diff --git a/src/librbml/lib.rs b/src/librbml/lib.rs
index 23ce42626d948..65433c528bc52 100644
--- a/src/librbml/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librbml/lib.rs
@@ -397,20 +397,43 @@ pub mod reader {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn docs<F>(d: Doc, mut it: F) -> bool where
-        F: FnMut(usize, Doc) -> bool,
-    {
-        let mut pos = d.start;
-        while pos < d.end {
-            let elt_tag = try_or!(tag_at(d.data, pos), false);
-            let elt_size = try_or!(tag_len_at(d.data, elt_tag), false);
-            pos = elt_size.next + elt_size.val;
-            let doc = Doc { data: d.data, start: elt_size.next, end: pos };
-            if !it(elt_tag.val, doc) {
-                return false;
+    pub fn docs<'a>(d: Doc<'a>) -> DocsIterator<'a> {
+        DocsIterator {
+            d: d
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub struct DocsIterator<'a> {
+        d: Doc<'a>,
+    }
+
+    impl<'a> Iterator for DocsIterator<'a> {
+        type Item = (usize, Doc<'a>);
+
+        fn next(&mut self) -> Option<(usize, Doc<'a>)> {
+            if self.d.start >= self.d.end {
+                return None;
             }
+
+            let elt_tag = try_or!(tag_at(self.d.data, self.d.start), {
+                self.d.start = self.d.end;
+                None
+            });
+            let elt_size = try_or!(tag_len_at(self.d.data, elt_tag), {
+                self.d.start = self.d.end;
+                None
+            });
+
+            let end = elt_size.next + elt_size.val;
+            let doc = Doc {
+                data: self.d.data,
+                start: elt_size.next,
+                end: end,
+            };
+
+            self.d.start = end;
+            return Some((elt_tag.val, doc));
         }
-        return true;
     }
 
     pub fn tagged_docs<F>(d: Doc, tg: usize, mut it: F) -> bool where
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
index 2f2a5d31c9f77..2c11ee8baa9d6 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -275,25 +275,18 @@ fn enum_variant_ids(item: rbml::Doc, cdata: Cmd) -> Vec<ast::DefId> {
 
 fn item_path(item_doc: rbml::Doc) -> Vec<ast_map::PathElem> {
     let path_doc = reader::get_doc(item_doc, tag_path);
-
-    let len_doc = reader::get_doc(path_doc, tag_path_len);
-    let len = reader::doc_as_u32(len_doc) as usize;
-
-    let mut result = Vec::with_capacity(len);
-    reader::docs(path_doc, |tag, elt_doc| {
+    reader::docs(path_doc).filter_map(|(tag, elt_doc)| {
         if tag == tag_path_elem_mod {
             let s = elt_doc.as_str_slice();
-            result.push(ast_map::PathMod(token::intern(s)));
+            Some(ast_map::PathMod(token::intern(s)))
         } else if tag == tag_path_elem_name {
             let s = elt_doc.as_str_slice();
-            result.push(ast_map::PathName(token::intern(s)));
+            Some(ast_map::PathName(token::intern(s)))
         } else {
             // ignore tag_path_len element
+            None
         }
-        true
-    });
-
-    result
+    }).collect()
 }
 
 fn item_name(intr: &IdentInterner, item: rbml::Doc) -> ast::Name {
diff --git a/src/librustc/middle/astencode.rs b/src/librustc/middle/astencode.rs
index 328972c54e377..894a7db21be1d 100644
--- a/src/librustc/middle/astencode.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/middle/astencode.rs
@@ -1706,7 +1706,7 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx> rbml_decoder_decoder_helpers<'tcx> for reader::Decoder<'a> {
 fn decode_side_tables(dcx: &DecodeContext,
                       ast_doc: rbml::Doc) {
     let tbl_doc = ast_doc.get(c::tag_table as usize);
-    reader::docs(tbl_doc, |tag, entry_doc| {
+    for (tag, entry_doc) in reader::docs(tbl_doc) {
         let mut entry_dsr = reader::Decoder::new(entry_doc);
         let id0: ast::NodeId = Decodable::decode(&mut entry_dsr).unwrap();
         let id = dcx.tr_id(id0);
@@ -1815,8 +1815,7 @@ fn decode_side_tables(dcx: &DecodeContext,
         }
 
         debug!(">< Side table doc loaded");
-        true
-    });
+    }
 }
 
 // ______________________________________________________________________