diff --git a/src/__tests__/compiler/compiler.test.tsx b/src/__tests__/compiler/compiler.test.tsx
index 7a9fbea8..df14aa16 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/compiler/compiler.test.tsx
+++ b/src/__tests__/compiler/compiler.test.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { debug } from "debug";
 import { compile } from "react-native-css/compiler";
 
 test("hello world", () => {
@@ -26,6 +27,39 @@ test("hello world", () => {
   });
 });
 
+test("compiles bytes exactly as it compiles their text", () => {
+  const css = `:root { font-size: 16px; } .my-class { padding: 1rem; }`;
+  const fromText = compile(css).stylesheet();
+
+  expect(compile(new TextEncoder().encode(css)).stylesheet()).toStrictEqual(
+    fromText,
+  );
+  expect(compile(Buffer.from(css)).stylesheet()).toStrictEqual(fromText);
+});
+
+test("the debug log is handed the decoded text, not the byte values", () => {
+  const css = `:root { font-size: 16px; }`;
+  const written: string[] = [];
+  const emit = debug.log;
+
+  // `enable` flips the instance the compiler module already built, so no reload is needed.
+  debug.enable("react-native-css:compiler");
+  debug.log = (...args: unknown[]): void => {
+    written.push(args.map(String).join(" "));
+  };
+
+  try {
+    compile(new TextEncoder().encode(css));
+  } finally {
+    debug.log = emit;
+    debug.disable();
+  }
+
+  const joined = written.join("\n");
+  expect(joined).toContain("font-size: 16px");
+  expect(joined).not.toContain("58,114");
+});
+
 test("reads global CSS variables", () => {
   const compiled = compile(
     `@layer theme {
diff --git a/src/__tests__/compiler/public-surface-node-types.test.ts b/src/__tests__/compiler/public-surface-node-types.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2b2d0e78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/compiler/public-surface-node-types.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import path from "node:path";
+
+import ts from "typescript";
+
+// `native/conditions/index.d.ts` imports `StyleRule` from `react-native-css/compiler`, so a Node
+// global in that surface is a TS2591 inside `node_modules` for any consumer without `@types/node`.
+const COMPILER_ENTRY = path.join(__dirname, "../../compiler/index.ts");
+
+const OPTIONS: ts.CompilerOptions = {
+  lib: ["lib.es2024.d.ts"],
+  module: ts.ModuleKind.ESNext,
+  moduleResolution: ts.ModuleResolutionKind.Bundler,
+  noEmit: true,
+  skipLibCheck: true,
+  strict: true,
+  target: ts.ScriptTarget.ES2022,
+  types: [],
+};
+
+function checkCompilerSurface(
+  options: ts.CompilerOptions,
+): readonly ts.Diagnostic[] {
+  return ts.getPreEmitDiagnostics(ts.createProgram([COMPILER_ENTRY], options));
+}
+
+function namesMissing(
+  diagnostics: readonly ts.Diagnostic[],
+  name: string,
+): readonly string[] {
+  return diagnostics
+    .map((diagnostic) =>
+      ts.flattenDiagnosticMessageText(diagnostic.messageText, " "),
+    )
+    .filter((message) => message.includes(`Cannot find name '${name}'`));
+}
+
+test("no Node global reaches the compiler's public surface", () => {
+  expect(namesMissing(checkCompilerSurface(OPTIONS), "Buffer")).toStrictEqual(
+    [],
+  );
+});
+
+test("the probe reports a missing global when one is genuinely absent", () => {
+  // Without this, the assertion above is satisfied by a program that resolved nothing.
+  const onES5 = checkCompilerSurface({ ...OPTIONS, lib: ["lib.es5.d.ts"] });
+
+  expect(onES5.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+});
diff --git a/src/compiler/compiler.ts b/src/compiler/compiler.ts
index 214cd615..e8581fbb 100644
--- a/src/compiler/compiler.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/compiler.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ const defaultLogger = debug("react-native-css:compiler");
  * @param options - Compiler options
  * @returns A `ReactNativeCssStyleSheet` that can be passed to `StyleSheet.register` or used with a custom runtime
  */
-export function compile(code: Buffer | string, options: CompilerOptions = {}) {
+export function compile(
+  code: Uint8Array | string,
+  options: CompilerOptions = {},
+) {
   const { logger = defaultLogger } = options;
 
   const isLoggerEnabled =
@@ -60,9 +63,13 @@ export function compile(code: Buffer | string, options: CompilerOptions = {}) {
 
   logger(`Features ${JSON.stringify(features)}`);
 
+  // Decoded once: a `Uint8Array` that is not a `Buffer` stringifies to its bytes, not its text.
+  const source =
+    typeof code === "string" ? code : new TextDecoder().decode(code);
+
   if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") {
     if (defaultLogger.enabled) {
-      defaultLogger(code.toString());
+      defaultLogger(source);
     }
   }
 
@@ -89,8 +96,7 @@ export function compile(code: Buffer | string, options: CompilerOptions = {}) {
   // :root { font-size: Npx } in the CSS to allow CSS-based configuration.
   let effectiveRem: number | false = options.inlineRem ?? undefined!;
   if (effectiveRem === undefined) {
-    const css = typeof code === "string" ? code : code.toString();
-    const match = css.match(/:root\s*\{[^}]*font-size:\s*([\d.]+)px/);
+    const match = source.match(/:root\s*\{[^}]*font-size:\s*([\d.]+)px/);
     effectiveRem = match?.[1] ? parseFloat(match[1]) : 14;
     options.inlineRem = effectiveRem;
   }