diff --git a/src/logger.js b/src/logger.js
index c9964235..3a6de361 100644
--- a/src/logger.js
+++ b/src/logger.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* istanbul ignore else: coverage tools always in testing environment */
-if (process.env.MOCHA === '1') {
+if (process.env.TEST_MOCHA === 'true') {
   // If testing from CLI, use noop logger, to not interfere with the mocha reporter
   // (see issues mochajs/mocha#1998, mochajs/mocha#2107, etc.)
 
diff --git a/src/parse/interface/index.js b/src/parse/interface/index.js
index 61f14b63..bb48ab12 100644
--- a/src/parse/interface/index.js
+++ b/src/parse/interface/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+import * as dataType from './dataType'
+import * as graph from './graph'
+import * as parser from './parser'
+
+export const util = {...dataType, ...graph, ...parser}
+
 export * from './register'
 
 export * from './chain'
diff --git a/src/parse/interface/parser.js b/src/parse/interface/parser.js
index 6552833a..63eab0d9 100644
--- a/src/parse/interface/parser.js
+++ b/src/parse/interface/parser.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import {type, typeMatcher} from './type'
 export class TypeParser {
   validDataTypes = ['String', 'Array', 'SimpleObject', 'ComplexObject', 'Primitive']
 
-  constructor (data = {}) {
+  constructor (data) {
     this.data = data
   }
 
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ export class TypeParser {
   }
 
   validate () {
+    if (this.data !== null && typeof this.data !== 'object') {
+      throw new TypeError(`typeParser was ${typeof this.data}; expected object`)
+    }
     this.validateDataType()
     this.validateParseType()
     this.validatePropertyConstraint()
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ export class TypeParser {
   parsePropertyConstraint () {
     let constraints = [].concat(this.data.propertyConstraint || [])
 
-    return constraints.map(({props = [], match = 'every', value = () => true}) => {
+    return constraints.map(({props, match = 'every', value = () => true}) => {
       props = [].concat(props)
 
       return input => props[match](prop => prop in input && value(input[prop]))
@@ -129,7 +132,7 @@ export class TypeParser {
 }
 
 export class DataParser {
-  constructor (parser = {}, {async} = {}) {
+  constructor (parser, {async} = {}) {
     this.parser = parser
     this.async = async
   }
@@ -140,7 +143,7 @@ export class DataParser {
 
   validate () {
     const parser = this.parser
-    if (parser && typeof parser !== 'function') {
+    if (typeof parser !== 'function') {
       throw new TypeError(`parser was ${typeof parser}; expected function`)
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/parse/interface/register.js b/src/parse/interface/register.js
index e7988013..2b775ae2 100644
--- a/src/parse/interface/register.js
+++ b/src/parse/interface/register.js
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ export const hasFormat = (format) => format in formats
 export const listFormat = () => Object.keys(formats)
 
 // BEGIN compat
-export const add = (...args) => {
+export const add = /* istanbul ignore next: deprecated */ (...args) => {
   logger.warn('This method is deprecated; use addFormat')
   return addFormat(...args)
 }
diff --git a/src/parse/interface/type.js b/src/parse/interface/type.js
index 3fa4e366..f04663a6 100644
--- a/src/parse/interface/type.js
+++ b/src/parse/interface/type.js
@@ -65,12 +65,6 @@ const matchType = (typeList = [], data) => {
 export const type = (input) => {
   const dataType = dataTypeOf(input)
 
-  if (!dataTypes.hasOwnProperty(dataType)) {
-    // TODO if no parsers registered, this warning is always thrown
-    logger.warn('[set]', 'Data type has no formats listed')
-    return parseNativeTypes(input, dataType)
-  }
-
   // Empty array should be @csl/list+object too
   if (dataType === 'Array' && input.length === 0) {
     // Off-load to parseNativeTypes() to not repeat the name
@@ -174,7 +168,7 @@ export const listTypeParser = () => Object.keys(types)
  *
  * @return {Object} tree structure
  */
-export const treeTypeParser = () => {
+export const treeTypeParser = /* istanbul ignore next: debugging */ () => {
   const attachNode = name => ({name, children: types[name].extensions.map(attachNode)})
   return {
     name: 'Type tree',