diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/compiler/grammar.ts b/packages/compiler/src/compiler/grammar.ts
index 699eb49..c5f951a 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/compiler/grammar.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/compiler/grammar.ts
@@ -193,7 +193,8 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
     readonly exprBoundary = alt<any>(atom(';'), atom(','), group('{', discard), Matcher.end);
 
     readonly identifier: Pattern<Identifier> = atom();
-    get binder(): Pattern<Binder> { return scope(o => bind(o, 'id', this.identifier)); }
+    binder(... _extraStops: Pattern<any>[]): Pattern<Binder> { return scope(o => bind(o, 'id', this.identifier)); }
+    readonly defaultBinder = this.binder();
 
     expr(... extraStops: Pattern<any>[]): Pattern<Expr> {
         return withoutSpace(upTo(alt(this.exprBoundary, ... extraStops)));
@@ -248,7 +249,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
                            map(scope(
                                (l: { b: Binder, init: Expr }) =>
                                    seq(kw('let'),
-                                       bind(l, 'b', this.binder),
+                                       bind(l, 'b', this.defaultBinder),
                                        atom('='),
                                        bind(l, 'init', this.headerExpr))),
                                l => {
@@ -262,7 +263,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
     readonly fieldDeclarationStatement: Pattern<FieldDeclarationStatement> =
         this.turnAction(o => {
             return seq(atom('field'),
-                       bind(o, 'field', this.binder),
+                       bind(o, 'field', this.defaultBinder),
                        option(seq(atom('='), bind(o, 'init', this.expr()))),
                        this.statementBoundary);
         });
@@ -333,7 +334,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
         scope(o => seq(bind(o, 'expectedUse', alt(atomString('message'), atomString('assertion'))),
                        atom('type'),
                        bind(o, 'label', this.identifier),
-                       group('(', bind(o, 'fields', repeat(this.binder, { separator: atom(',') }))),
+                       group('(', bind(o, 'fields', repeat(this.defaultBinder, { separator: atom(',') }))),
                        option(seq(atom('='),
                                   bind(o, 'wireName', withoutSpace(upTo(this.statementBoundary))))),
                        this.statementBoundary));
@@ -407,12 +408,13 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
     // {expr: expr, ...} - constant
     // other - constant
 
-    readonly pCaptureBinder: Pattern<Binder> =
-        mapm(this.binder, i => {
+    pCaptureBinder = (b: Pattern<Binder>): Pattern<Binder> =>
+        mapm(b, i => {
             return i.id.text.startsWith('$')
                 ? succeed({ id: { ... i.id, text: i.id.text.slice(1) }, type: i.type })
                 : fail;
         });
+    readonly pCaptureDefaultBinder = this.pCaptureBinder(this.defaultBinder);
 
     readonly pDiscard: Pattern<void> =
         mapm(this.identifier, i => i.text === '_' ? succeed(void 0) : fail);
@@ -440,7 +442,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
 
     hasCapturesOrDiscards(e: Expr): boolean {
         return foldItems(e,
-                         t => match(alt<any>(this.pCaptureBinder, this.pDiscard), [t], null, '(') !== null,
+                         t => match(alt<any>(this.pCaptureDefaultBinder, this.pDiscard), [t], null, '(') !== null,
                          (_g, b, _k) => b,
                          bs => bs.some(b => b));
     }
@@ -503,7 +505,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
                     //     });
                     // } else
                     if (this.hasCapturesOrDiscards(o.ctor)) {
-                        const r = match(this.pCaptureBinder, o.ctor, null, '(');
+                        const r = match(this.pCaptureDefaultBinder, o.ctor, null, '(');
                         if (r !== null && o.arguments.length === 1) {
                             return succeed({
                                 type: 'PCapture',
@@ -520,7 +522,7 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
             scope<PCapture>(o => {
                 o.type = 'PCapture';
                 o.inner = { type: 'PDiscard' };
-                return bind(o, 'binder', this.pCaptureBinder);
+                return bind(o, 'binder', this.pCaptureBinder(this.binder(... extraStops)));
             }),
             map(this.expr(... extraStops), e => ({ type: 'PConstant', value: e }))
         ));
@@ -528,10 +530,10 @@ export class SyndicateParser {
 }
 
 export class SyndicateTypedParser extends SyndicateParser {
-    get binder(): Pattern<Binder> {
+    binder(... extraStops: Pattern<any>[]): Pattern<Binder> {
         return scope(o => seq(bind(o, 'id', this.identifier),
                               option(seq(atom(':'),
-                                         bind(o, 'type', this.type(atom('=')))))));
+                                         bind(o, 'type', this.type(atom('='), ... extraStops))))));
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/compiler.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/compiler.test.ts
index b74f0b3..c924f0a 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/compiler.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/compiler.test.ts
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ function translate(source: string, options: Partial<CompileOptions> = {}): { cod
     return { code: result.text, errors };
 }
 
-function translateNoErrors(source: string): string {
-    const o = translate(source);
+function translateNoErrors(source: string, options?: Partial<CompileOptions>): string {
+    const o = translate(source, options);
     expect(o.errors.length).toBe(0);
     return o.code;
 }
 
-function expectCodeEqual(input: string, output: string) {
-    expect(format(translateNoErrors(input))).toBe(format(output));
+function expectCodeEqual(input: string, output: string, options?: Partial<CompileOptions>) {
+    expect(format(translateNoErrors(input, options))).toBe(format(output));
 }
 
 describe('react', () => {
@@ -150,6 +150,25 @@ __SYNDICATE__.Turn.active.assertDataflow(() => ({
     })
 }));`));
 
+    it('capture with type at top', () => expectCodeEqual(`during $v: T => { ok() }`, `
+__SYNDICATE__.Turn.active.assertDataflow(() => ({
+    target: currentSyndicateTarget,
+    assertion: __SYNDICATE__.Observe({
+        pattern: __SYNDICATE__.QuasiValue.finish((__SYNDICATE__.QuasiValue.bind((__SYNDICATE__.QuasiValue._)))),
+        observer: __SYNDICATE__.Turn.ref(__SYNDICATE__.assertionFacetObserver(
+            (__vs: __SYNDICATE__.AnyValue) => {
+                if (Array.isArray(__vs)) {
+                    const __v_0 = T.__from_preserve__(__vs[0]);
+                    if (__v_0 === void 0) return;
+                    const v = __v_0;
+                    ok()
+                }
+            }
+        ))
+    })
+}));
+`, { typescript: true }));
+
 });
 
 describe('once', () => {