diff --git a/lang/src/ast.asm b/lang/src/ast.asm
index 0bd8166..cabfd7f 100644
--- a/lang/src/ast.asm
+++ b/lang/src/ast.asm
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ parse_primary_expr:
     jnz .var_ref
     jmp .panic
 .var_ref:
-    mov qword [rsp + 8], 0      ; AstVarRef.resolved
+    mov qword [rsp + 8], -1     ; AstVarRef.resolved
     mov [rsp + 16], rax         ; AstVarRef.name
     mov [rsp + 24], rdx         ; AstVarRef.name_len
 
@@ -886,11 +886,12 @@ ast_parse_let:
     ; }
     ; end-structs
 
-    ; span: u64 [40..48]
+    ; expr: u64   [48..56]
+    ; *AstVarDecl [40..48]
     ; AstNode [8..40]
     ; AstVarDecl [8..40]
     ; Ast [0..8]
-    sub rsp, 48
+    sub rsp, 56
     mov [rsp], rdi              ; Ast
 
     call tokeniser_get_cursor
@@ -921,23 +922,9 @@ ast_parse_let:
     mov rdx, 32                 ; size_of::<AstVarDecl>
     call memcpy
 
-    mov qword [rsp + 8], AST_VAR_DECL ; AstNode.kind
-    mov [rsp + 16], rdi               ; AstNode.data
-    mov qword [rsp + 24], 0           ; AstNode.extra
-    mov rdi, [rsp + 40]               ; span
-    mov [rsp + 32], rdi               ; AstNode.span
-
-    mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
-    lea rsi, [rsp + 8]          ; &AstNode
-    call vec_push
-    ; variable is already a place
-
-    mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
-    mov rax, [rdi + 8]          ; Ast.nodes.len()
-    dec rax
-    mov qword [rsp + 8], AST_ASSIGNMENT ; AstNode.kind
-    mov [rsp + 16], rax                  ; AstNode.data (variable index)
+    mov [rsp + 40], rdi         ; AstVarDecl ptr
 
+    ; parse the expression
     mov dil, TOKEN_EQUALS
     call unwrap_token
     mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
@@ -945,10 +932,33 @@ ast_parse_let:
 
     mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
     mov rsi, rax                ; expr
-    ; mov rdx, rdx              ; is_placeness
+    ; mov rdx, rdx              ; placeness
     call ast_place_to_value
+    mov [rsp + 48], rax         ; expr index
 
+    ; variable is defined at this point so that the expression cannot reference it
+    call tokeniser_get_cursor
+
+    mov rdi, [rsp + 40]               ; AstVarDecl ptr
+    mov qword [rsp + 8], AST_VAR_DECL ; AstNode.kind
+    mov [rsp + 16], rdi               ; AstNode.data
+    mov qword [rsp + 24], 0           ; AstNode.extra
+    mov [rsp + 32], rax               ; AstNode.span
+
+    mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
+    lea rsi, [rsp + 8]          ; &AstNode
+    call vec_push
+    ; variables are places
+    mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
+    mov rax, [rdi + 8]          ; Ast.nodes.len()
+    dec rax
+
+    mov qword [rsp + 8], AST_ASSIGNMENT ; AstNode.kind
+    mov [rsp + 16], rax                  ; AstNode.data (variable index)
+
+    mov rax, [rsp + 48]         ; expr index
     mov [rsp + 24], rax         ; AstNode.extra (expr index)
+    ; reuse span from variable declaration
     mov rdi, [rsp]              ; Ast
     lea rsi, [rsp + 8]         ; &AstNode
     call vec_push
@@ -956,7 +966,7 @@ ast_parse_let:
     mov rax, [rdi + 8]          ; Ast.nodes.len()
     dec rax
 
-    add rsp, 48
+    add rsp, 56
     xor rdx, rdx                ; placeness = false
     pop rbp
     ret
@@ -1478,16 +1488,78 @@ ast_walk_for_each:
     pop rbp
     ret
 
-;; rdi: Ctx
-;; rsi: Ast
+;; rdi: BuildSymtableCtx
+;; rsi: *mut Ast
 ;; rdx: node_index
 ast_resolve_var_refs_for_each:
     push rbp
     mov rbp, rsp
+    push rbx
+
+    ; SymEntry [24..80]
+    ; *AstNode [16..24]
+    ; *BuildSymtableCtx [8..16]
+    ; *Ast [0..8]
+    sub rsp, 24
+    mov [rsp], rsi              ; Ast
+    mov [rsp + 8], rdi          ; Ctx
+
+    mov rdi, rsi                ; Ast
+    mov rsi, rdx                ; node_index
+    call vec_get
+    mov [rsp + 16], rax         ; *AstNode
+
+    mov bl, byte [rax]          ; AstNode.kind
+
+    cmp bl, AST_VAR_REF
+    jne .epilogue
+
+    ; lookup variable in symbol table
+
+    ; get current scope index
+    mov qword [rsp + 32], 0     ; SymKey.scope_index = default
+    mov rdi, [rsp + 8]          ; *Ctx
+    lea rdi, [rdi + 0]          ; Ctx.scope_stack
+    mov rsi, [rdi + 8]          ; Ctx.scope_stack.len()
+    dec rsi
+    lea rdx, [rsp + 32]
+    call vec_get_or
+    mov rax, [rax]              ; current scope index
+
+    ; construct key
+    mov byte [rsp + 24 + 0], SYM_KEY_VAR ; SymKey.kind
+    mov [rsp + 24 + 8], rax     ; SymKey.scope_index = scope_stack.last_or(0)
+    mov rax, [rsp + 16]         ; *AstNode
+    mov rbx, [rax + 24]         ; AstNode.span
+    mov [rsp + 24 + 16], rbx    ; SymKey.span
+    mov rbx, [rax + 8]          ; AstNode.data
+    mov rax, [rbx + 8]          ; AstVarRef.name
+    mov rbx, [rbx + 16]         ; AstVarRef.name_len
+    mov [rsp + 24 + 24], rax    ; SymKey.ident
+    mov [rsp + 24 + 32], rbx    ; SymKey.ident_len
+
+    ; binary search in symbol table
+    mov rdi, [rsp + 8]          ; *Ctx
+    lea rdi, [rdi + 40]         ; Ctx.symtable
+    lea rsi, [rsp + 24]         ; &SymKey
+    mov rdx, 0                  ; cmp_ctx
+    mov rcx, symkey_cmp         ; cmp
+    call vec_binary_search_by
+    test rdx, rdx
+    jnz .panic
+
+    mov rdx, [rsp + 16]         ; *AstNode
+    mov rdx, [rdx + 8]          ; AstNode.data
+    mov [rdx + 0], rax          ; AstVarRef.resolved_index
+    
 
 .epilogue:
+    add rsp, 24
+    pop rbx
     pop rbp
     ret
+.panic:
+    call panic
 
 ;; rdi: Ast
 ;; define-fn: fn ast_resolve_var_refs(ast: *mut Ast)
diff --git a/lang/tests/ast.rs b/lang/tests/ast.rs
index a0af80f..ee94068 100644
--- a/lang/tests/ast.rs
+++ b/lang/tests/ast.rs
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for AstNode {
             }
             AST_VAR_REF => {
                 let var_ref = unsafe { self.data.cast::<util::defs::AstVarRef>().read() };
-                if var_ref.resolved != 0 {
+                if var_ref.resolved != u64::MAX {
                     write!(f, "VarRef({})", var_ref.resolved)
                 } else {
                     write!(f, "VarRef(name: {:?})", unsafe {