diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9621f57e7..08f4a97f3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -12,50 +12,51 @@ Inserts and removes happen through the `DeliverTx` message, while queries happen
 
 # Formatting
 
-A transaction is a serialized request on the key-value store, using [go-wire](https://github.com/tendermint/go-wire)
-for serialization.
+## Byte arrays
 
-Each function (set/insert, remove, get-by-key, get-by-index) has a corresponding type byte:
+Byte-array `B` is serialized to `Encode(B)` as follows:
 
 ```
-DeliverTx/CheckTx
---------
-- 0x01 for a set
-- 0x02 for a remove
-
-Query
---------
-- 0x01 for 'by Key'
-- 0x02 for 'by Index'
+Len(B) := Big-Endian encoded length of B
+Encode(B) = Len(Len(B)) | Len(B) | B
 ```
 
-The format of a transaction is:
+So if `B = "eric"`, then `Encode(B) = 0x010465726963`
 
-```
-<TypeByte> <Encode(key)> <Encode(value)>
-```
+## Transactions
 
-which translates to (where `Encode()` is the `go-wire` encoding function):
+There are two types of transaction, each associated with a type-byte and a list of arguments:
 
 ```
-ByteType ByteVarintSizeKey BytesVarintKey BytesKey ByteVarintSizeValue BytesVarintValue BytesValue
+Set			0x01		Key, Value
+Remove			0x02		Key
 ```
 
-For instance, to insert the key-value pair `(eric, clapton)`, you would submit the following bytes in an DeliverTx:
+A transaction consists of the type-byte concatenated with the encoded arguments.
+
+For instance, to insert a key-value pair, you would submit `01 | Encode(key) | Encode(value)`. 
+Thus, a transaction inserting the key-value pair `(eric, clapton)` would look like:
 
 ```
-010104657269630107636c6170746f6e
+0x010104657269630107636c6170746f6e
 ```
 
+
 Here's a session from the [abci-cli](https://tendermint.com/intro/getting-started/first-abci):
 
 ```
-> append_tx 0x010104657269630107636c6170746f6e
--> code: OK
-
-> query 0x01010465726963                  
--> code: OK
--> data: {clapton}
+> deliver_tx 0x010104657269630107636c6170746f6e
+
+> commit
+-> data: ��N��٢ek�X�!a��
+-> data.hex: 978A4ED807D617D9A2651C6B0EC9588D2161C9E0
+
+> query 0x65726963                  
+-> height: 2
+-> key: eric
+-> key.hex: 65726963
+-> value: clapton
+-> value.hex: 636C6170746F6E
 ```
 
 # Poem
diff --git a/app/app.go b/app/app.go
index 75f7e31bb..08986c526 100644
--- a/app/app.go
+++ b/app/app.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tmlibs/merkle"
 )
 
+// MerkleEyesApp is a Merkle KV-store served as an ABCI app
 type MerkleEyesApp struct {
 	abci.BaseApplication
 
@@ -24,22 +25,25 @@ type MerkleEyesApp struct {
 
 // just make sure we really are an application, if the interface
 // ever changes in the future
-func (m *MerkleEyesApp) assertApplication() abci.Application {
-	return m
+func (app *MerkleEyesApp) assertApplication() abci.Application {
+	return app
 }
 
 var eyesStateKey = []byte("merkleeyes:state") // Database key for merkle tree save value db values
 
+// MerkleEyesState contains the latest Merkle root hash and the number of times `Commit` has been called
 type MerkleEyesState struct {
 	Hash   []byte
 	Height uint64
 }
 
+// Transaction type bytes
 const (
 	WriteSet byte = 0x01
 	WriteRem byte = 0x02
 )
 
+// NewMerkleEyesApp initializes the database, loads any existing state, and returns a new MerkleEyesApp
 func NewMerkleEyesApp(dbName string, cacheSize int) *MerkleEyesApp {
 	// start at 1 so the height returned by query is for the
 	// next block, ie. the one that includes the AppHash for our current state
@@ -96,14 +100,15 @@ func NewMerkleEyesApp(dbName string, cacheSize int) *MerkleEyesApp {
 	}
 }
 
+// CloseDB closes the database
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) CloseDB() {
 	if app.db != nil {
 		app.db.Close()
 	}
 }
 
-// Info returns the height, hash and size (in the data)
-// the height is the block that holds the transactions, not the apphash itself
+// Info implements abci.Application. It returns the height, hash and size (in the data).
+// The height is the block that holds the transactions, not the apphash itself.
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) Info() abci.ResponseInfo {
 	fmt.Printf("Info height %d hash %x\n", app.height, app.hash)
 	return abci.ResponseInfo{
@@ -113,15 +118,18 @@ func (app *MerkleEyesApp) Info() abci.ResponseInfo {
 	}
 }
 
+// SetOption implements abci.Application
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) SetOption(key string, value string) (log string) {
 	return "No options are supported yet"
 }
 
+// DeliverTx implements abci.Application
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) DeliverTx(tx []byte) abci.Result {
 	tree := app.state.Append()
 	return app.doTx(tree, tx)
 }
 
+// CheckTx implements abci.Application
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) CheckTx(tx []byte) abci.Result {
 	tree := app.state.Check()
 	return app.doTx(tree, tx)
@@ -167,6 +175,7 @@ func (app *MerkleEyesApp) doTx(tree merkle.Tree, tx []byte) abci.Result {
 	return abci.OK
 }
 
+// Commit implements abci.Application
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) Commit() abci.Result {
 
 	app.hash = app.state.Hash()
@@ -193,6 +202,7 @@ func (app *MerkleEyesApp) Commit() abci.Result {
 	return abci.NewResultOK(app.hash, "")
 }
 
+// Query implements abci.Application
 func (app *MerkleEyesApp) Query(reqQuery abci.RequestQuery) (resQuery abci.ResponseQuery) {
 	if len(reqQuery.Data) == 0 {
 		return