diff --git a/wasm/asm/lumbda.wat b/wasm/asm/lumbda.wat
index 62d26dd..0ec5860 100644
--- a/wasm/asm/lumbda.wat
+++ b/wasm/asm/lumbda.wat
@@ -2247,9 +2247,92 @@
         (local.set $body (i32.load offset=8 (local.get $fn)))
         (local.set $env (i32.load offset=12 (local.get $fn)))
         (local.set $new_env (call $bind_params (local.get $params) (local.get $args) (local.get $env)))
+        ;; R7RS internal definitions: leading (define ...) forms in a
+        ;; lambda body bind locally (letrec*-style) instead of polluting
+        ;; the global env. hoist_internal_defines returns the env extended
+        ;; with placeholder VOID bindings and advances $body past them;
+        ;; then we evaluate each define's value-expression in the new env
+        ;; (so mutual references work) and env_set the real value.
+        (local.set $new_env (call $hoist_internal_defines (local.get $body) (local.get $new_env)))
+        (local.set $body (call $strip_leading_defines (local.get $body)))
+        (call $fill_internal_defines (i32.load offset=8 (local.get $fn)) (local.get $new_env))
         (return_call $eval_begin (local.get $body) (local.get $new_env))))
     (global.get $VOID))
 
+  ;; Walk leading (define ...) forms in $body; for each, add a placeholder
+  ;; VOID binding to $env. Returns the extended env. Body is unchanged
+  ;; (we strip and fill separately to keep iteration simple).
+  (func $hoist_internal_defines (param $body i32) (param $env i32) (result i32)
+    (local $form i32)
+    (local $head i32)
+    (local $rest i32)
+    (local $name i32)
+    (block $done
+      (loop $l
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $body))))
+        (local.set $form (call $car (local.get $body)))
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $form))))
+        (br_if $done (i32.ne (call $car (local.get $form)) (global.get $sym_define)))
+        (local.set $rest (call $cdr (local.get $form)))
+        (local.set $head (call $car (local.get $rest)))
+        ;; (define name expr) — head is a symbol
+        ;; (define (f . args) body) — head is a pair, name = car
+        (if (call $is_pair (local.get $head))
+          (then (local.set $name (call $car (local.get $head))))
+          (else (local.set $name (local.get $head))))
+        (local.set $env (call $env_define (local.get $env) (local.get $name) (global.get $VOID)))
+        (local.set $body (call $cdr (local.get $body)))
+        (br $l)))
+    (local.get $env))
+
+  (func $strip_leading_defines (param $body i32) (result i32)
+    (local $form i32)
+    (block $done
+      (loop $l
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $body))))
+        (local.set $form (call $car (local.get $body)))
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $form))))
+        (br_if $done (i32.ne (call $car (local.get $form)) (global.get $sym_define)))
+        (local.set $body (call $cdr (local.get $body)))
+        (br $l)))
+    (local.get $body))
+
+  ;; Second pass of letrec* expansion — evaluate each internal-define's
+  ;; value-expression in the new env, env_set the real value. Operates
+  ;; on the ORIGINAL body (with defines still in it) so we know what to
+  ;; bind. Forms after the leading defines are skipped.
+  (func $fill_internal_defines (param $body i32) (param $env i32)
+    (local $form i32)
+    (local $rest i32)
+    (local $head i32)
+    (local $name i32)
+    (local $value_expr i32)
+    (local $params i32)
+    (local $closure_body i32)
+    (block $done
+      (loop $l
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $body))))
+        (local.set $form (call $car (local.get $body)))
+        (br_if $done (i32.eqz (call $is_pair (local.get $form))))
+        (br_if $done (i32.ne (call $car (local.get $form)) (global.get $sym_define)))
+        (local.set $rest (call $cdr (local.get $form)))
+        (local.set $head (call $car (local.get $rest)))
+        (if (call $is_pair (local.get $head))
+          (then
+            ;; (define (f . params) body...) → desugar to closure
+            (local.set $name (call $car (local.get $head)))
+            (local.set $params (call $cdr (local.get $head)))
+            (local.set $closure_body (call $cdr (local.get $rest)))
+            (drop (call $env_set (local.get $env) (local.get $name)
+                  (call $make_closure (local.get $params) (local.get $closure_body) (local.get $env)))))
+          (else
+            (local.set $name (local.get $head))
+            (local.set $value_expr (call $car (call $cdr (local.get $rest))))
+            (drop (call $env_set (local.get $env) (local.get $name)
+                  (call $eval (local.get $value_expr) (local.get $env))))))
+        (local.set $body (call $cdr (local.get $body)))
+        (br $l))))
+
   ;; Pairwise bind params (a list of symbols, or symbol for rest) to args.
   (func $bind_params (param $params i32) (param $args i32) (param $env i32) (result i32)
     (local $new i32)
diff --git a/wasm/c/lumbda_wasm_entry.c b/wasm/c/lumbda_wasm_entry.c
index b4648e2..af407c5 100644
--- a/wasm/c/lumbda_wasm_entry.c
+++ b/wasm/c/lumbda_wasm_entry.c
@@ -1,12 +1,39 @@
 /* lumbda_wasm_entry.c — Emscripten entry points for the C tier.
  *
+ * MEMORY MODEL — c-wasm tier
+ * ---------------------------
+ * The native C tier links libgc (Boehm conservative collector) and
+ * everything is GC-managed. The WASM build defines LUMBDA_NO_BOEHM (no
+ * libgc port wired up to Emscripten), so gc.c takes its plain-malloc
+ * fallback path. malloc returns memory; nothing ever returns it.
+ *
+ * For browser use this manifests as monotonic linear-memory growth in
+ * the worker. The REPL surfaces the pressure in its tabbar ("c 48M ↑")
+ * and the "reboot tier" button gives users a manual reclaim path —
+ * terminate + respawn the worker, which destroys the heap entirely.
+ *
+ * Real fixes, in order of decreasing cost:
+ *   1. Build bdwgc (github.com/ivmai/bdwgc) with emcc and link the
+ *      WASM build with USE_BOEHM_GC defined. Their build system has
+ *      a single-threaded mode that would suit our worker context.
+ *   2. Write a small mark-sweep over the existing NaN-boxed heap.
+ *      The asm WAT tier already does this with a Cheney copying GC
+ *      (lumbda_gc, gc_collect in asm/lumbda.wat). Same algorithm
+ *      ports here once we know each lumbda struct's pointer-field
+ *      layout — types.c is the source of truth there.
+ *   3. Generational reset: between top-level evals, snapshot global
+ *      env + interns to s-expressions, tear down everything, replay.
+ *      Crudest of the three.
+ *
+ * ENTRY POINTS
+ * ------------
  * The JS loader provides Module.print / Module.printErr callbacks that
  * Emscripten routes stdout/stderr through, so output capture happens on
  * the JS side. We only expose:
  *
- *   lumbda_wasm_init()           — set up symbols + env + stdlib
- *   lumbda_wasm_eval(src)        — eval src, last value printed if non-void
- *   lumbda_wasm_free_result(p)   — free a string returned to JS
+ *   lumbda_wasm_init()           - set up symbols + env + stdlib
+ *   lumbda_wasm_eval(src)        - eval src, last value printed if non-void
+ *   lumbda_wasm_free_result(p)   - free a string returned to JS
  *
  * The env is module-global so successive eval calls preserve defines.
  */
diff --git a/wasm/dist-repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm b/wasm/dist-repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm
index f1374d1..b937d55 100644
Binary files a/wasm/dist-repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm and b/wasm/dist-repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm differ
diff --git a/wasm/tests/parity-corpus.mjs b/wasm/tests/parity-corpus.mjs
index 1979f3c..460ea15 100644
--- a/wasm/tests/parity-corpus.mjs
+++ b/wasm/tests/parity-corpus.mjs
@@ -50,6 +50,14 @@ export const CORPUS = [
     { tag: "gc-survives-eval", expected: "(1 4 9 16)",
       src: "(let loop ((i 0)) (if (= i 200) 0 (begin (cons i i) (loop (+ i 1))))) (map (lambda (x) (* x x)) (list 1 2 3 4))" },
 
+    // ─── Internal-define scoping (R7RS letrec*) ──────────────────────
+    { tag: "internal-define-local", expected: "1",
+      src: "(define x 1) (define (f) (define x 99) x) (f) x" },
+    { tag: "internal-define-returns", expected: "99",
+      src: "(define (f) (define x 99) x) (f)" },
+    { tag: "internal-define-mutual", expected: "#t",
+      src: "(define (g) (define (e? n) (if (= n 0) #t (o? (- n 1)))) (define (o? n) (if (= n 0) #f (e? (- n 1)))) (e? 6)) (g)" },
+
     // ─── division semantics ──────────────────────────────────────────
     { tag: "quotient-pos",  src: "(quotient 17 5)",        expected: "3" },
     { tag: "quotient-neg",  src: "(quotient -17 5)",       expected: "-3" },
diff --git a/www/playground/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm b/www/playground/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm
index f1374d1..b937d55 100644
Binary files a/www/playground/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm and b/www/playground/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm differ
diff --git a/www/repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm b/www/repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm
index f1374d1..b937d55 100644
Binary files a/www/repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm and b/www/repl/asm/lumbda-asm.wasm differ