diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index ec5841fe..d3d4055d 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -20499,10 +20499,12 @@ fn cgindex(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 			// checker-stamped element tinfo's natural size, the
 			// same idiom as the N_INDEX-base arm below (#60/#72).
 			// cstage idx_eff(base->type)->sub->size (cmd/w6c/
-			// cgen.c:3517-18). esz-only — N_DOT-base signedness
-			// stays unset, as before.
+			// cgen.c:3517-18). Signedness from the same element tinfo
+			// so a signed-narrow field element sign-extends on load
+			// (loadopsz keys on (signed,sz)); cstage's fldloadop reads
+			// it from the element type — align ww up (#255).
 			let dt: *tinfo = n.type_: *tinfo;
-			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
+			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; signed_elem = typeissigned(dt); elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
 			elem_isarray = tinfoisarray(dt);
 		} else { if (base.kind == nkind.N_INDEX) {
 			// #60: chained `names[i][k]` — n.type_ is the checker-
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
index bbc6655b..ee06fcf1 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
@@ -1201,10 +1201,12 @@ fn cgindex(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 			// checker-stamped element tinfo's natural size, the
 			// same idiom as the N_INDEX-base arm below (#60/#72).
 			// cstage idx_eff(base->type)->sub->size (cmd/w6c/
-			// cgen.c:3517-18). esz-only — N_DOT-base signedness
-			// stays unset, as before.
+			// cgen.c:3517-18). Signedness from the same element tinfo
+			// so a signed-narrow field element sign-extends on load
+			// (loadopsz keys on (signed,sz)); cstage's fldloadop reads
+			// it from the element type — align ww up (#255).
 			let dt: *tinfo = n.type_: *tinfo;
-			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
+			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; signed_elem = typeissigned(dt); elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
 			elem_isarray = tinfoisarray(dt);
 		} else { if (base.kind == nkind.N_INDEX) {
 			// #60: chained `names[i][k]` — n.type_ is the checker-
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index 2a60f8d9..bc1837bc 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -20499,10 +20499,12 @@ fn cgindex(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 			// checker-stamped element tinfo's natural size, the
 			// same idiom as the N_INDEX-base arm below (#60/#72).
 			// cstage idx_eff(base->type)->sub->size (cmd/w6c/
-			// cgen.c:3517-18). esz-only — N_DOT-base signedness
-			// stays unset, as before.
+			// cgen.c:3517-18). Signedness from the same element tinfo
+			// so a signed-narrow field element sign-extends on load
+			// (loadopsz keys on (signed,sz)); cstage's fldloadop reads
+			// it from the element type — align ww up (#255).
 			let dt: *tinfo = n.type_: *tinfo;
-			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
+			if (dt != nil) { esz = dt.size: i32; signed_elem = typeissigned(dt); elemisstr = typeisstr(dt); elemisslice = typeisslice(dt); float_elem = typeisfloat(dt); f32_elem = typeisf32(dt); };
 			elem_isarray = tinfoisarray(dt);
 		} else { if (base.kind == nkind.N_INDEX) {
 			// #60: chained `names[i][k]` — n.type_ is the checker-
diff --git a/test/wcc/949_dotbase_addr_slice_run.c b/test/wcc/949_dotbase_addr_slice_run.c
index a5edb34b..b6d19918 100644
--- a/test/wcc/949_dotbase_addr_slice_run.c
+++ b/test/wcc/949_dotbase_addr_slice_run.c
@@ -56,14 +56,14 @@
  *
  * Run-only rows (byteid=0): the chained VALUE-container arm (`o.i.m`,
  * inner is a value nested struct). These exercise the same fixed helper
- * and run correctly, but a value nested-struct instance trips THREE
+ * and run correctly, but a value nested-struct instance trips two
  * orthogonal pre-existing cs!=ww divergences unrelated to #253 — bare-
- * let zero-init policy (wwstage emits an extra `MOVQ $0,off(BP)`),
- * global DATAW byte count (wwstage over-emits), and the i32 element-
- * LOAD opcode in the index fallback (cstage MOVSXD vs wwstage MOVL) —
- * so the rule-10 byte-id gate can't apply here until those are fixed
- * (filed: wwstage value-nested-struct emission divergence). Run
- * correctness alone proves the #253 segfault is gone for this cell.
+ * let zero-init policy (wwstage emits an extra `MOVQ $0,off(BP)`) and
+ * global DATAW byte count (wwstage over-emits) — so the rule-10 byte-id
+ * gate can't apply here until those are fixed (#254). (A third, the
+ * signed-narrow index-fallback element-LOAD opcode, was #255 — now
+ * fixed; these u8 rows never hit it anyway.) Run correctness alone
+ * proves the #253 segfault is gone for this cell.
  *   - chain_val_rd    o.i.m[1] read (i value nested)            → 66
  *   - chain_val_addr  &o.i.m[2] then *q read                    → 55
  *   - chain_val_slice o.i.m[1:4], s[0]                          → 66
@@ -304,6 +304,40 @@ static const struct row rows[] = {
 	  "	let x: e; x.m[1] = 66u8;\n"
 	  "	return x.m[1]: i32;\n"
 	  "};\n", 66, 1 },
+	/* #255 signed-narrow N_DOT-base index read. Reading x.o[k] of a
+	 * [N]i32/i16/i8 struct field via the N_DOT-base index fallback must
+	 * sign-extend the narrow element (loadopsz keys on (signed,sz) →
+	 * MOVSXD/MOVSWQ/MOVSBQ); pre-fix wwstage left signedness unset and
+	 * emitted MOVL/MOVZ* (zero-extend) where cstage emits MOVS* — a
+	 * byte-id divergence bootstrap never indexes, so these rows ARE the
+	 * net. Negative round-trip (-5 → exit 251 = 256-5). */
+	{ "nload_i32",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "type e = struct { o: [4]i32 };\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "	let x: e;\n"
+	  "	x.o[2] = -5;\n"
+	  "	let v: i32 = x.o[2];\n"
+	  "	return v;\n"
+	  "};\n", 251, 1 },
+	{ "nload_i16",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "type e = struct { o: [4]i16 };\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "	let x: e;\n"
+	  "	x.o[2] = -5i16;\n"
+	  "	let v: i16 = x.o[2];\n"
+	  "	return v: i32;\n"
+	  "};\n", 251, 1 },
+	{ "nload_i8",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "type e = struct { o: [4]i8 };\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "	let x: e;\n"
+	  "	x.o[2] = -5i8;\n"
+	  "	let v: i8 = x.o[2];\n"
+	  "	return v: i32;\n"
+	  "};\n", 251, 1 },
 	/* #253 chained VALUE-container arm (o.i.m). Run-only (byteid=0):
 	 * a value nested-struct instance trips orthogonal pre-existing
 	 * cs!=ww emission divergences (see header). The fixed helper runs