diff --git a/ccan_compat.h b/ccan_compat.h
index 7be0efb88..1c648dabe 100644
--- a/ccan_compat.h
+++ b/ccan_compat.h
@@ -19,5 +19,9 @@
 
 /* Transition for ccan update. */
 #define tal_bytelen(x) tal_len(x)
+#define tal_arr_label(ctx, type, len, label) \
+	((type *)tal_alloc_arr_(ctx, sizeof(type), len, false, true, label))
+#define tal_arrz_label(ctx, type, len, label) \
+	((type *)tal_alloc_arr_(ctx, sizeof(type), len, true, true, label))
 
 #endif /* LIGHTNING_CCAN_COMPAT_H */
diff --git a/cli/lightning-cli.c b/cli/lightning-cli.c
index 35ee46336..1c791b3f3 100644
--- a/cli/lightning-cli.c
+++ b/cli/lightning-cli.c
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@
 /* Tal wrappers for opt. */
 static void *opt_allocfn(size_t size)
 {
-	return tal_alloc_(NULL, size, false, false,
-			  TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
+	return tal_arr_label(NULL, char, size, TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
 }
 
 static void *tal_reallocfn(void *ptr, size_t size)
diff --git a/common/json_escaped.c b/common/json_escaped.c
index 9ae0b156a..4734c3d87 100644
--- a/common/json_escaped.c
+++ b/common/json_escaped.c
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ struct json_escaped *json_escaped_string_(const tal_t *ctx,
 {
 	struct json_escaped *esc;
 
-	esc = tal_alloc_arr_(ctx, 1, len + 1, false, true,
-			     TAL_LABEL(struct json_escaped, ""));
+	esc = (void *)tal_arr_label(ctx, char, len + 1,
+				    TAL_LABEL(struct json_escaped, ""));
 	memcpy(esc->s, bytes, len);
 	esc->s[len] = '\0';
 	return esc;
diff --git a/common/memleak.c b/common/memleak.c
index 9660cd59c..d3284d0b0 100644
--- a/common/memleak.c
+++ b/common/memleak.c
@@ -224,8 +224,7 @@ static int append_bt(void *data, uintptr_t pc)
 static void add_backtrace(tal_t *parent UNUSED, enum tal_notify_type type UNNEEDED,
 			  void *child)
 {
-	uintptr_t *bt = tal_alloc_arr_(child, sizeof(uintptr_t), 32, true, true,
-				       "backtrace");
+	uintptr_t *bt = tal_arrz_label(child, uintptr_t, 32, "backtrace");
 
 	/* First serves as counter. */
 	bt[0] = 1;
diff --git a/common/utils.c b/common/utils.c
index 8ca22362f..3634f2484 100644
--- a/common/utils.c
+++ b/common/utils.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ void setup_locale(void)
 /* Initial creation of tmpctx. */
 void setup_tmpctx(void)
 {
-	tmpctx = tal_alloc_(NULL, 0, false, false, "tmpctx");
+	tmpctx = tal_arr_label(NULL, char, 0, "tmpctx");
 }
 
 /* Free any children of tmpctx. */
@@ -48,6 +48,6 @@ void clean_tmpctx(void)
 	/* Minor optimization: don't do anything if tmpctx unused. */
 	if (tal_first(tmpctx)) {
 		tal_free(tmpctx);
-		tmpctx = tal_alloc_(NULL, 0, false, false, "tmpctx");
+		tmpctx = tal_arr_label(NULL, char, 0, "tmpctx");
 	}
 }
diff --git a/devtools/bolt11-cli.c b/devtools/bolt11-cli.c
index c7eb3d9f2..5432896a5 100644
--- a/devtools/bolt11-cli.c
+++ b/devtools/bolt11-cli.c
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@
 /* Tal wrappers for opt. */
 static void *opt_allocfn(size_t size)
 {
-	return tal_alloc_(NULL, size, false, false,
-			  TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
+	return tal_arr_label(NULL, char, size, TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
 }
 
 static void *tal_reallocfn(void *ptr, size_t size)
diff --git a/lightningd/options.c b/lightningd/options.c
index d0f6a062e..ef72b56ee 100644
--- a/lightningd/options.c
+++ b/lightningd/options.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ bool deprecated_apis = true;
 /* Tal wrappers for opt. */
 static void *opt_allocfn(size_t size)
 {
-	return tal_alloc_(NULL, size, false, false, TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
+	return tal_arr_label(NULL, char, size, TAL_LABEL("opt_allocfn", ""));
 }
 
 static void *tal_reallocfn(void *ptr, size_t size)
diff --git a/lightningd/param.c b/lightningd/param.c
index 5049efeaa..5569ec7ed 100644
--- a/lightningd/param.c
+++ b/lightningd/param.c
@@ -80,8 +80,7 @@ static bool make_callback(struct command *cmd,
 	if (def->argsize && def->cb != (param_cb)json_tok_tok) {
 		*(void **)def->arg
 			= arg
-			= tal_alloc_(cmd, def->argsize, false, false,
-				     "param");
+			= tal_arr_label(cmd, char, def->argsize, "param");
 	} else
 		arg = def->arg;
 	if (!def->cb(buffer, tok, arg)) {
diff --git a/wallet/db.c b/wallet/db.c
index 57d401cf1..6c07e2998 100644
--- a/wallet/db.c
+++ b/wallet/db.c
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ void *sqlite3_column_arr_(const tal_t *ctx, sqlite3_stmt *stmt, int col,
 		fatal("%s: column size %zu not a multiple of %s (%zu)",
 		      caller, sourcelen, label, bytes);
 
-	p = tal_alloc_arr_(ctx, bytes, sourcelen / bytes, false, true, label);
+	p = tal_arr_label(ctx, char, sourcelen, label);
 	memcpy(p, sqlite3_column_blob(stmt, col), sourcelen);
 	return p;
 }