diff --git a/common/include/strutil.h b/common/include/strutil.h
index 7cff76337..b8f8a751d 100644
--- a/common/include/strutil.h
+++ b/common/include/strutil.h
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <cstring>
 #include "dxxsconf.h"
+#include "u_mem.h"
 #include "dsx-ns.h"
 #include <array>
 #include <vector>
@@ -39,11 +40,10 @@ int d_strnicmp(const char *s1, const char *s2, uint_fast32_t n);
 #endif
 extern void d_strlwr( char *s1 );
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ALLOCATIONS
-char *d_strdup(const char *str, const char *, const char *, unsigned) __attribute_malloc();
+RAIIdmem<char[]> d_strdup(const char *str, const char *, const char *, unsigned);
 #define d_strdup(str)	(d_strdup(str, #str, __FILE__,__LINE__))
 #else
-#include <cstring>
-#define d_strdup strdup
+RAIIdmem<char[]> d_strdup(const char *str);
 #endif
 
 #if DXX_USE_EDITOR
diff --git a/common/main/cmd.cpp b/common/main/cmd.cpp
index 855d836e5..76a9106f9 100644
--- a/common/main/cmd.cpp
+++ b/common/main/cmd.cpp
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ namespace {
 struct cmd_queue_t
 {
 	RAIIdmem<char[]> command_line;
-	explicit cmd_queue_t(char *p) :
-		command_line(p)
+	explicit cmd_queue_t(RAIIdmem<char[]> p) :
+		command_line(std::move(p))
 	{
 	}
 };
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ static void cmd_alias(unsigned long argc, const char *const *const argv)
 		alias->name[sizeof(alias->name) - 1] = 0;
 		strncpy(alias->name, argv[1], sizeof(alias->name) - 1);
 	}
-	alias->value.reset(d_strdup(buf));
+	alias->value = d_strdup(buf);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/common/misc/strutil.cpp b/common/misc/strutil.cpp
index d6d1c0f4d..74b535184 100644
--- a/common/misc/strutil.cpp
+++ b/common/misc/strutil.cpp
@@ -109,15 +109,23 @@ void d_strupr(std::array<char, PATH_MAX> &out, const std::array<char, PATH_MAX>
 #endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ALLOCATIONS
-char *(d_strdup)(const char *str, const char *var, const char *file, unsigned line)
+RAIIdmem<char[]> (d_strdup)(const char *str, const char *var, const char *file, unsigned line)
+#else
+RAIIdmem<char[]> (d_strdup)(const char *str)
+#endif
 {
-	char *newstr;
+	RAIIdmem<char[]> newstr;
+#ifndef DEBUG_MEMORY_ALLOCATIONS
+	const auto var = nullptr;
+	const auto file = nullptr;
+	const unsigned line = 0;
+#endif
 
 	const auto len = strlen(str) + 1;
-	MALLOC<char>(newstr, len, var, file, line);
-	return static_cast<char *>(memcpy(newstr, str, len));
+	MALLOC<char[]>(newstr, len, var, file, line);
+	memcpy(newstr.get(), str, len);
+	return newstr;
 }
-#endif
 
 // remove extension from filename
 void removeext(const char *const filename, std::array<char, 20> &out)
diff --git a/common/ui/file.cpp b/common/ui/file.cpp
index 5b5de9c51..0db4fa0f1 100644
--- a/common/ui/file.cpp
+++ b/common/ui/file.cpp
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ static PHYSFSX_counted_list file_getdirlist(const char *dir)
 		list.release();
 		list.reset(r);
 		std::move_backward(r, r + NumDirs, r + NumDirs + 1);
-		list[0] = d_strdup("..");
+		list[0] = strdup("..");
 	}
 	list.set_count(NumDirs);
 	return list;
diff --git a/common/ui/menubar.cpp b/common/ui/menubar.cpp
index b6c597113..2a4bec84e 100644
--- a/common/ui/menubar.cpp
+++ b/common/ui/menubar.cpp
@@ -840,10 +840,8 @@ int menubar_init(grs_canvas &canvas, const char *const file)
 		CommaParse( 2, buf1, buffer );
 		ul_xlate(buf1);
 
-		item.Text.reset(d_strdup(buf1[0] == '-' ? buf1 : (snprintf(buf2, sizeof(buf2), " %.197s ", buf1), buf2)));
-		
-		item.InactiveText.reset(d_strdup(item.Text.get()));
-		
+		item.Text = d_strdup(buf1[0] == '-' ? buf1 : (snprintf(buf2, sizeof(buf2), " %.197s ", buf1), buf2));
+		item.InactiveText = d_strdup(item.Text.get());
 		for (int i = 0, j = 0;; i++ )
 		{
 			np = item.Text[i];
diff --git a/common/ui/radio.cpp b/common/ui/radio.cpp
index bc122e075..f77b05ac3 100644
--- a/common/ui/radio.cpp
+++ b/common/ui/radio.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ void ui_draw_radio(UI_DIALOG &dlg, UI_GADGET_RADIO &radio)
 std::unique_ptr<UI_GADGET_RADIO> ui_add_gadget_radio(UI_DIALOG &dlg, short x, short y, short w, short h, short group, const char *const text)
 {
 	auto radio = ui_gadget_add<UI_GADGET_RADIO>(dlg, x, y, x + w - 1, y + h - 1);
-	radio->text = RAIIdmem<char[]>(d_strdup(text));
+	radio->text = d_strdup(text);
 	radio->width = w;
 	radio->height = h;
 	radio->position = 0;
diff --git a/similar/main/newmenu.cpp b/similar/main/newmenu.cpp
index 979c8defe..bca33fdef 100644
--- a/similar/main/newmenu.cpp
+++ b/similar/main/newmenu.cpp
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ static void nm_string(grs_canvas &canvas, const grs_font &cv_font, const int w1,
 		RAIIdmem<char[]> s2;
 		if (w1 > 0 && (p = strchr(s, '\t')))
 		{
-			s2.reset(d_strdup(s));
+			s2 = d_strdup(s);
 			s1 = s2.get();
 			*std::next(s2.get(), std::distance(s, p)) = '\0';
 		}