diff --git a/current/CHECKPOINT-MEM.md b/current/CHECKPOINT-MEM.md
index 181cf8c..9d5c19e 100644
--- a/current/CHECKPOINT-MEM.md
+++ b/current/CHECKPOINT-MEM.md
@@ -5,6 +5,27 @@ Tracking checkpoint for the mem.sx Zig-aligned implementation
 
 ## Last completed step
 
+- **`resolveType(null) → .s64` silent fallback removed.** `resolveType`
+  now takes a non-optional `*const Node`; the `null → .s64` branch is
+  gone. Callers that legitimately had no annotation handle it
+  themselves: top-level `var_decl` at `lower.zig:630` infers from the
+  initializer or diagnoses if neither is present (matches the
+  `lowerVarDecl` pattern that already existed for locals).
+  `FfiIntrinsicCall.return_type` is non-optional in the AST so its
+  callers (`#objc_call`, `#jni_call`) didn't actually need the
+  fallback. JNI super-call and JNI method paths were already guarded
+  with `if (rt) |t| ... else .void`.
+
+  Caller cleanup also dropped the explicit `if (x != null)` guards in
+  favour of optional-payload syntax (`if (cd.type_annotation) |ta|
+  ...`), which makes the always-non-null path obvious from the type.
+
+  Real-world impact: `g_pi := 3.14;` at the top level used to be
+  silently typed as `s64`. Now it infers as `f64`. Regression at
+  `examples/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.sx` (count/pi/flag — int /
+  float / bool inferred correctly). 159/159 example tests + chess
+  clean.
+
 - **Phase 1.4a — IR `TypeId` threaded through `valueToLLVMConst`;
   string/slice fat-pointer aggregates serialize by reading host
   memory.** The Phase 1.4 serializer bailed on `heap_ptr` / `byte_ptr`
@@ -267,15 +288,17 @@ Open follow-ups, in roughly the order they make sense:
 
 - **`.int → ptr` heap-walk follow-up.** Phase 1.4a handles the
   fat-pointer aggregate case. A `.int` host-address landing in a
-  bare ptr field (e.g. a struct with a raw `[*]u8` member) still
-  bails. Requires recursive struct walking with cycle detection on
-  `(heap_id, type_id)` visited pairs. No practical trigger
-  in-tree; defer until a real `#run` site surfaces the need.
-- **`resolveType(null) -> .s64` audit.** The silent fallback at
-  `lower.zig:8387` is still in place for every caller other than
-  `lowerComptimeGlobal`. CLAUDE.md REJECTED PATTERNS forbids this
-  shape. Survey callers; either make the default an error
-  diagnostic or thread an inferred type per call site.
+  bare ptr field (e.g. a struct with `*Inner` or `[*]u8` members)
+  still bails. Investigated this session — the practical blocker
+  is interp-level: `struct_gep` / load / store through raw integer
+  pointers aren't wired (only `index_gep` is), so users can't even
+  construct most cases. Two-step plan if a real trigger surfaces:
+  (1) lift the interp's struct_gep+load+store-through-raw-int limit
+  using `FieldAccess.base_type` for the field offset table; (2) add
+  recursive heap-walk in `valueToLLVMConst` with cycle detection on
+  `(addr, type_id)` visited pairs. No practical trigger in-tree —
+  the canonical buffer/string case is already handled by `[]T` /
+  `string`.
 
 ## Phase 0.3 audit findings — chess allocator usage (closed)
 
@@ -301,7 +324,18 @@ Allocator value naturally.
 
 ## Log
 
-- **2026-05-25 (latest)** — Phase 1.4a shipped. `valueToLLVMConst`
+- **2026-05-25 (latest)** — `resolveType(null) → .s64` removed.
+  Signature changed to non-optional `*const Node`; 12 callers
+  surveyed and classified. The three unguarded ones — top-level
+  `var_decl` at `lower.zig:630` (now mirrors lowerVarDecl's
+  infer-from-initializer pattern), `#objc_call` / `#jni_call` return
+  types (already non-optional in AST so no actual silent fallback
+  was reached) — handle null explicitly. The rest were guarded by
+  `if (x != null)` blocks; cleaned up to optional-payload syntax.
+  `examples/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.sx` proves the visible
+  win: `g_pi := 3.14;` at module scope now infers `f64` (used to be
+  silent `s64`). 159/159 + chess clean.
+- **2026-05-25 (penultimate)** — Phase 1.4a shipped. `valueToLLVMConst`
   takes IR `TypeId` (not LLVM type) + an interpreter handle.
   String/slice fat pointers are serialized by capturing the
   pointed-to bytes (via `interp.heapSlice` for heap_ptr, raw
diff --git a/examples/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.sx b/examples/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.sx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11c042a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Pre-fix: `resolveType(null)` silently returned `.s64`, so a top-level
+// var without a type annotation got typed as `s64` regardless of what
+// the initializer was. For `g_pi := 3.14;` this meant the float literal
+// was assigned to an s64 slot, producing a wrong value at runtime or
+// the wrong codegen shape.
+//
+// After the fix `lowerVarDecl` at the top level mirrors the local-scope
+// path: explicit annotation → resolveType; no annotation → infer from
+// the initializer's type. Mirrors how `:=` already worked for locals.
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+
+g_count := 42;        // inferred s64
+g_pi    := 3.14;      // inferred f64 — used to silently become s64
+g_flag  := true;      // inferred bool
+
+main :: () -> s32 {
+    print("count = {}\n", g_count);
+    print("pi    = {}\n", g_pi);
+    print("flag  = {}\n", g_flag);
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/ir/lower.zig b/src/ir/lower.zig
index 87cc0d7..19ab454 100644
--- a/src/ir/lower.zig
+++ b/src/ir/lower.zig
@@ -574,10 +574,10 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
                     // comptime_expr handled in Pass 2
 
                     // Simple value constants with type annotation (e.g. AF_INET :s32: 2)
-                    if (cd.type_annotation != null) {
+                    if (cd.type_annotation) |ta| {
                         switch (cd.value.data) {
                             .int_literal, .float_literal, .bool_literal, .string_literal, .undef_literal, .null_literal => {
-                                const ty = self.resolveType(cd.type_annotation);
+                                const ty = self.resolveType(ta);
                                 self.module_const_map.put(cd.name, .{ .value = cd.value, .ty = ty }) catch {};
                             },
                             else => {},
@@ -630,8 +630,19 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
                 .var_decl => |vd| {
                     // Top-level mutable global (e.g., `context : Context = ---;`)
                     // Use self.resolveType so type aliases like `Handle :: u32;` resolve
-                    // to their target type (not a synthetic empty struct).
-                    const var_ty = self.resolveType(vd.type_annotation);
+                    // to their target type (not a synthetic empty struct). When the
+                    // user omitted the annotation, infer from the initializer
+                    // expression; foreign globals with no annotation are diagnosed
+                    // because their type can't be inferred without an initializer.
+                    const var_ty: TypeId = if (vd.type_annotation) |ta|
+                        self.resolveType(ta)
+                    else if (vd.value) |val|
+                        self.inferExprType(val)
+                    else blk: {
+                        if (self.diagnostics) |d|
+                            d.addFmt(.err, null, "top-level var '{s}' has no type annotation and no initializer to infer from", .{vd.name});
+                        break :blk .void;
+                    };
                     // Foreign globals reference a symbol defined in libSystem etc.
                     // (`_NSConcreteStackBlock : *void #foreign;`). The C symbol
                     // name is the optional override or the sx name itself.
@@ -1338,9 +1349,9 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
     }
 
     fn lowerVarDecl(self: *Lowering, vd: *const ast.VarDecl) void {
-        if (vd.type_annotation != null) {
+        if (vd.type_annotation) |ta| {
             // Explicit type annotation — resolve type first, then lower value
-            const ty = self.resolveType(vd.type_annotation);
+            const ty = self.resolveType(ta);
             const slot = self.builder.alloca(ty);
             if (vd.value) |val| {
                 // = --- (undef_literal) on tuple types: zero-initialize
@@ -1478,8 +1489,8 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
 
         const ref = self.lowerExpr(cd.value);
         // If there's an explicit type annotation, use it. Otherwise, infer from the expression.
-        const ty = if (cd.type_annotation != null)
-            self.resolveType(cd.type_annotation)
+        const ty = if (cd.type_annotation) |ta|
+            self.resolveType(ta)
         else
             self.builder.getRefType(ref);
 
@@ -8389,9 +8400,8 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
         return elem_ty;
     }
 
-    fn resolveType(self: *Lowering, type_ann: ?*const Node) TypeId {
-        if (type_ann) |n| return self.resolveTypeWithBindings(n);
-        return .s64;
+    fn resolveType(self: *Lowering, type_ann: *const Node) TypeId {
+        return self.resolveTypeWithBindings(type_ann);
     }
 
     /// Resolve a type node, checking type_bindings first for generic type params.
diff --git a/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.exit b/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.exit
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..573541a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.exit
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+0
diff --git a/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.txt b/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6f07c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/expected/137-toplevel-var-type-inference.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+count = 42
+pi    = 3.140000
+flag  = true