diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
index 0e076d0a..6d8f9c21 100644
--- a/lib/utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ var POOL = new BufferPool(4096);
 // Valid (field, type, and symbol) name regex.
 var NAME_PATTERN = /^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$/;
 
+// Convenience imports.
+var f = util.format;
+
 /**
  * Create a new empty buffer.
  *