However, any embedded nulls will be treated as the end of the dstring.
+	\note any embedded nulls will be ignored.
 */
 void dstring_appendsubstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str, size_t len);
 /** Insert the null terminated string into the dstring at pos. The dstring
diff --git a/libs/util/dstring.c b/libs/util/dstring.c
index 48dd43ba0..05e6f75bc 100644
--- a/libs/util/dstring.c
+++ b/libs/util/dstring.c
@@ -271,9 +271,12 @@ dstring_copysubstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str, size_t len)
 VISIBLE void
 dstring_appendstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str)
 {
-	size_t      pos = strnlen (dstr->str, dstr->size);
+	size_t      pos = dstr->size;
 	size_t      len = strlen (str);
 
+	if (pos && !dstr->str[pos - 1]) {
+		pos--;
+	}
 	dstr->size = pos + len + 1;
 	dstring_adjust (dstr);
 	strcpy (dstr->str + pos, str);
@@ -282,8 +285,11 @@ dstring_appendstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str)
 VISIBLE void
 dstring_appendsubstr (dstring_t *dstr, const char *str, size_t len)
 {
-	size_t      pos = strnlen (dstr->str, dstr->size);
+	size_t      pos = dstr->size;
 
+	if (pos && !dstr->str[pos - 1]) {
+		pos--;
+	}
 	len = strnlen (str, len);
 	dstr->size = pos + len + 1;
 	dstring_adjust (dstr);