# 0062 — generic function with a value-carrying `!` return miscompiles

> **✅ RESOLVED (2026-06-01) — NOT A BUG (invalid repro syntax).** The repro used
> the non-generic form `(T: type, …)` / `(T: Type, …)` — a plain value param of
> type `Type`, NOT a generic type parameter. Per `specs.md` (the `$` sigil
> introduces a generic type parameter), a function generic type param must be
> `$T: Type`. With the correct form, generic value-carrying failable composition
> (ERR E5.1 sub-feature 8) works fully:
>
> ```sx
> wrap :: ($T: Type, f: Closure() -> (T, !E)) -> (T, !E) { return try f(); }
> wrap(i32, closure(() -> (i32, !E) { return 7; })) catch e -1   // 7
> r, err := wrap(i32, closure(() -> (i32, !E) { return 9; }))    // r=9
> wrap(i32, closure(() -> (i32, !E) { raise error.Bad; })) catch e -1  // -1
> ```
>
> The only real (separate, orthogonal) defect found: a NON-`$` `T: Type` function
> param used as a type silently resolves to an empty `{}` (renders `T{}`) instead
> of erroring — tracked as **issue 0064**, deferred (not ERR-scoped).

## Symptom

A generic function whose return type is a value-carrying failable in the generic
type param — `wrap :: (T: type, …) -> (T, !E)` — does not substitute `T` in the
failable return tuple during monomorphization. Observed two ways:

- Consumed via `catch`: `LLVM verification failed: PHI node operands are not the
  same type as the result!` — the success branch carries `{}` (an unsubstituted
  / empty value) while the handler branch carries the real success type.
- Consumed via destructure: the success value renders as `T{}` (the literal
  generic type name) instead of the concrete value, and the error slot is wrong.

Expected: `T` is bound to the concrete monomorphization type (`i32`), the success
value flows through as `7`, and the error slot is `0` on success.

## Reproduction

```sx
#import "modules/std.sx";
E :: error { Bad }
wrap :: (T: type, f: Closure() -> (T, !E)) -> (T, !E) { return try f(); }

main :: () -> i32 {
    // catch form → LLVM phi type mismatch:
    r := wrap(i32, closure(() -> (i32, !E) { return 7; })) catch e -1;
    print("{}\n", r);          // want 7
    return 0;
}
```

Destructure form (same root cause, different surfacing):

```sx
r, err := wrap(i32, closure(() -> (i32, !E) { return 7; }));
print("{} {}\n", r, xx err);   // prints "T{} i64"; want "7 0"
```

## Investigation prompt

The bug is in monomorphizing a value-carrying failable return type in
[src/ir/lower.zig](../src/ir/lower.zig). `monomorphizeFunction` (~10259) /
`resolveReturnType2` (~8309) resolve the return type under `type_bindings`
(`$T` → concrete). For a plain `-> T` this works; for `-> (T, !E)` the value
slot `T` of the failable tuple appears NOT to be substituted — the success
value stays the unsubstituted generic type (rendering as `T{}` / an empty `{}`
in IR), so `lowerFailableSuccessReturn` / `extractSuccessValue` and the `try`
success path produce a value of the wrong type, which the `catch` merge phi then
rejects.

Likely fix: ensure the failable-tuple return type is re-resolved through
`type_bindings` during monomorphization (the tuple's value fields, not just a
top-level `$T`), and that `failableSuccessType` / the `try`/`catch` success
extraction use the substituted tuple. Verify with both repros above (catch →
prints 7; destructure → prints "7 0"). This is ERR E5.1 sub-feature 8 (generic
functions with `!` returns); the program-wide shape-union slice deliberately
excluded generic shapes pending this fix.
