diff --git a/src/lib/internal.h b/src/lib/internal.h
index 0d1cb463b..cc5dd67ab 100644
--- a/src/lib/internal.h
+++ b/src/lib/internal.h
@@ -530,8 +530,11 @@ term_fg_palindex(const notcurses* nc, FILE* out, unsigned pal){
 }
 
 static inline const char*
-extended_gcluster(const ncplane* n, const cell* c){
-  return egcpool_extended_gcluster(&n->pool, c);
+pool_extended_gcluster(const egcpool* pool, const cell* c){
+  if(cell_simple_p(c)){
+    return (const char*)&c->gcluster;
+  }
+  return egcpool_extended_gcluster(pool, c);
 }
 
 cell* ncplane_cell_ref_yx(ncplane* n, int y, int x);
@@ -596,7 +599,7 @@ cell_duplicate_far(egcpool* tpool, cell* targ, const ncplane* splane, const cell
     return 0;
   }
   assert(splane);
-  const char* egc = extended_gcluster(splane, c);
+  const char* egc = cell_extended_gcluster(splane, c);
   size_t ulen = strlen(egc);
   int eoffset = egcpool_stash(tpool, egc, ulen);
   if(eoffset < 0){
diff --git a/src/lib/notcurses.c b/src/lib/notcurses.c
index f8b06b462..fd7d11540 100644
--- a/src/lib/notcurses.c
+++ b/src/lib/notcurses.c
@@ -1520,12 +1520,10 @@ int ncplane_cursor_at(const ncplane* n, cell* c, char** gclust){
   }
   const cell* src = &n->fb[nfbcellidx(n, n->y, n->x)];
   memcpy(c, src, sizeof(*src));
-  *gclust = NULL;
-  if(!cell_simple_p(src)){
-    *gclust = strdup(extended_gcluster(n, src));
-    if(*gclust == NULL){
-      return -1;
-    }
+  if(cell_simple_p(c)){
+    *gclust = NULL;
+  }else if((*gclust = strdup(cell_extended_gcluster(n, src))) == NULL){
+    return -1;
   }
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/render.c b/src/lib/render.c
index 07df04a00..2e0ff7320 100644
--- a/src/lib/render.c
+++ b/src/lib/render.c
@@ -139,20 +139,10 @@ cellcmp_and_dupfar(egcpool* dampool, cell* damcell,
                    const ncplane* srcplane, const cell* srccell){
   if(damcell->stylemask == srccell->stylemask){
     if(damcell->channels == srccell->channels){
-      bool srcsimple = cell_simple_p(srccell);
-      bool damsimple = cell_simple_p(damcell);
-      if(damsimple == srcsimple){
-        if(damsimple){
-          if(damcell->gcluster == srccell->gcluster){
-            return 0; // simple match
-          }
-        }else{
-          const char* damegc = egcpool_extended_gcluster(dampool, damcell);
-          const char* srcegc = extended_gcluster(srcplane, srccell);
-          if(strcmp(damegc, srcegc) == 0){
-            return 0; // EGC match
-          }
-        }
+      const char* srcegc = cell_extended_gcluster(srcplane, srccell);
+      const char* damegc = pool_extended_gcluster(dampool, damcell);
+      if(strcmp(damegc, srcegc) == 0){
+        return 0; // EGC match
       }
     }
   }