+/**
+ * tal_strdup - duplicate a string
+ * @ctx: NULL, or tal allocated object to be parent.
+ * @p: the string to copy (can be take()).
+ */
+#define tal_strdup(ctx, p) tal_strdup_(ctx, p, TAL_LABEL(char, "[]"))
+char *tal_strdup_(const tal_t *ctx, const char *p TAKES, const char *label);
+
+/**
+ * tal_strndup - duplicate a limited amount of a string.
+ * @ctx: NULL, or tal allocated object to be parent.
+ * @p: the string to copy (can be take()).
+ * @n: the maximum length to copy.
+ *
+ * Always gives a nul-terminated string, with strlen() <= @n.
+ */
+#define tal_strndup(ctx, p, n) tal_strndup_(ctx, p, n, TAL_LABEL(char, "[]"))
+char *tal_strndup_(const tal_t *ctx, const char *p TAKES, size_t n,
+ const char *label);
+
+/**
+ * tal_fmt - allocate a formatted string
+ * @ctx: NULL, or tal allocated object to be parent.
+ * @fmt: the printf-style format (can be take()).
+ */
+#define tal_fmt(ctx, ...) \
+ tal_fmt_(ctx, TAL_LABEL(char, "[]"), __VA_ARGS__)
+char *tal_fmt_(const tal_t *ctx, const char *label, const char *fmt TAKES,
+ ...) PRINTF_FMT(3,4);
+
+/**
+ * tal_vfmt - allocate a formatted string (va_list version)
+ * @ctx: NULL, or tal allocated object to be parent.
+ * @fmt: the printf-style format (can be take()).
+ * @va: the va_list containing the format args.
+ */
+#define tal_vfmt(ctx, fmt, va) \
+ tal_vfmt_(ctx, fmt, va, TAL_LABEL(char, "[]"))
+char *tal_vfmt_(const tal_t *ctx, const char *fmt TAKES, va_list ap,
+ const char *label)
+ PRINTF_FMT(2,0);
+
+/**
+ * tal_append_fmt - append a formatted string to a talloc string.
+ * @baseptr: a pointer to the tal string to be appended to.
+ * @fmt: the printf-style format (can be take()).
+ *
+ * Returns false on allocation failure.
+ */
+bool tal_append_fmt(char **baseptr, const char *fmt TAKES, ...) PRINTF_FMT(2,3);
+
+/**
+ * tal_append_vfmt - append a formatted string to a talloc string (va_list)
+ * @baseptr: a pointer to the tal string to be appended to.
+ * @fmt: the printf-style format (can be take()).
+ * @va: the va_list containing the format args.
+ *
+ * Returns false on allocation failure.
+ */
+bool tal_append_vfmt(char **baseptr, const char *fmt TAKES, va_list ap);
+
+/**
+ * tal_strcat - join two strings together
+ * @ctx: NULL, or tal allocated object to be parent.
+ * @s1: the first string (can be take()).
+ * @s2: the second string (can be take()).
+ */
+#define tal_strcat(ctx, s1, s2) tal_strcat_(ctx, s1, s2, TAL_LABEL(char, "[]"))
+char *tal_strcat_(const tal_t *ctx, const char *s1 TAKES, const char *s2 TAKES,
+ const char *label);
+