diff --git a/src/codegen.inc.php b/src/codegen.inc.php
index bb2a0be..ac39433 100644
--- a/src/codegen.inc.php
+++ b/src/codegen.inc.php
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ function supported_tokens()
 
     'alias',
     'default',
-    'optional',
     'virtual',
 
     'statist',
@@ -218,16 +217,6 @@ function addTwigFunctions(\Twig\Environment $twig)
     'get_all_fields',
     fn(mtgMetaStruct $s): array => \mtg_get_all_fields($s),
   ));
-  $twig->addFunction(new TwigFunction(
-    'count_optional',
-    function($os) {
-      $opts = 0;
-      foreach($os as $o)
-        if($o->hasToken('optional'))
-          ++$opts;
-      return $opts;
-    }
-  ));  
   $twig->addFunction(new TwigFunction(
     'arr_fill', 
     fn($value, int $count): array => array_fill(0, $count, $value)
@@ -520,8 +509,6 @@ function buf2var($name, $fname, mtgType $type, $buf, array $tokens = array(), $i
     $offset = "\n  ";
     $str .= "/*[]{$name}*/";
     $str .= $offset . _read_op($tokens, "{$buf}.BeginContainer(\"$name\")");
-    //we don't want to propagate 'optionalness' below
-    unset($tokens['optional']);
     $str .= $offset . "_{$name}_size, err := {$buf}.GetContainerSize()";
     $str .= $offset . "if err != nil { return err }";
 
@@ -585,7 +572,7 @@ function _write_op($op)
 
 function _read_op(array $tokens, $op)
 {
-  return "if err := $op; err != nil { return " . (array_key_exists("optional", $tokens) ? "/*optional*/nil" : "err"). " }";
+  return "if err := $op; err != nil { return err }";
 }
 
 function rpc_invert($name)
diff --git a/tpl/macro.twig b/tpl/macro.twig
index 3dca7f4..c7da73b 100644
--- a/tpl/macro.twig
+++ b/tpl/macro.twig
@@ -190,8 +190,8 @@ self.fieldsMask = meta.FieldsMask{}
     return err
   }
 
-  if _cont_size < {{(o.fields|length) - count_optional(o.fields)}} {
-    _cont_size = {{(o.fields|length) - count_optional(o.fields)}}
+  if _cont_size < {{(o.fields|length)}} {
+    _cont_size = {{(o.fields|length)}}
   }
 
 {%- if o.parent ~%}
diff --git a/tpl/macros_struct.twig b/tpl/macros_struct.twig
index 5926716..48eb1c1 100644
--- a/tpl/macros_struct.twig
+++ b/tpl/macros_struct.twig
@@ -598,7 +598,6 @@ func (s *{{ name|default(o.name) }}) Reset() {
 
 {% macro meta_read(s, name) %}
 {% set fields_len = s.fields|length %}
-{% set opt_fields_len = count_optional(s.fields) %}
 
 func (s *{{ name|default(s.name) }}) Read(reader meta.Reader) error {
   if err := reader.BeginContainer(""); err != nil {
@@ -626,8 +625,8 @@ func (s *{{ name|default(s.name) }}) ReadFields(reader meta.Reader) error {
     return err
   }
 
-  if contSize < {{ fields_len - opt_fields_len }} {
-    contSize = {{ fields_len - opt_fields_len }}
+  if contSize < {{ fields_len }} {
+    contSize = {{ fields_len }}
   }
 
 	{% if s.parent %}
@@ -1069,4 +1068,4 @@ func (s *{{ name|default(s.name) }}) readFieldsAssociative(reader meta.Reader) e
 
 	return nil
 }
-{% endmacro meta_read_assoc %}
\ No newline at end of file
+{% endmacro meta_read_assoc %}