diff --git a/lib/lua/runtime.sx b/lib/lua/runtime.sx
index 92dac8e9..abd7a3d7 100644
--- a/lib/lua/runtime.sx
+++ b/lib/lua/runtime.sx
@@ -1484,7 +1484,9 @@
 (define
   lua-loadstring
   (fn (src)
-    (fn (&rest args) (lua-eval-ast src))))
+    (let ((compiled (lua-transpile src)))
+      (fn (&rest args)
+        (eval-expr (list (make-symbol "let") (list) compiled))))))
 
 (define loadstring lua-loadstring)
 (define load lua-loadstring)
diff --git a/lib/lua/scoreboard.json b/lib/lua/scoreboard.json
index caf71971..558f4eb2 100644
--- a/lib/lua/scoreboard.json
+++ b/lib/lua/scoreboard.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
   "top_failure_modes": [
     [
       "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      12
+      11
     ],
     [
       "timeout",
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     ],
     [
       "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio",
-      1
+      2
     ]
   ],
   "results": [
@@ -39,19 +39,19 @@
       "name": "attrib.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 5754
+      "ms": 7069
     },
     {
       "name": "big.lua",
       "status": "timeout",
       "reason": "per-test timeout",
-      "ms": 8008
+      "ms": 8007
     },
     {
       "name": "calls.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 4651
+      "ms": 5059
     },
     {
       "name": "checktable.lua",
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
       "name": "closure.lua",
       "status": "timeout",
       "reason": "per-test timeout",
-      "ms": 8006
+      "ms": 8008
     },
     {
       "name": "code.lua",
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
       "name": "constructs.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 4212
+      "ms": 4593
     },
     {
       "name": "db.lua",
@@ -87,13 +87,13 @@
       "name": "errors.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 3006
+      "ms": 3390
     },
     {
       "name": "events.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 6900
+      "ms": 7477
     },
     {
       "name": "files.lua",
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@
       "name": "literals.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 1804
+      "ms": 1883
     },
     {
       "name": "locals.lua",
       "status": "fail",
-      "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 1596
+      "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio",
+      "ms": 1642
     },
     {
       "name": "main.lua",
@@ -129,43 +129,43 @@
       "name": "math.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 3930
+      "ms": 4194
     },
     {
       "name": "nextvar.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 6822
+      "ms": 6779
     },
     {
       "name": "pm.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 5745
+      "ms": 5731
     },
     {
       "name": "sort.lua",
       "status": "timeout",
       "reason": "per-test timeout",
-      "ms": 8007
+      "ms": 8008
     },
     {
       "name": "strings.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 3814
+      "ms": 3935
     },
     {
       "name": "vararg.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"assertion failed!\\\\\\\"\\",
-      "ms": 2140
+      "ms": 2273
     },
     {
       "name": "verybig.lua",
       "status": "fail",
       "reason": "other: Unhandled exception: \\\"Unhandled exception: \\\\\\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio",
-      "ms": 558
+      "ms": 564
     }
   ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/lua/scoreboard.md b/lib/lua/scoreboard.md
index 7a0a6189..b03a2697 100644
--- a/lib/lua/scoreboard.md
+++ b/lib/lua/scoreboard.md
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ fail=13 timeout=3 skip=8 total=24
 
 ## Top failure modes
 
-- **12x** other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\
+- **11x** other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\
 - **3x** timeout
-- **1x** other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio
+- **2x** other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio
 
 ## Per-test results
 
@@ -15,25 +15,25 @@ fail=13 timeout=3 skip=8 total=24
 |---|---|---|---:|
 | all.lua | skip | driver uses dofile to chain other tests | 0 |
 | api.lua | skip | requires testC (C debug library) | 0 |
-| attrib.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 5754 |
-| big.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8008 |
-| calls.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 4651 |
+| attrib.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 7069 |
+| big.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8007 |
+| calls.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 5059 |
 | checktable.lua | skip | internal debug helpers | 0 |
-| closure.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8006 |
+| closure.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8008 |
 | code.lua | skip | bytecode inspection via debug library | 0 |
-| constructs.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 4212 |
+| constructs.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 4593 |
 | db.lua | skip | debug library | 0 |
-| errors.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 3006 |
-| events.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 6900 |
+| errors.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 3390 |
+| events.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 7477 |
 | files.lua | skip | io library | 0 |
 | gc.lua | skip | collectgarbage / finalisers | 0 |
-| literals.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 1804 |
-| locals.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 1596 |
+| literals.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 1883 |
+| locals.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio | 1642 |
 | main.lua | skip | standalone interpreter driver | 0 |
-| math.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 3930 |
-| nextvar.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 6822 |
-| pm.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 5745 |
-| sort.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8007 |
-| strings.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 3814 |
-| vararg.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 2140 |
-| verybig.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio | 558 |
+| math.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 4194 |
+| nextvar.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 6779 |
+| pm.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 5731 |
+| sort.lua | timeout | per-test timeout | 8008 |
+| strings.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 3935 |
+| vararg.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"assertion failed!\\\"\ | 2273 |
+| verybig.lua | fail | other: Unhandled exception: \"Unhandled exception: \\\"lua: attempt to call non-functio | 564 |
diff --git a/plans/lua-on-sx.md b/plans/lua-on-sx.md
index 20bae1ca..feb0a92a 100644
--- a/plans/lua-on-sx.md
+++ b/plans/lua-on-sx.md
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ Each item: implement → tests → tick box → update progress log.
 
 _Newest first. Agent appends on every commit._
 
+- 2026-04-24: lua: scoreboard iteration — **`loadstring` scoping**. Temporarily instrumented `lua-assert` with a counter, found `locals.lua` fails at assertion #5: `loadstring('local a = {}')() → assert(type(a) ~= 'table')`. The loadstring'd code's `local a` was leaking to outer scope because `lua-eval-ast` ran at top-level. Fixed by transpiling once and wrapping the AST in `(let () …)` before `eval-expr`.
 - 2026-04-24: lua: scoreboard iteration — **`if`/`else`/`elseif` body scoping** (latent bug). `else local x = 99` was leaking to enclosing scope. Wrap all three branches in `(let () …)` via `lua-tx-if-body`. 358 tests.
 - 2026-04-24: lua: scoreboard iteration — **`do`-block proper scoping**. Was transpiling `do ... end` to a raw `lua-tx` pass-through, so `define`s inside leaked to the enclosing scope (`do local i = 100 end` overwrote outer `i`). Now wraps in `(let () body)` for proper lexical isolation. 355 tests, +2 scoping tests.
 - 2026-04-24: lua: scoreboard iteration — `lua-to-number` trims whitespace before `parse-number` (Lua coerces `" 3e0 "` in arithmetic). math.lua moved past the arith-type error to deeper assertion-land. 12× asserts / 3× timeouts / 1× call-non-fn.