diff --git a/examples/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.sx b/examples/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.sx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89fd781
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+// Enum-valued value-carrying failable: the SUCCESS path must zero the trailing
+// error slot. Regression (issue 0097). A `-> (Enum, !E)` `return .variant`
+// resolves the enum literal against the function's VALUE type (the enum), not
+// the failable tuple — otherwise the literal mis-resolves (tag 0) and is stamped
+// with the tuple type, which the success-return lowering mistakes for a forwarded
+// full tuple and leaves the error slot UNDEFINED (read back as garbage nonzero).
+//
+// This pins the slot at RUNTIME on the success path (cast(s64) e, bare `if e`,
+// and `e == error.X`) — not only via the `if !e` proof that the compiler can
+// fold away. It also exercises a non-zero ordinal (`.blue` = 2) so a value slot
+// that collapses to 0 is caught, and asserts the error PATH still carries the
+// right tag and `error_tag_name`.
+
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+
+Color :: enum { red; green; blue; }
+E :: error { Nope }
+
+pick :: (s: string) -> (Color, !E) {
+    if s == "red"  { return .red; }
+    if s == "blue" { return .blue; }       // non-zero ordinal (2)
+    raise error.Nope;
+}
+
+main :: () -> s32 {
+    // ── success path: error slot MUST read 0 at runtime ──
+    c, e := pick("red");
+    print("success err int = {}\n", cast(s64) e);             // 0
+    if e { print("bare-if e: ERROR (WRONG)\n"); } else { print("bare-if e: ok\n"); }
+    if e == error.Nope { print("e == Nope (WRONG)\n"); } else { print("e != Nope (ok)\n"); }
+    if !e { print("guard !e: c = {}\n", cast(s64) c); }        // 0 (red)
+
+    // ── non-zero ordinal: value slot must carry the real ordinal ──
+    c2, e2 := pick("blue");
+    if !e2 { print("blue: err int = {}, c = {}\n", cast(s64) e2, cast(s64) c2); }  // 0, 2
+
+    // ── error path: the right tag flows through ──
+    c3, e3 := pick("xxx");
+    print("error err int = {}\n", cast(s64) e3);              // 1
+    if e3 == error.Nope { print("error: is Nope (ok)\n"); } else { print("error: not Nope (WRONG)\n"); }
+    print("error tag name = {}\n", error_tag_name(e3));       // Nope
+
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.exit b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.exit
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..573541a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.exit
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+0
diff --git a/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stderr b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b13789
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stdout b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stdout
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6bb016d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/expected/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.stdout
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+success err int = 0
+bare-if e: ok
+e != Nope (ok)
+guard !e: c = 0
+blue: err int = 0, c = 2
+error err int = 1
+error: is Nope (ok)
+error tag name = Nope
diff --git a/issues/0097-enum-value-failable-error-slot-corruption.md b/issues/0097-enum-value-failable-error-slot-corruption.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccfa1b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/0097-enum-value-failable-error-slot-corruption.md
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+# 0097 — value-failable returning an ENUM corrupts the error slot on the success path
+
+**RESOLVED.** Root cause was **not** the field-offset/width miscalculation originally
+hypothesized — `tuple_init` / `tuple_get` and the backend struct layout were correct. The real
+cause was upstream in `lowerReturn` (`src/ir/lower.zig`): when lowering the returned expression of
+a value-carrying failable `-> (T..., !)`, `target_type` was set to the **full failable tuple**
+`(Color, !E)` instead of the success **value** type `Color`. A bare enum literal `.red` resolves
+its variant tag against `target_type` (`lowerEnumLiteral` → `resolveVariantValue`); against a tuple
+type there is no matching variant, so it returned the silent `0` default AND stamped the result
+with the tuple type. `lowerFailableSuccessReturn` then saw `val_ty == ret_ty` and took the
+**forwarding** branch, returning the half-built aggregate `{ value, undef }` as-is — the appended
+`constInt(0, err_ty)` was never inserted, leaving the error slot `undef` (read back as garbage
+nonzero) on the success path.
+
+**Fix:** in `lowerReturn`, when the function's return type is a value-carrying failable tuple,
+narrow `target_type` to `failableSuccessType(ret_ty)` (the value type / value-tuple) before
+lowering the returned expression. The enum literal then resolves to its real ordinal and is typed
+as the value type, so the success-return path correctly appends the `0` error slot. The s32 case
+was already correct because integer literals don't resolve variants against `target_type`.
+
+**Regression:** `examples/1055-errors-enum-value-failable-error-slot.sx` — reads the error slot at
+runtime on the success path (`cast(s64) e`, bare `if e`, `e == error.X`), exercises a non-zero
+ordinal (`.blue` = 2, which the bug also corrupted to 0), and asserts the error path still carries
+the right tag + `error_tag_name`. Fails on pre-fix code, passes after. Verified `zig build`,
+`zig build test`, and `bash tests/run_examples.sh` (452 ok) all green.
+
+Below preserved as a record of the original problem.
+
+## Symptom
+
+A value-failable function `-> (EnumType, !ErrSet)` writes a **garbage nonzero tag into the error
+slot on the SUCCESS path**. Per specs.md the error channel must be `0` on success ("0 in the
+error slot means no error"). Every **runtime read** of the slot on success (`cast(s64) err`, bare
+`if err`, `err == error.X`, and therefore `error_tag_name(err)`) reports a false error. Only the
+path-sensitive compile-time proof `if !err` reads correctly (it is tied to the SSA value, not a
+runtime load of the slot), which is why it masks the bug.
+
+- **Observed (enum value):** success path → error slot reads nonzero (garbage `undef`), not `0`.
+- **Expected:** success path → error slot reads `0`; `if err` is false; `err == error.X` is false.
+
+## Reproduction (only imports `modules/std.sx`)
+
+```sx
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+
+Color :: enum { red; green; blue; }
+E :: error { Nope }
+
+pick :: (s: string) -> (Color, !E) {
+    if s == "red" { return .red; }   // SUCCESS path
+    raise error.Nope;
+}
+
+main :: () -> s32 {
+    c, e := pick("red");                            // SUCCESS -> error slot MUST be 0
+    print("error e (int) = {}\n", cast(s64) e);     // EXPECT 0 ; BUG prints 1
+    if e { print("bare-if e: ERROR (WRONG)\n"); } else { print("bare-if e: ok\n"); }
+    if e == error.Nope { print("e == Nope (WRONG)\n"); } else { print("e != Nope (ok)\n"); }
+    if !e { print("guard !e: value c (int) = {}\n", cast(s64) c); }   // c = 0 = .red (CORRECT)
+    return 0;
+}
+```
+
+**Actual (buggy):**
+```text
+error e (int) = 1
+bare-if e: ERROR (WRONG)
+e == Nope (WRONG)
+guard !e: value c (int) = 0
+```
+**Expected (now produced):**
+```text
+error e (int) = 0
+bare-if e: ok
+e != Nope (ok)
+guard !e: value c (int) = 0
+```
+
+## Contrast — the IDENTICAL shape with an s32 value is CORRECT
+
+```sx
+pick :: (n: s32) -> (s32, !E) { if n > 0 { return n; } raise error.Nope; }
+// v, e := pick(5);  →  error slot = 0 (correct); bare-if e: ok
+```
+The split is **enum-value-specific** because only an enum literal (`return .variant`) resolves its
+tag against `target_type`. An integer literal does not, so the s32 path never got mis-stamped with
+the failable-tuple type and never took the false forwarding branch.
+
+## Root cause (confirmed at ground truth)
+
+`return .red` in `pick` lowered the enum literal with `target_type = (Color, !E)` (the whole
+failable tuple). The LLVM IR on the success path was:
+
+```llvm
+ret { i64, i32 } { i64 0, i32 undef }   ; error slot UNDEF, not 0  (.blue gave i64 0 too — value lost)
+```
+
+vs. the s32 case which already produced `ret { i32, i32 } { i32 7, i32 0 }`. After narrowing the
+return target to the value type, the enum success path produces `ret { i64, i32 } zeroinitializer`
+(value 0 = `.red`, error slot 0), and `.blue` correctly carries ordinal 2.
diff --git a/src/ir/lower.zig b/src/ir/lower.zig
index 28f7757..d7a2af2 100644
--- a/src/ir/lower.zig
+++ b/src/ir/lower.zig
@@ -2216,7 +2216,23 @@ pub const Lowering = struct {
             self.module.functions.items[@intFromEnum(fid)].ret
         else
             TypeId.s64;
-        if (ret_ty_for_target != .void) self.target_type = ret_ty_for_target;
+        // A value-carrying failable (`-> (T..., !)`) returns its VALUE part; the
+        // success error slot is appended below by lowerFailableSuccessReturn.
+        // Resolve the returned expression against that value type, NOT the
+        // failable tuple: a bare enum literal `.variant` resolves its tag against
+        // `target_type`, and against the tuple it matches no variant (tag 0) and
+        // is stamped with the tuple type — which lowerFailableSuccessReturn then
+        // treats as a forwarded full tuple, dropping the appended `0` error slot.
+        // Forwarding (`return call()` / explicit `(v, e)`) still yields a value
+        // typed equal to the full tuple, so it is unaffected.
+        const target_for_value: TypeId = if (self.inline_return_target == null and
+            !ret_ty_for_target.isBuiltin() and
+            self.module.types.get(ret_ty_for_target) == .tuple and
+            self.errorChannelOf(ret_ty_for_target) != null)
+            self.failableSuccessType(ret_ty_for_target)
+        else
+            ret_ty_for_target;
+        if (target_for_value != .void) self.target_type = target_for_value;
         // Evaluate return value first (before defers)
         const ret_val = if (rs.value) |val| self.lowerExpr(val) else null;
         self.target_type = old_target;