diff --git a/libretro-db/bintree.c b/libretro-db/bintree.c
index b3f73b32a5..37ad0b73e7 100644
--- a/libretro-db/bintree.c
+++ b/libretro-db/bintree.c
@@ -1,24 +1,32 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <errno.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
+
 #include <retro_inline.h>
 
 #include "bintree.h"
 
-static void *NIL_NODE = &NIL_NODE;
-
-static struct bintree_node *new_nil_node(struct bintree_node *parent);
-
-void bintree_new(struct bintree *t, bintree_cmp_func cmp, void *ctx)
+struct bintree_node
 {
-   t->root = new_nil_node(NULL);
-   t->cmp  = cmp;
-   t->ctx  = ctx;
-}
+   void *value;
+   struct bintree_node *parent;
+   struct bintree_node *left;
+   struct bintree_node *right;
+};
+
+typedef struct bintree
+{
+   struct bintree_node *root;
+   bintree_cmp_func cmp;
+   void *ctx;
+} bintree_t;
+
+static void *NIL_NODE = &NIL_NODE;
 
 static struct bintree_node *new_nil_node(struct bintree_node *parent)
 {
-   struct bintree_node *node = (struct bintree_node *)calloc(1, sizeof(struct bintree_node));
+   struct bintree_node *node = (struct bintree_node *)
+      calloc(1, sizeof(struct bintree_node));
 
    if (!node)
       return NULL;
@@ -34,7 +42,7 @@ static INLINE int is_nil(const struct bintree_node *node)
    return (node == NULL) || (node->value == NIL_NODE);
 }
 
-static int insert(struct bintree *t, struct bintree_node *root, void *value)
+static int insert(bintree_t *t, struct bintree_node *root, void *value)
 {
    int cmp_res = 0;
 
@@ -71,10 +79,6 @@ static int insert(struct bintree *t, struct bintree_node *root, void *value)
    return -EINVAL;
 }
 
-int bintree_insert(struct bintree *t, void *value)
-{
-   return insert(t, t->root, value);
-}
 
 static int _bintree_iterate(struct bintree_node *n,
       bintree_iter_cb cb, void *ctx)
@@ -94,12 +98,6 @@ static int _bintree_iterate(struct bintree_node *n,
    return 0;
 }
 
-int bintree_iterate(const struct bintree *t, bintree_iter_cb cb,
-      void *ctx)
-{
-   return _bintree_iterate(t->root, cb, ctx);
-}
-
 static void bintree_free_node(struct bintree_node *n)
 {
    if (!n)
@@ -117,7 +115,32 @@ static void bintree_free_node(struct bintree_node *n)
    free(n);
 }
 
-void bintree_free(struct bintree *t)
+int bintree_insert(bintree_t *t, void *value)
+{
+   return insert(t, t->root, value);
+}
+
+int bintree_iterate(const bintree_t *t, bintree_iter_cb cb,
+      void *ctx)
+{
+   return _bintree_iterate(t->root, cb, ctx);
+}
+
+bintree_t *bintree_new(bintree_cmp_func cmp, void *ctx)
+{
+   bintree_t *t = (bintree_t*)calloc(1, sizeof(*t));
+
+   if (!t)
+      return NULL;
+
+   t->root = new_nil_node(NULL);
+   t->cmp  = cmp;
+   t->ctx  = ctx;
+
+   return t;
+}
+
+void bintree_free(bintree_t *t)
 {
    bintree_free_node(t->root);
 }
diff --git a/libretro-db/bintree.h b/libretro-db/bintree.h
index 6b928ca944..723dc777cc 100644
--- a/libretro-db/bintree.h
+++ b/libretro-db/bintree.h
@@ -1,45 +1,25 @@
 #ifndef __RARCHDB_BINTREE_H__
 #define __RARCHDB_BINTREE_H__
 
-typedef int (* bintree_cmp_func)(
-        const void * a,
-        const void * b,
-        void * ctx
-);
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
 
-typedef int (* bintree_iter_cb)(
-        void * value,
-        void * ctx
-);
+typedef struct bintree bintree_t;
 
+typedef int (*bintree_cmp_func)(const void *a, const void *b, void *ctx);
+typedef int (*bintree_iter_cb) (void *value, void *ctx);
 
-struct bintree_node {
-	void * value;
-	struct bintree_node * parent;
-	struct bintree_node * left;
-	struct bintree_node * right;
-};
+bintree_t *bintree_new(bintree_cmp_func cmp, void *ctx);
 
-struct bintree {
-	struct bintree_node * root;
-	bintree_cmp_func cmp;
-	void * ctx;
-};
+int bintree_insert(bintree_t *t, void *value);
 
-void bintree_new(
-        struct bintree * t,
-        bintree_cmp_func cmp,
-        void * ctx
-);
-int bintree_insert(
-        struct bintree * t,
-        void * value
-);
-int bintree_iterate(
-        const struct bintree * t,
-        bintree_iter_cb cb,
-        void * ctx
-);
-void bintree_free(struct bintree * t);
+int bintree_iterate(const bintree_t *t, bintree_iter_cb cb, void *ctx);
+
+void bintree_free(bintree_t *t);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
 
 #endif
diff --git a/libretro-db/libretrodb.c b/libretro-db/libretrodb.c
index 573fc61a0e..1694108c9c 100644
--- a/libretro-db/libretrodb.c
+++ b/libretro-db/libretrodb.c
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ int libretrodb_create(int fd, libretrodb_value_provider value_provider,
    int rv;
    off_t root;
    libretrodb_metadata_t md;
-   uint64_t item_count = 0;
-   struct rmsgpack_dom_value item = {0};
+   struct rmsgpack_dom_value item;
+   uint64_t item_count        = 0;
    libretrodb_header_t header = {{0}};
 
    memcpy(header.magic_number, MAGIC_NUMBER, sizeof(MAGIC_NUMBER)-1);
@@ -409,15 +409,19 @@ int libretrodb_create_index(libretrodb_t *db,
 	libretrodb_index_t idx;
 	struct rmsgpack_dom_value item;
 	struct rmsgpack_dom_value * field;
-	struct bintree tree;
-	libretrodb_cursor_t cur;
 	uint64_t idx_header_offset;
-	void * buff = NULL;
-	uint64_t * buff_u64 = NULL;
-	uint8_t field_size = 0;
-	uint64_t item_loc = libretrodb_tell(db);
+	libretrodb_cursor_t cur     = {0};
+	void * buff                 = NULL;
+	uint64_t * buff_u64         = NULL;
+	uint8_t field_size          = 0;
+	uint64_t item_loc           = libretrodb_tell(db);
+	bintree_t *tree             = bintree_new(node_compare, &field_size);
 
-	bintree_new(&tree, node_compare, &field_size);
+   if (!tree)
+   {
+      rv = -1;
+      goto clean;
+   }
 
 	if (libretrodb_cursor_open(db, &cur, NULL) != 0)
    {
@@ -485,7 +489,7 @@ int libretrodb_create_index(libretrodb_t *db,
 
 		memcpy(buff_u64, &item_loc, sizeof(uint64_t));
 
-		if (bintree_insert(&tree, buff) != 0)
+		if (bintree_insert(tree, buff) != 0)
       {
 			printf("Value is not unique: ");
 			rmsgpack_dom_value_print(field);
@@ -511,8 +515,8 @@ int libretrodb_create_index(libretrodb_t *db,
 
 	nictx.db = db;
 	nictx.idx = &idx;
-	bintree_iterate(&tree, node_iter, &nictx);
-	bintree_free(&tree);
+	bintree_iterate(tree, node_iter, &nictx);
+	bintree_free(tree);
 
 clean:
 	rmsgpack_dom_value_free(&item);