diff --git a/examples/closures/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.sx b/examples/closures/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.sx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6b66745c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/closures/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// A block-body closure (`closure((params) { ... })`) with an INFERRED return
+// type whose value is produced via early `return`s must infer the return type
+// from the `return` operands — not fall through to void.
+//
+// Regression (issue 0187): `closure(() { if c { return 11; } return 22; })`
+// used to infer `void` (the block's last stmt is the `return`, not a value), so
+// the call site fed an `i64 undef` to `print` and LLVM verification failed. The
+// closure return-type inference now mirrors the function-decl path, scanning
+// the body's `return` statements.
+//
+// Syntax note: a block body is the `closure((params) -> R? { ... })` form; the
+// bare `(params) => expr` lambda is arrow + EXPRESSION only (no block).
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+
+main :: () {
+  // early returns only — inferred return, no optionals
+  f := closure(() { if 1 > 0 { return 11; } return 22; });
+  print("f: {}\n", f());
+
+  // early return + trailing-expression block value
+  g := closure((n: i64) { if n > 0 { return 100; } 200 });
+  print("g+: {}\n", g(1));
+  print("g-: {}\n", g(-1));
+
+  // inferred float return via early returns
+  h := closure((n: i64) { if n > 0 { return 3.5; } return 1.5; });
+  print("h: {}\n", h(1));
+}
diff --git a/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.exit b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.exit
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..573541ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.exit
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+0
diff --git a/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stderr b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b137891
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stdout b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stdout
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4659b969
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/closures/expected/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.stdout
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+f: 11
+g+: 100
+g-: 200
+h: 3.500000
diff --git a/issues/0187-lambda-inferred-return-block-early-return.md b/issues/0187-lambda-inferred-return-block-early-return.md
index c9ff2e55..c2769107 100644
--- a/issues/0187-lambda-inferred-return-block-early-return.md
+++ b/issues/0187-lambda-inferred-return-block-early-return.md
@@ -1,3 +1,30 @@
+> **RESOLVED.** Root cause: the lambda return-type inference in `lowerLambda`
+> (`src/ir/lower/closure.zig`) always used `inferExprType(lam.body)`, which for a
+> block body returns the *last statement's* value type — and a block whose value
+> comes only from early `return`s ends in a `return` statement (typed
+> void/noreturn), so the closure was built with a void return while the body
+> returned `i64`. Fix: distinguish the two body forms exactly as a named fn does
+> (`resolveReturnType` in `src/ir/lower.zig`) —
+> - **arrow** `(params) => expr` → `inferExprType(expr)` (the expression IS the value);
+> - **block** `(params) { stmts }` → first explicit `return <val>` type via
+>   `findReturnValueType`, else **void** (the block's tail is a discarded
+>   statement, not an implicit return — only an explicit `-> R` makes the tail
+>   the value).
+>
+> This also subsumes the block-tail-references-a-local case (a `closure(() { x
+> := 5; x * 2 })` with no `-> R` is now correctly **void**, not an `.unresolved`
+> type reaching LLVM and panicking). Regression test:
+> `examples/closures/0313-closure-inferred-return-early.sx`.
+>
+> Syntax note: the original repro above used the malformed `() => { ... }`
+> (arrow + block) form, which the parser currently accepts but the spec does
+> not define — a block body is the `closure((params) -> R? { ... })` form, and
+> the `=>` lambda takes an EXPRESSION (specs.md §Lambda / §Closures). The bug is
+> real under the valid form too: `closure(() { if c { return 11; } return 22; })`
+> with an inferred return failed identically before the fix. The regression test
+> uses the valid `closure(...)` syntax. (The parser accepting `() => { block }`
+> at all is a separate leniency gap, not tracked here.)
+
 # 0187 — lambda with INFERRED return type + block body with early `return`s mis-infers its return type (LLVM verifier failure)
 
 ## Symptom
diff --git a/src/ir/lower/closure.zig b/src/ir/lower/closure.zig
index 3a3fbf51..5b7e8daf 100644
--- a/src/ir/lower/closure.zig
+++ b/src/ir/lower/closure.zig
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ pub fn lowerLambda(self: *Lowering, lam: *const ast.Lambda) Ref {
                 }
             }
         }
-        // Arrow lambda without explicit return type — infer from body expression
-        // Temporarily bind params in scope so inferExprType can resolve param types
+        // Lambda without explicit return type — infer from the body.
+        // Temporarily bind params in scope so inference can resolve param types.
         var temp_scope = Scope.init(self.alloc, self.scope);
         const saved = self.scope;
         self.scope = &temp_scope;
@@ -170,7 +170,23 @@ pub fn lowerLambda(self: *Lowering, lam: *const ast.Lambda) Ref {
             const pty = params.items[user_param_base + i].ty;
             temp_scope.put(p.name, .{ .ref = @enumFromInt(0), .ty = pty, .is_alloca = false });
         }
-        const inferred = self.inferExprType(lam.body);
+        // Two body forms (parser.zig parseLambda), inferred exactly as a named
+        // fn (resolveReturnType in lower.zig):
+        //   (params) => expr    — arrow: the body expression IS the value.
+        //   (params) { stmts }  — block: an explicit `return <val>` sets the
+        //                         type; with none the return is VOID (the
+        //                         block's tail is a discarded statement, not an
+        //                         implicit return — only an explicit `-> R`,
+        //                         handled above, makes the tail the value).
+        // The old code always used inferExprType(lam.body); for a block body
+        // that mis-inferred — void/noreturn when the value came only from early
+        // `return`s (issue 0187), or `.unresolved` when the tail referenced a
+        // block-local the temp scope never bound (a variant the same fix
+        // subsumes) → LLVM panic.
+        const inferred = if (lam.body.data == .block)
+            self.findReturnValueType(lam.body) orelse .void
+        else
+            self.inferExprType(lam.body);
         self.scope = saved;
         temp_scope.deinit();
         break :blk inferred;