diff --git before/src/db.c after/src/db.c
index 6675e19..375b220 100644
--- before/src/db.c
+++ after/src/db.c
@@ -374,18 +374,28 @@ db_line* db_char2line(char** ss, database* db){
           num = 0;
           while (num < line->xattrs->num)
           {
-            byte  *val = NULL;
-            size_t vsz = 0;
-            
             tval = strtok(NULL, ",");
             decode_string(tval);
             line->xattrs->ents[num].key = checked_strdup(tval);
             tval = strtok(NULL, ",");
-            val = base64tobyte(tval, strlen(tval), &vsz);
-            line->xattrs->ents[num].val = val;
-            line->xattrs->ents[num].vsz = vsz;
-
-            ++num;
+            if (strcmp(tval,"0") != 0) {
+                line->xattrs->ents[num].val = decode_base64(tval, strlen(tval), &line->xattrs->ents[num].vsz);
+            } else {
+                line->xattrs->ents[num].val = checked_strdup("");
+                line->xattrs->ents[num].vsz = 0;
+            }
+            if (line->xattrs->ents[num].val == NULL) {
+                LOG_DB_FORMAT_LINE(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "error while reading xattrs for '%s' from database (discarding extended attributes)", line->filename)
+                for (int j = num; j >= 0 ; --j) {
+                    free(line->xattrs->ents[j].key);
+                    line->xattrs->ents[j].key = NULL;
+                    free(line->xattrs->ents[j].val);
+                    line->xattrs->ents[j].val = NULL;
+                }
+                line->xattrs->num = 0;
+            } else {
+                ++num;
+            }
           }
         }
 #endif
diff --git before/src/db_file.c after/src/db_file.c
index e016e11..505f8af 100644
--- before/src/db_file.c
+++ after/src/db_file.c
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ static int str_xattr(char *str, int n, xattrs_type *xattrs) {
                 enc_key = encode_string(xattr->key);
             }
             char *enc_value = encode_base64(xattr->val, xattr->vsz);
-            m += str_format(str, n + m, ",%s,%s", enc_key?enc_key:xattr->key, enc_value);
+            m += str_format(str, n + m, ",%s,%s", enc_key?enc_key:xattr->key, enc_value?enc_value:"0");
             free(enc_key);
             free(enc_value);
             ++xattr;
diff --git before/src/util.c after/src/util.c
index 2df2c19..edc7453 100644
--- before/src/util.c
+++ after/src/util.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 #include "util.h"
 #include "errorcodes.h"
 
-#define URL_UNSAFE " <>\"#%{}|\\^~[]`@:\033'"
+#define URL_UNSAFE " <>\"#%{}|\\^~[]`@:\033',"
 #define ISPRINT(c) (isascii(c) && isprint(c))
 
 pthread_mutex_t stderr_mutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;