diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index 2f07acdd..260080f5 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -7972,7 +7972,6 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     // bootstrap fixed-point (tests 993/995) — letting these locals get
     // declared inside the branch bodies trips a per-stage divergence in
     // slot counting.
-    let stepnd: *node = nil;
     let stepnm: str = "";
     let fi: *fieldinfo = nil;
     let found: *fieldinfo = nil;
@@ -7984,17 +7983,8 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     for (i >= 0) {
         let csi: *structinfo = structlookup(c, curstruct);
         if (csi == nil) { return false; };
-        // Spill `stk[i]` to a *node local before reading its `.str`.
-        // Task #8 closed the cgen bug behind this — cstage's N_DOT
-        // had no N_INDEX-lhs branch and fell through, returning the
-        // (AX, BX) cgindex shape as if it were the field. The fix
-        // lives in cmd/w6c/cgen.c N_DOT and the mirror in this
-        // module's cgenexpr.ww cgdot. The spill stays for now (Pike
-        // rule — workaround retirement is task #14), so cstage
-        // compiling this source emits byte-identical asm to wwstage.
-        stepnd = stk[i];
-        if (stepnd == nil) { return false; };
-        stepnm = stepnd.str;
+        if (stk[i] == nil) { return false; };
+        stepnm = stk[i].str;
         fi = csi.fields;
         found = nil;
         for (fi != nil) {
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenutil.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenutil.ww
index dabd508f..e6ea4b89 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenutil.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenutil.ww
@@ -2402,7 +2402,6 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     // bootstrap fixed-point (tests 993/995) — letting these locals get
     // declared inside the branch bodies trips a per-stage divergence in
     // slot counting.
-    let stepnd: *node = nil;
     let stepnm: str = "";
     let fi: *fieldinfo = nil;
     let found: *fieldinfo = nil;
@@ -2414,17 +2413,8 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     for (i >= 0) {
         let csi: *structinfo = structlookup(c, curstruct);
         if (csi == nil) { return false; };
-        // Spill `stk[i]` to a *node local before reading its `.str`.
-        // Task #8 closed the cgen bug behind this — cstage's N_DOT
-        // had no N_INDEX-lhs branch and fell through, returning the
-        // (AX, BX) cgindex shape as if it were the field. The fix
-        // lives in cmd/w6c/cgen.c N_DOT and the mirror in this
-        // module's cgenexpr.ww cgdot. The spill stays for now (Pike
-        // rule — workaround retirement is task #14), so cstage
-        // compiling this source emits byte-identical asm to wwstage.
-        stepnd = stk[i];
-        if (stepnd == nil) { return false; };
-        stepnm = stepnd.str;
+        if (stk[i] == nil) { return false; };
+        stepnm = stk[i].str;
         fi = csi.fields;
         found = nil;
         for (fi != nil) {
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index 4af8faef..528e4899 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -7972,7 +7972,6 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     // bootstrap fixed-point (tests 993/995) — letting these locals get
     // declared inside the branch bodies trips a per-stage divergence in
     // slot counting.
-    let stepnd: *node = nil;
     let stepnm: str = "";
     let fi: *fieldinfo = nil;
     let found: *fieldinfo = nil;
@@ -7984,17 +7983,8 @@ export fn dotchainresolve(c: *cgen, n: *node, out: *dotchain) bool = {
     for (i >= 0) {
         let csi: *structinfo = structlookup(c, curstruct);
         if (csi == nil) { return false; };
-        // Spill `stk[i]` to a *node local before reading its `.str`.
-        // Task #8 closed the cgen bug behind this — cstage's N_DOT
-        // had no N_INDEX-lhs branch and fell through, returning the
-        // (AX, BX) cgindex shape as if it were the field. The fix
-        // lives in cmd/w6c/cgen.c N_DOT and the mirror in this
-        // module's cgenexpr.ww cgdot. The spill stays for now (Pike
-        // rule — workaround retirement is task #14), so cstage
-        // compiling this source emits byte-identical asm to wwstage.
-        stepnd = stk[i];
-        if (stepnd == nil) { return false; };
-        stepnm = stepnd.str;
+        if (stk[i] == nil) { return false; };
+        stepnm = stk[i].str;
         fi = csi.fields;
         found = nil;
         for (fi != nil) {