diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/AM-Opt.cc b/src/script_opt/ZAM/AM-Opt.cc
index 25b795d0e5..0cf8169eaf 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/AM-Opt.cc
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/AM-Opt.cc
@@ -1007,6 +1007,8 @@ void ZAMCompiler::KillInst(int i)
 
 	if ( inst->IsUnconditionalBranch() )
 		{
+		ASSERT(t);
+
 		// No direct flow after this point ... unless we're
 		// branching to the next immediate live instruction.
 		auto after_inst = NextLiveInst(inst, true);
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/BuiltIn.cc b/src/script_opt/ZAM/BuiltIn.cc
index 7ee89f40e6..1ee2f230fb 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/BuiltIn.cc
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/BuiltIn.cc
@@ -371,21 +371,25 @@ bool ZAMCompiler::BuiltIn_sub_bytes(const NameExpr* n, const ExprPList& args)
 		break;
 
 	case 0x4:	// first argument a constant
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_SUB_BYTES_VVVC, nslot, v3, v4, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VVVC;
 		break;
 
 	case 0x5:	// first and third constant
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_SUB_BYTES_VViC, nslot, v3, v4, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VVVC_I3;
 		break;
 
 	case 0x6:	// first and second constant - flip!
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_SUB_BYTES_ViVC, nslot, v4, v3, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VVVC_I3;
 		break;
 
 	case 0x7:	// whole shebang
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_SUB_BYTES_ViiC, nslot, v3, v4, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VVVC_I2_I3;
 		break;
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Compile.h b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Compile.h
index 7678797a63..2ffad07277 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Compile.h
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Compile.h
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ private:
 	const ZAMStmt LoopOverVector(const ForStmt* f, const NameExpr* val);
 	const ZAMStmt LoopOverString(const ForStmt* f, const Expr* e);
 
-	const ZAMStmt FinishLoop(const ZAMStmt iter_head, ZInstI iter_stmt,
+	const ZAMStmt FinishLoop(const ZAMStmt iter_head, ZInstI& iter_stmt,
 	                         const Stmt* body, int iter_slot,
 	                         bool is_table);
 
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Expr.cc b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Expr.cc
index 90a08a46c5..3829fb4ddf 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Expr.cc
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Expr.cc
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::AppendToField(const NameExpr* n1, const NameExpr* n2,
 		}
 	else
 		{
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_APPENDTOFIELD_VCi, FrameSlot(n1), offset, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VVC_I2;
 		}
@@ -547,6 +548,8 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::CompileInExpr(const NameExpr* n1, const ListExpr* l,
 
 		else if ( l_e0_n )
 			{
+			ASSERT(l_e1_c);
+
 			z = GenInst(OP_VAL2_IS_IN_TABLE_VVVC,
 			            n1, l_e0_n, n2, l_e1_c);
 			z.t2 = l_e0_n->GetType();
@@ -554,6 +557,8 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::CompileInExpr(const NameExpr* n1, const ListExpr* l,
 
 		else if ( l_e1_n )
 			{
+			ASSERT(l_e0_c);
+
 			z = GenInst(OP_VAL2_IS_IN_TABLE_VVCV,
 			            n1, l_e1_n, n2, l_e0_c);
 			z.t2 = l_e1_n->GetType();
@@ -563,6 +568,9 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::CompileInExpr(const NameExpr* n1, const ListExpr* l,
 			{
 			// Ugh, both are constants.  Assign first to
 			// a temporary. 
+			ASSERT(l_e0_c);
+			ASSERT(l_e1_c);
+
 			auto slot = TempForConst(l_e0_c);
 			z = ZInstI(OP_VAL2_IS_IN_TABLE_VVVC, FrameSlot(n1),
 			           slot, FrameSlot(n2), l_e1_c);
@@ -687,6 +695,8 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::CompileIndex(const NameExpr* n1, int n2_slot,
 
 			else
 				{
+				ASSERT(c3);
+
 				auto zop = AssignmentFlavor(OP_TABLE_INDEX1_VVC,
 				                            n1->GetType()->Tag());
 				z = ZInstI(zop, Frame1Slot(n1, zop),
@@ -911,15 +921,21 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::DoCall(const CallExpr* c, const NameExpr* n)
 				z = ZInstI(AssignmentFlavor(OP_CALL1_VV, nt),
 				           n_slot, FrameSlot(n0));
 			else
+				{
+				ASSERT(c0);
 				z = ZInstI(AssignmentFlavor(OP_CALL1_VC, nt),
 				           n_slot, c0);
+				}
 			}
 		else
 			{
 			if ( n0 )
 				z = ZInstI(OP_CALL1_V, FrameSlot(n0));
 			else
+				{
+				ASSERT(c0);
 				z = ZInstI(OP_CALL1_C, c0);
+				}
 			}
 
 		z.t = arg0->GetType();
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Gen-ZAM.cc b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Gen-ZAM.cc
index 851d39c811..9fd863e0b1 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Gen-ZAM.cc
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Gen-ZAM.cc
@@ -2272,6 +2272,15 @@ bool ZAMGen::ParseTemplate()
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv)
 	{
-	ZAMGen(argc, argv);
-	exit(0);
+	try
+		{
+		ZAMGen zg(argc, argv);
+		exit(0);
+		}
+	catch ( const std::regex_error& e )
+		{
+		fprintf(stderr, "%s: regular expression error - %s\n",
+		        argv[0], e.what());
+		exit(1);
+		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/IterInfo.h b/src/script_opt/ZAM/IterInfo.h
index 2af43dbc8a..33eac3e4ff 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/IterInfo.h
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/IterInfo.h
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ private:
 	const TableVal* tv = nullptr;
 
 	// Associated auxiliary information.
-	ZInstAux* aux;
+	ZInstAux* aux = nullptr;
 
 	std::optional<DictIterator> tbl_iter;
 	std::optional<DictIterator> tbl_end;
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Stmt.cc b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Stmt.cc
index 21f670d2e6..538352f5af 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/Stmt.cc
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/Stmt.cc
@@ -530,6 +530,7 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::ValueSwitch(const SwitchStmt* sw, const NameExpr* v,
 			auto sv = cv->AsString()->Render();
 			std::string s(sv);
 			new_str_cases[s] = case_body_start;
+			delete[] sv;
 			break;
 			}
 
@@ -897,6 +898,7 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::LoopOverString(const ForStmt* f, const Expr* e)
 		}
 	else
 		{
+		ASSERT(c);
 		z = ZInstI(OP_INIT_STRING_LOOP_VC, iter_slot, c);
 		z.op_type = OP_VC_I1;
 		}
@@ -926,9 +928,9 @@ const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::Loop(const Stmt* body)
 	return tail;
 	}
 
-const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::FinishLoop(const ZAMStmt iter_head, ZInstI iter_stmt,
-                                      const Stmt* body, int iter_slot,
-                                      bool is_table)
+const ZAMStmt ZAMCompiler::FinishLoop(const ZAMStmt iter_head,
+                                      ZInstI& iter_stmt, const Stmt* body,
+                                      int iter_slot, bool is_table)
 	{
 	auto loop_iter = AddInst(iter_stmt);
 	auto body_end = CompileStmt(body);
diff --git a/src/script_opt/ZAM/ZInst.h b/src/script_opt/ZAM/ZInst.h
index ccdb5deddd..3ec17848b6 100644
--- a/src/script_opt/ZAM/ZInst.h
+++ b/src/script_opt/ZAM/ZInst.h
@@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ public:
 
 	// The current end of the frame slot's scope.  Gets updated as
 	// new IDs are added to share the slot.
-	int scope_end;
+	int scope_end = -1;
 
 	// Whether this is a managed slot.
-	bool is_managed;
+	bool is_managed = false;
 };
 
 using FrameReMap = std::vector<FrameSharingInfo>;
@@ -98,7 +98,9 @@ public:
 	// When an instruction has both frame slots and integer constants,
 	// the former always come first, even if conceptually in the operation
 	// the constant is an "earlier" operand.
-	int v1, v2, v3, v4;
+	//
+	// Initialized here to keep Coverity happy.
+	int v1 = -1, v2 = -1, v3 = -1, v4 = -1;
 
 	ZVal c;	// constant associated with instruction, if any