diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 9213c9f..f43ea3d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -153,7 +153,6 @@
     "any-signal": "^3.0.0",
     "benchmark": "^2.1.4",
     "err-code": "^3.0.1",
-    "it-pipe": "^2.0.3",
     "it-pushable": "^3.1.0",
     "it-stream-types": "^1.0.4",
     "rate-limiter-flexible": "^2.3.9",
@@ -172,6 +171,7 @@
     "it-drain": "^2.0.0",
     "it-foreach": "^1.0.0",
     "it-map": "^2.0.0",
+    "it-pipe": "^2.0.3",
     "it-to-buffer": "^3.0.0",
     "p-defer": "^4.0.0",
     "random-int": "^3.0.0",
diff --git a/src/decode.ts b/src/decode.ts
index 3ef8a5d..94d5812 100644
--- a/src/decode.ts
+++ b/src/decode.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { MessageTypeNames, MessageTypes } from './message-types.js'
 import { Uint8ArrayList } from 'uint8arraylist'
-import type { Source } from 'it-stream-types'
 import type { Message } from './message-types.js'
 
 export const MAX_MSG_SIZE = 1 << 20 // 1MB
@@ -13,7 +12,7 @@ interface MessageHeader {
   length: number
 }
 
-class Decoder {
+export class Decoder {
   private readonly _buffer: Uint8ArrayList
   private _headerInfo: MessageHeader | null
   private readonly _maxMessageSize: number
@@ -136,20 +135,3 @@ function readVarInt (buf: Uint8ArrayList, offset: number = 0) {
     offset
   }
 }
-
-/**
- * Decode a chunk and yield an _array_ of decoded messages
- */
-export function decode (maxMessageSize: number = MAX_MSG_SIZE, maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize: number = MAX_MSG_QUEUE_SIZE) {
-  return async function * decodeMessages (source: Source<Uint8Array>): Source<Message> {
-    const decoder = new Decoder(maxMessageSize, maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize)
-
-    for await (const chunk of source) {
-      const msgs = decoder.write(chunk)
-
-      if (msgs.length > 0) {
-        yield * msgs
-      }
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/mplex.ts b/src/mplex.ts
index b80b187..175af70 100644
--- a/src/mplex.ts
+++ b/src/mplex.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-import { pipe } from 'it-pipe'
 import { pushableV } from 'it-pushable'
 import { abortableSource } from 'abortable-iterator'
 import { encode } from './encode.js'
-import { decode } from './decode.js'
+import { Decoder } from './decode.js'
 import { MessageTypes, MessageTypeNames, Message } from './message-types.js'
 import { createStream } from './stream.js'
 import { toString as uint8ArrayToString } from 'uint8arrays'
@@ -201,15 +200,13 @@ export class MplexStreamMuxer implements StreamMuxer {
       source = abortableSource(source, anySignal(abortSignals))
 
       try {
-        await pipe(
-          source,
-          decode(this._init.maxMsgSize, this._init.maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize),
-          async source => {
-            for await (const msg of source) {
-              await this._handleIncoming(msg)
-            }
+        const decoder = new Decoder(this._init.maxMsgSize, this._init.maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize)
+
+        for await (const chunk of source) {
+          for (const msg of decoder.write(chunk)) {
+            await this._handleIncoming(msg)
           }
-        )
+        }
 
         this._source.end()
       } catch (err: any) {
diff --git a/test/coder.spec.ts b/test/coder.spec.ts
index 45f1264..4425c83 100644
--- a/test/coder.spec.ts
+++ b/test/coder.spec.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 import { expect } from 'aegir/chai'
 import { fromString as uint8ArrayFromString } from 'uint8arrays/from-string'
 import { encode } from '../src/encode.js'
-import { decode } from '../src/decode.js'
+import { decode } from './fixtures/decode.js'
 import all from 'it-all'
 import { concat as uint8ArrayConcat } from 'uint8arrays/concat'
 import { messageWithBytes } from './fixtures/utils.js'
diff --git a/test/fixtures/decode.ts b/test/fixtures/decode.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b3a1ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/decode.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+
+import type { Message } from '../../src/message-types.js'
+import { Decoder, MAX_MSG_QUEUE_SIZE, MAX_MSG_SIZE } from '../../src/decode.js'
+import type { Source } from 'it-stream-types'
+
+export function decode (maxMessageSize: number = MAX_MSG_SIZE, maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize: number = MAX_MSG_QUEUE_SIZE) {
+  return async function * decodeMessages (source: Source<Uint8Array>): Source<Message> {
+    const decoder = new Decoder(maxMessageSize, maxUnprocessedMessageQueueSize)
+
+    for await (const chunk of source) {
+      const msgs = decoder.write(chunk)
+
+      if (msgs.length > 0) {
+        yield * msgs
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/mplex.spec.ts b/test/mplex.spec.ts
index f2e58b2..dd65c9f 100644
--- a/test/mplex.spec.ts
+++ b/test/mplex.spec.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import all from 'it-all'
 import type { Source } from 'it-stream-types'
 import delay from 'delay'
 import pDefer from 'p-defer'
-import { decode } from '../src/decode.js'
+import { decode } from './fixtures/decode.js'
 import { pushable } from 'it-pushable'
 import { Uint8ArrayList } from 'uint8arraylist'
 
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ describe('mplex', () => {
             streamSourceError.reject(new Error('Stream source did not error'))
           })
           .catch(err => {
-            // should have errored before all messages were sent
-            expect(sent).to.equal(2)
+            // should have errored before all 102 messages were sent
+            expect(sent).to.be.lessThan(10)
             streamSourceError.resolve(err)
           })
       }
diff --git a/test/restrict-size.spec.ts b/test/restrict-size.spec.ts
index 2067e98..f24efd2 100644
--- a/test/restrict-size.spec.ts
+++ b/test/restrict-size.spec.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import drain from 'it-drain'
 import each from 'it-foreach'
 import { Message, MessageTypes } from '../src/message-types.js'
 import { encode } from '../src/encode.js'
-import { decode } from '../src/decode.js'
+import { decode } from './fixtures/decode.js'
 import { Uint8ArrayList } from 'uint8arraylist'
 import toBuffer from 'it-to-buffer'