diff --git a/lightningd/gossip_msg.c b/lightningd/gossip_msg.c
index 4d3698851..3722b844f 100644
--- a/lightningd/gossip_msg.c
+++ b/lightningd/gossip_msg.c
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #include <lightningd/gossip_msg.h>
 #include <wire/wire.h>
 
-void fromwire_gossip_getnodes_entry(const u8 **pptr, size_t *max, struct gossip_getnodes_entry *entry)
+void fromwire_gossip_getnodes_entry(const tal_t *ctx, const u8 **pptr, size_t *max, struct gossip_getnodes_entry *entry)
 {
 	u8 hostnamelen;
 	fromwire_pubkey(pptr, max, &entry->nodeid);
 	hostnamelen = fromwire_u8(pptr, max);
-	entry->hostname = tal_arr(entry, char, hostnamelen);
+	entry->hostname = tal_arr(ctx, char, hostnamelen);
 	fromwire_u8_array(pptr, max, (u8*)entry->hostname, hostnamelen);
 	entry->port = fromwire_u16(pptr, max);
 }
diff --git a/lightningd/gossip_msg.h b/lightningd/gossip_msg.h
index 3a543f297..40e7843d6 100644
--- a/lightningd/gossip_msg.h
+++ b/lightningd/gossip_msg.h
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ struct gossip_getnodes_entry {
 	u16 port;
 };
 
-void fromwire_gossip_getnodes_entry(const u8 **pptr, size_t *max, struct gossip_getnodes_entry *entry);
+void fromwire_gossip_getnodes_entry(const tal_t *ctx, const u8 **pptr, size_t *max, struct gossip_getnodes_entry *entry);
 void towire_gossip_getnodes_entry(u8 **pptr, const struct gossip_getnodes_entry *entry);
 
 #endif /* LIGHTNING_LIGHTGNINGD_GOSSIP_MSG_H */
diff --git a/tools/generate-wire.py b/tools/generate-wire.py
index f92961dc1..2d7cbbec1 100755
--- a/tools/generate-wire.py
+++ b/tools/generate-wire.py
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ type2size = {
     'bool': 1
 }
 
+# These struct array helpers require a context to allocate from.
+varlen_structs = [
+    'gossip_getnodes_entry',
+]
+
 class FieldType(object):
     def __init__(self,name):
         self.name = name
@@ -235,8 +240,9 @@ class Message(object):
                 subcalls.append('\t\t{}[i] = fromwire_{}(&cursor, plen);'
                                 .format(name, basetype))
             else:
-                subcalls.append('\t\tfromwire_{}(&cursor, plen, {} + i);'
-                                .format(basetype, name))
+                ctx = "ctx, " if basetype in varlen_structs else ""
+                subcalls.append('\t\tfromwire_{}({}&cursor, plen, {} + i);'
+                                .format(basetype, ctx, name))
 
     def print_fromwire(self,is_header):
         ctx_arg = 'const tal_t *ctx, ' if self.has_variable_fields else ''