diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 582c908..27f8c0c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -10,18 +10,18 @@ a sibling of the `mongo` lib. Class is **`PsqlDB`**.
 `requirements.txt`:
 
 ```
-psql @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/psql.git@v0.1.2
+psql @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/psql.git@v0.1.3
 ```
 
 Direct:
 
 ```bash
-pip install "psql @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/psql.git@v0.1.2"
+pip install "psql @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/psql.git@v0.1.3"
 ```
 
 Pulls `asyncpg`.
 
-Drop the `@v0.1.2` suffix from the line above to install the latest unpinned.
+Drop the `@v0.1.3` suffix from the line above to install the latest unpinned.
 
 ## The two-layer API
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index b6fe72f..2d89773 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "psql"
-version = "0.1.2"
+version = "0.1.3"
 description = "async postgres wrapper over asyncpg: two-layer API (friendly verbs + raw escape hatch), fail-loud, config-free"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 dependencies = [
diff --git a/src/psql/psql.py b/src/psql/psql.py
index f39c57e..b0dfb1a 100644
--- a/src/psql/psql.py
+++ b/src/psql/psql.py
@@ -373,13 +373,21 @@ class _Transaction:
 def _where(conditions: Optional[Dict[str, Any]]) -> tuple:
     """build a parameterized `WHERE col = $1 AND ...` clause + the params list
 
-    returns ("", []) when there are no conditions. equality only.
+    returns ("", []) when there are no conditions. equality only. a None value renders as
+    `col IS NULL` (not `col = $n` bound to NULL, which sql never matches) and does not
+    consume a placeholder.
     """
     if not conditions:
         return "", []
-    cols = list(conditions.keys())
-    clause = " AND ".join(f"{_quote_ident(c)} = ${i + 1}" for i, c in enumerate(cols))
-    return f" WHERE {clause}", list(conditions.values())
+    parts = []
+    params = []
+    for col, val in conditions.items():
+        if val is None:
+            parts.append(f"{_quote_ident(col)} IS NULL")
+        else:
+            params.append(val)
+            parts.append(f"{_quote_ident(col)} = ${len(params)}")
+    return f" WHERE {' AND '.join(parts)}", params
 
 
 def _status_count(status: str) -> int: