diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 296d9f867..d4eeb6f60 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 //! [librdkafka-config]: https://github.com/edenhill/librdkafka/blob/master/CONFIGURATION.md
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;
-use std::ffi::{CStr, CString};
+use std::ffi::CString;
 use std::iter::FromIterator;
 use std::os::raw::c_char;
 use std::ptr;
diff --git a/src/consumer/base_consumer.rs b/src/consumer/base_consumer.rs
index c67c90cb2..a26350b94 100644
--- a/src/consumer/base_consumer.rs
+++ b/src/consumer/base_consumer.rs
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ where
                 self.queue.ptr(),
             ))
         };
-        if err.is_error() {
+        if let Some(err) = err {
             Err(KafkaError::ConsumerQueueClose(err.code()))
         } else {
             Ok(())
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ where
                 assignment.ptr(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             let error = ret.name();
             return Err(KafkaError::Subscription(error));
         };
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ where
                 assignment.ptr(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             let error = ret.name();
             return Err(KafkaError::Subscription(error));
         };
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ where
                 timeout.into().as_millis(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             let error = ret.name();
             return Err(KafkaError::Seek(error));
         }
diff --git a/src/consumer/stream_consumer.rs b/src/consumer/stream_consumer.rs
index 5a7f60552..728ad2b1d 100644
--- a/src/consumer/stream_consumer.rs
+++ b/src/consumer/stream_consumer.rs
@@ -129,16 +129,12 @@ impl<'a, C: ConsumerContext> MessageStream<'a, C> {
             self.consumer.poll(Duration::ZERO)
         }
     }
-}
-
-impl<'a, C: ConsumerContext> Stream for MessageStream<'a, C> {
-    type Item = KafkaResult<BorrowedMessage<'a>>;
 
-    fn poll_next(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Option<Self::Item>> {
+    fn poll_next_item(&self, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<KafkaResult<BorrowedMessage<'a>>> {
         // If there is a message ready, yield it immediately to avoid the
         // taking the lock in `self.set_waker`.
         if let Some(message) = self.poll() {
-            return Poll::Ready(Some(message));
+            return Poll::Ready(message);
         }
 
         // Otherwise, we need to wait for a message to become available. Store
@@ -153,11 +149,19 @@ impl<'a, C: ConsumerContext> Stream for MessageStream<'a, C> {
         // installed the waker.
         match self.poll() {
             None => Poll::Pending,
-            Some(message) => Poll::Ready(Some(message)),
+            Some(message) => Poll::Ready(message),
         }
     }
 }
 
+impl<'a, C: ConsumerContext> Stream for MessageStream<'a, C> {
+    type Item = KafkaResult<BorrowedMessage<'a>>;
+
+    fn poll_next(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Option<Self::Item>> {
+        self.poll_next_item(cx).map(Some)
+    }
+}
+
 impl<'a, C: ConsumerContext> Drop for MessageStream<'a, C> {
     fn drop(&mut self) {
         self.wakers.unregister(self.slot);
@@ -297,10 +301,8 @@ where
     ///
     /// [cancellation safe]: https://docs.rs/tokio/latest/tokio/macro.select.html#cancellation-safety
     pub async fn recv(&self) -> Result<BorrowedMessage<'_>, KafkaError> {
-        self.stream()
-            .next()
-            .await
-            .expect("kafka streams never terminate")
+        let stream = self.stream();
+        futures_util::future::poll_fn(move |cx| stream.poll_next_item(cx)).await
     }
 
     /// Splits messages for the specified partition into their own stream.
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 312a6bb65..7217b7488 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 use std::error::Error;
 use std::ffi::{self, CStr};
 use std::fmt;
-use std::ptr;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use rdkafka_sys as rdsys;
@@ -39,13 +38,13 @@ impl IsError for RDKafkaConfRes {
 
 impl IsError for RDKafkaError {
     fn is_error(&self) -> bool {
-        self.0.is_some()
+        true
     }
 }
 
 /// Native rdkafka error.
 #[derive(Clone)]
-pub struct RDKafkaError(Option<Arc<NativePtr<rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t>>>);
+pub struct RDKafkaError(Arc<NativePtr<rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t>>);
 
 unsafe impl KafkaDrop for rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t {
     const TYPE: &'static str = "error";
@@ -56,15 +55,12 @@ unsafe impl Send for RDKafkaError {}
 unsafe impl Sync for RDKafkaError {}
 
 impl RDKafkaError {
-    pub(crate) unsafe fn from_ptr(ptr: *mut rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t) -> RDKafkaError {
-        RDKafkaError(NativePtr::from_ptr(ptr).map(Arc::new))
+    pub(crate) unsafe fn from_ptr(ptr: *mut rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t) -> Option<RDKafkaError> {
+        NativePtr::from_ptr(ptr).map(|p| RDKafkaError(Arc::new(p)))
     }
 
     fn ptr(&self) -> *const rdsys::rd_kafka_error_t {
-        match &self.0 {
-            None => ptr::null(),
-            Some(p) => p.ptr(),
-        }
+        self.0.ptr()
     }
 
     /// Returns the error code or [`RDKafkaErrorCode::NoError`] if the error is
diff --git a/src/producer/base_producer.rs b/src/producer/base_producer.rs
index 1cc6e05ce..9cd6df168 100644
--- a/src/producer/base_producer.rs
+++ b/src/producer/base_producer.rs
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ where
                 timeout.into().as_millis(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             Err(KafkaError::Transaction(ret))
         } else {
             Ok(())
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ where
     fn begin_transaction(&self) -> KafkaResult<()> {
         let ret =
             unsafe { RDKafkaError::from_ptr(rdsys::rd_kafka_begin_transaction(self.native_ptr())) };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             Err(KafkaError::Transaction(ret))
         } else {
             Ok(())
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ where
                 timeout.into().as_millis(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             Err(KafkaError::Transaction(ret))
         } else {
             Ok(())
@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ where
                 timeout.as_millis(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             Err(KafkaError::Transaction(ret))
         } else {
             Ok(())
@@ -603,7 +603,7 @@ where
                 timeout.into().as_millis(),
             ))
         };
-        if ret.is_error() {
+        if let Some(ret) = ret {
             Err(KafkaError::Transaction(ret))
         } else {
             Ok(())