diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index 88e92d15..941c0a35 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -22614,14 +22614,18 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 	// .cap on a non-ident base (indexed element `t[i].cap`, call,
 	// dot-slice): cgexpr leaves the full {ptr,len,cap} header via
 	// cgslicehdr — shuffle CX→AX. The shuffle fires ONLY for a TYPED
-	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase); an untyped
-	// str literal (`"abc".cap`) leaves only AX=ptr/BX=len and must return
-	// AX unshuffled. Mirrors cstage cgen.c: the cap-shuffle lives in the
-	// typed pseudo-field branch (`u->kind == TY_SLICE/TY_STR`), never the
-	// untyped catch-all. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
+	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase) that is NOT
+	// a bare string literal: N_STRLIT's cgexpr loads only AX=ptr/BX=len
+	// (cgen.ww), never a CX cap, so `"abc".cap` must return AX unshuffled.
+	// cstage reaches that outcome by typing N_STRLIT as untyped_str
+	// (cgen.c:8456 catch-all, no cap shuffle); the wwstage checker types
+	// N_STRLIT as `str` instead (check.ww:2322 vs cstage check.c:1079 —
+	// divergence filed separately), so the TY_STR kind-gate alone would
+	// wrongly fire. The N_STRLIT exclusion keeps this byte-identical with
+	// cstage. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
 	if (streq(fld, "cap")) {
 		cgexpr(c, lhs);
-		if (lhs != nil) {
+		if (lhs != nil && lhs.kind != nkind.N_STRLIT) {
 			let lu: *tinfo = lhs.type_: *tinfo;
 			for (lu != nil && lu.kind == tykind.TY_NAMED) { lu = lu.under; };
 			if (lu != nil && (lu.kind == tykind.TY_SLICE
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
index 117f2fd9..8e752d66 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
@@ -2890,14 +2890,18 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 	// .cap on a non-ident base (indexed element `t[i].cap`, call,
 	// dot-slice): cgexpr leaves the full {ptr,len,cap} header via
 	// cgslicehdr — shuffle CX→AX. The shuffle fires ONLY for a TYPED
-	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase); an untyped
-	// str literal (`"abc".cap`) leaves only AX=ptr/BX=len and must return
-	// AX unshuffled. Mirrors cstage cgen.c: the cap-shuffle lives in the
-	// typed pseudo-field branch (`u->kind == TY_SLICE/TY_STR`), never the
-	// untyped catch-all. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
+	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase) that is NOT
+	// a bare string literal: N_STRLIT's cgexpr loads only AX=ptr/BX=len
+	// (cgen.ww), never a CX cap, so `"abc".cap` must return AX unshuffled.
+	// cstage reaches that outcome by typing N_STRLIT as untyped_str
+	// (cgen.c:8456 catch-all, no cap shuffle); the wwstage checker types
+	// N_STRLIT as `str` instead (check.ww:2322 vs cstage check.c:1079 —
+	// divergence filed separately), so the TY_STR kind-gate alone would
+	// wrongly fire. The N_STRLIT exclusion keeps this byte-identical with
+	// cstage. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
 	if (streq(fld, "cap")) {
 		cgexpr(c, lhs);
-		if (lhs != nil) {
+		if (lhs != nil && lhs.kind != nkind.N_STRLIT) {
 			let lu: *tinfo = lhs.type_: *tinfo;
 			for (lu != nil && lu.kind == tykind.TY_NAMED) { lu = lu.under; };
 			if (lu != nil && (lu.kind == tykind.TY_SLICE
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index 4f0dc64b..e548d904 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -22614,14 +22614,18 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 	// .cap on a non-ident base (indexed element `t[i].cap`, call,
 	// dot-slice): cgexpr leaves the full {ptr,len,cap} header via
 	// cgslicehdr — shuffle CX→AX. The shuffle fires ONLY for a TYPED
-	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase); an untyped
-	// str literal (`"abc".cap`) leaves only AX=ptr/BX=len and must return
-	// AX unshuffled. Mirrors cstage cgen.c: the cap-shuffle lives in the
-	// typed pseudo-field branch (`u->kind == TY_SLICE/TY_STR`), never the
-	// untyped catch-all. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
+	// slice/str base (kind TY_SLICE/TY_STR after NAMED-chase) that is NOT
+	// a bare string literal: N_STRLIT's cgexpr loads only AX=ptr/BX=len
+	// (cgen.ww), never a CX cap, so `"abc".cap` must return AX unshuffled.
+	// cstage reaches that outcome by typing N_STRLIT as untyped_str
+	// (cgen.c:8456 catch-all, no cap shuffle); the wwstage checker types
+	// N_STRLIT as `str` instead (check.ww:2322 vs cstage check.c:1079 —
+	// divergence filed separately), so the TY_STR kind-gate alone would
+	// wrongly fire. The N_STRLIT exclusion keeps this byte-identical with
+	// cstage. #13 read-fix, sibling of the #20 store.
 	if (streq(fld, "cap")) {
 		cgexpr(c, lhs);
-		if (lhs != nil) {
+		if (lhs != nil && lhs.kind != nkind.N_STRLIT) {
 			let lu: *tinfo = lhs.type_: *tinfo;
 			for (lu != nil && lu.kind == tykind.TY_NAMED) { lu = lu.under; };
 			if (lu != nil && (lu.kind == tykind.TY_SLICE
diff --git a/test/wcc/683_arr_strslice_elem.c b/test/wcc/683_arr_strslice_elem.c
index b0460f1f..cfee2fed 100644
--- a/test/wcc/683_arr_strslice_elem.c
+++ b/test/wcc/683_arr_strslice_elem.c
@@ -82,6 +82,13 @@ runwait(const char *cmd)
 	return -1;
 }
 
+/* want == BYTEID_ONLY: the row's runtime value is non-deterministic (a
+ * link-time address), so only the cstage/wwstage asm-byte-id is asserted;
+ * the build must still succeed on both stages. Used for the `"abc".cap`
+ * symmetry edge (a string-literal .cap is meaningless garbage on both
+ * stages, but rule 10 still requires byte-identical asm). */
+#define BYTEID_ONLY (-2147483647 - 1)
+
 struct row { const char *label; const char *src; int want; };
 
 static const struct row rows[] = {
@@ -177,6 +184,20 @@ static const struct row rows[] = {
 	  "};\n",
 	  2 },
 
+	/* #13 symmetry edge: `.cap` of a BARE string literal. The wwstage
+	 * checker types N_STRLIT as `str` (cstage types it untyped_str), so
+	 * the .cap kind-gate would wrongly shuffle CX→AX on wwstage only —
+	 * but a literal's cgexpr never loads a CX cap, and cstage never
+	 * shuffles it, so both must return AX (ptr) unshuffled. Byte-id only:
+	 * the value is a link-time address (non-deterministic). Pre-fix this
+	 * row's asm DIFFERED (wwstage had the stray MOVQ CX, AX). */
+	{ "str_lit_cap_symmetry",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "\treturn \"abc\".cap: i32;\n"
+	  "};\n",
+	  BYTEID_ONLY },
+
 	{ "slice_ptr",
 	  "package main;\n"
 	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
@@ -349,7 +370,12 @@ main(void)
 		for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
 			int got = run_driver(drivers[d].path, &rows[i], i);
 			total++;
-			if (got != rows[i].want) {
+			/* BYTEID_ONLY rows assert asm byte-id below; here only
+			 * the build must succeed (run_driver returns -1 on a
+			 * build/run failure). The exit value is ignored. */
+			int bad = rows[i].want == BYTEID_ONLY
+			    ? (got == -1) : (got != rows[i].want);
+			if (bad) {
 				fprintf(stderr,
 				    "arr_strslice_elem[%s][%s]: exit=%d want=%d\n",
 				    drivers[d].name, rows[i].label,