diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f794906..34d9fb6 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
-project(fun VERSION 0.39.14 LANGUAGES C)
+project(fun VERSION 0.39.15 LANGUAGES C)
 
 set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 99)
 set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
diff --git a/examples/net/http_mt_server.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_mt_server.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_mt_server.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_mt_server.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_mt_server_cgi.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_mt_server_cgi.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_mt_server_cgi.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_mt_server_cgi.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_server.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_server.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_server.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_server.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_server_cgi.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_server_cgi.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_server_cgi.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_server_cgi.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_server_cgi_lib.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_server_cgi_lib.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_server_cgi_lib.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_server_cgi_lib.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_server_test.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_server_test.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_server_test.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_server_test.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/http_static_server.fun b/examples/blocking/net/http_static_server.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/http_static_server.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/http_static_server.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/tcp_echo_client.fun b/examples/blocking/net/tcp_echo_client.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/tcp_echo_client.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/tcp_echo_client.fun
diff --git a/examples/net/tcp_echo_server.fun b/examples/blocking/net/tcp_echo_server.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/net/tcp_echo_server.fun
rename to examples/blocking/net/tcp_echo_server.fun
diff --git a/examples/extra/tcp_echo_server.fun b/examples/blocking/tcp_echo_server.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/tcp_echo_server.fun
rename to examples/blocking/tcp_echo_server.fun
diff --git a/examples/extra/tcp_echo_server_class.fun b/examples/blocking/tcp_echo_server_class.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/tcp_echo_server_class.fun
rename to examples/blocking/tcp_echo_server_class.fun
diff --git a/examples/extra/tk_file_manager.fun b/examples/blocking/tk_file_manager.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/tk_file_manager.fun
rename to examples/blocking/tk_file_manager.fun
diff --git a/examples/extra/tk_hello.fun b/examples/blocking/tk_hello.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/tk_hello.fun
rename to examples/blocking/tk_hello.fun
diff --git a/examples/extra/tk_testing.fun b/examples/blocking/tk_testing.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/tk_testing.fun
rename to examples/blocking/tk_testing.fun
diff --git a/examples/io/await_http_client.fun b/examples/broken/await_http_client.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/io/await_http_client.fun
rename to examples/broken/await_http_client.fun
diff --git a/examples/crypto/sha1_demo.fun b/examples/crypto/sha1_demo.fun
index 1298cd0..25b8cf9 100755
--- a/examples/crypto/sha1_demo.fun
+++ b/examples/crypto/sha1_demo.fun
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  *   FUN_LIB_DIR="$(pwd)/lib" ./build/fun examples/sha1_demo.fun
  */
 
-#include <crypt/sha1.fun> as sha1
+include <crypt/sha1.fun>
 
 print("=== SHA-1 demo ===")
 
@@ -27,15 +27,15 @@ hex_abc = "616263"   // "abc" in hex
 empty = ""
 
 // Hash ASCII string directly
-d1 = sha1.SHA1().sha1_str(s)
+d1 = SHA1().sha1_str(s)
 print("SHA-1('abc')        = " + d1)
 
 // Hash pre-encoded hex bytes
-d2 = sha1.SHA1().sha1_hex(hex_abc)
+d2 = SHA1().sha1_hex(hex_abc)
 print("SHA-1(616263 hex)   = " + d2)
 
 // Empty string
-d3 = sha1.SHA1().sha1_str(empty)
+d3 = SHA1().sha1_str(empty)
 print("SHA-1('')           = " + d3)
 
 print("=== done ===")
diff --git a/examples/error/debug_reporting.fun b/examples/error/debug_reporting.fun
index 4daa009..3935d44 100755
--- a/examples/error/debug_reporting.fun
+++ b/examples/error/debug_reporting.fun
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ main()
 
 /* Expected when run with --repl-on-error (your version and line/ip may vary):
 Runtime error: index out of range
- (at ./examples/debug_reporting.fun:XX in crash, op INDEX_GET @ip YY)
+ (at ./examples/debug_reporting.fun:68 in crash, op INDEX_GET @ip 9)
 Entering REPL due to runtime error (code 1)
 Fun VERSION REPL
 Type :help for commands. Submit an empty line to run.
diff --git a/examples/extra/sqlite_example.fun b/examples/sqlite_example.fun
similarity index 100%
rename from examples/extra/sqlite_example.fun
rename to examples/sqlite_example.fun
diff --git a/lib/strings.fun b/lib/strings.fun
index e12ce22..20f1bf8 100644
--- a/lib/strings.fun
+++ b/lib/strings.fun
@@ -150,14 +150,57 @@ fun str_repeat(s, count)
     i = i + 1
   return join(parts, "")
 
-/*
-// ASCII string to bytes (printable ASCII 0x20..0x7E)
-// Temporarily disabled due to parser incompatibilities with certain string
-// literals in this function on some environments. Re-enable after the
-// language parser updates to support these cases.
+// ASCII string to array of byte codes (0..255)
+// For printable ASCII (0x20..0x7E) returns the exact code; for any other
+// character it returns 0 as a fallback. This mirrors legacy helpers used by
+// crypto libs that expect ASCII input.
 fun string_to_bytes_ascii(s)
   str = to_string(s)
   out = []
   number i = 0
+  // ASCII printable ranges buckets for quick lookup
+  P1 = " !\"#$%&'()*+,-./"          // 32..47
+  P2 = "0123456789"                 // 48..57
+  P3 = ":;<=>?@"                    // 58..64
+  P4 = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" // 65..90
+  P5 = "[\\]^_`"                    // 91..96
+  P6 = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" // 97..122
+  P7 = "{|}~"                       // 123..126
+  while (true)
+    ch = substr(str, i, 1)
+    if (typeof(ch) != "String" || ch == "")
+      break
+    number code = -1
+    idx = find(P1, ch)
+    if (idx >= 0)
+      code = 32 + idx
+    else
+      idx = find(P2, ch)
+      if (idx >= 0)
+        code = 48 + idx
+      else
+        idx = find(P3, ch)
+        if (idx >= 0)
+          code = 58 + idx
+        else
+          idx = find(P4, ch)
+          if (idx >= 0)
+            code = 65 + idx
+          else
+            idx = find(P5, ch)
+            if (idx >= 0)
+              code = 91 + idx
+            else
+              idx = find(P6, ch)
+              if (idx >= 0)
+                code = 97 + idx
+              else
+                idx = find(P7, ch)
+                if (idx >= 0)
+                  code = 123 + idx
+                else
+                  // non-printable -> 0
+                  code = 0
+    push(out, code)
+    i = i + 1
   return out
-*/
diff --git a/src/parser.c b/src/parser.c
index 2490527..3b1cae2 100644
--- a/src/parser.c
+++ b/src/parser.c
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+/* from parser_utils.c */
+extern char *preprocess_includes_with_path(const char *src, const char *current_path);
 
 /* ---- parser error state ---- */
 static const char *g_current_source_path = NULL; /* for propagating filename into nested bytecodes */
@@ -7572,8 +7574,8 @@ Bytecode *parse_file_to_bytecode(const char *path) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  /* Preprocess includes before compiling */
-  char *prep = preprocess_includes(src);
+  /* Preprocess includes before compiling (with path for accurate markers) */
+  char *prep = preprocess_includes_with_path(src, path);
   const char *compile_src = prep ? prep : src;
   size_t compile_len = strlen(compile_src);
 
@@ -7604,6 +7606,43 @@ Bytecode *parse_file_to_bytecode(const char *path) {
   if (g_has_error) {
     int line = 1, col = 1;
     calc_line_col(compile_src, compile_len, g_err_pos, &line, &col);
+
+    /* If the preprocessor injected an initial include marker line, compensate
+     * it in the outward-reported top-level line number so it matches the
+     * physical file. The marker may appear on the first line OR on the second
+     * line if a shebang was preserved as line 1. We therefore check the first
+     * non-shebang line for the marker and, if the error lies after that line,
+     * subtract exactly one from the reported line. */
+    {
+      const char *marker0 = "// __include_begin__: ";
+      size_t m0 = strlen(marker0);
+
+      /* Determine start of first logical line to examine (skip shebang) */
+      size_t start = 0;
+      if (compile_len >= 2 && compile_src[0] == '#' && compile_src[1] == '!') {
+        /* skip to end of shebang line (handle CR/LF/CRLF) */
+        while (start < compile_len && compile_src[start] != '\n' && compile_src[start] != '\r') start++;
+        if (start < compile_len && compile_src[start] == '\r') {
+          start++;
+          if (start < compile_len && compile_src[start] == '\n') start++;
+        } else if (start < compile_len && compile_src[start] == '\n') {
+          start++;
+        }
+      }
+
+      /* Find beginning and end of that (first non-shebang) line */
+      size_t ls = start;
+      size_t eol0 = ls;
+      while (eol0 < compile_len && compile_src[eol0] != '\n') eol0++;
+
+      if (ls + m0 <= compile_len && strncmp(compile_src + ls, marker0, m0) == 0) {
+        /* If the error is positioned after the synthetic marker line, reduce the outward line */
+        if (g_err_pos > eol0) {
+          if (line > 1) line -= 1;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     g_err_line = line;
     g_err_col = col;
 
@@ -7611,6 +7650,7 @@ Bytecode *parse_file_to_bytecode(const char *path) {
     const char *marker = "// __include_begin__: ";
     size_t mlen = strlen(marker);
     int inner_line = -1;
+    int base_line = 1;
     char inc_path[512];
     inc_path[0] = '\0';
     /* scan backward to find last marker line */
@@ -7622,16 +7662,40 @@ Bytecode *parse_file_to_bytecode(const char *path) {
         ls--;
       /* check if this line starts with marker */
       if (ls + mlen <= compile_len && strncmp(compile_src + ls, marker, mlen) == 0) {
-        /* extract path until end-of-line */
+        /* Parse marker: path [as alias] [@line N] */
         size_t p = ls + mlen;
-        size_t pe = p;
-        while (pe < compile_len && compile_src[pe] != '\n' && (pe - p) < sizeof(inc_path) - 1)
-          pe++;
-        memcpy(inc_path, compile_src + p, pe - p);
-        inc_path[pe - p] = '\0';
-        /* compute inner line as number of newlines from (pe+1) to error position */
+        size_t eol = p;
+        while (eol < compile_len && compile_src[eol] != '\n') eol++;
+        /* locate separators */
+        size_t pos_as = eol, pos_line = eol;
+        for (size_t t = p; t + 3 < eol; ++t) {
+          if (compile_src[t] == ' ' && strncmp(compile_src + t, " as ", 4) == 0) { pos_as = t; break; }
+        }
+        for (size_t t = p; t + 6 < eol; ++t) {
+          if (compile_src[t] == ' ' && strncmp(compile_src + t, " @line ", 7) == 0) { pos_line = t; break; }
+        }
+        size_t path_end = pos_as < pos_line ? pos_as : pos_line;
+        if (path_end < p) path_end = eol;
+        size_t copy = (path_end - p) < sizeof(inc_path) - 1 ? (path_end - p) : sizeof(inc_path) - 1;
+        memcpy(inc_path, compile_src + p, copy);
+        inc_path[copy] = '\0';
+
+        /* parse optional base line value */
+        base_line = 1;
+        if (pos_line < eol) {
+          size_t num_start = pos_line + 7;
+          while (num_start < eol && compile_src[num_start] == ' ') num_start++;
+          int v = 0;
+          while (num_start < eol && compile_src[num_start] >= '0' && compile_src[num_start] <= '9') {
+            v = v * 10 + (compile_src[num_start] - '0');
+            num_start++;
+          }
+          if (v > 0) base_line = v;
+        }
+
+        /* compute inner line as number of newlines from (eol+1) to error position */
         int count = 1;
-        size_t q = (pe < compile_len && compile_src[pe] == '\n') ? (pe + 1) : pe;
+        size_t q = (eol < compile_len && compile_src[eol] == '\n') ? (eol + 1) : eol;
         while (q < g_err_pos) {
           if (compile_src[q] == '\n') count++;
           q++;
@@ -7645,22 +7709,24 @@ Bytecode *parse_file_to_bytecode(const char *path) {
     }
 
     if (inner_line > 0 && inc_path[0] != '\0') {
-      /* Adjust for shebang stripping in included file: if it starts with '#!' we
-       * removed that entire first line during preprocessing, so add +1 to map
-       * back to the physical file line number. */
-      {
-        FILE *sf = fopen(inc_path, "rb");
-        if (sf) {
-          int c1 = fgetc(sf);
-          int c2 = fgetc(sf);
-          if (c1 == '#' && c2 == '!') {
-            inner_line += 1;
-          }
-          fclose(sf);
-        }
+      /* Adjust for shebang in included physical file */
+      int shebang_adjust = 0;
+      FILE *sf = fopen(inc_path, "rb");
+      if (sf) {
+        int c1 = fgetc(sf);
+        int c2 = fgetc(sf);
+        if (c1 == '#' && c2 == '!') shebang_adjust = 1;
+        fclose(sf);
+      }
+      int mapped_inner = inner_line + (base_line - 1) + shebang_adjust;
+      /* If the include context points to the same top-level path, suppress the redundant trailer. */
+      if (path && strcmp(path, inc_path) == 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Parse error %s:%d:%d: %s\n",
+                path, line, col, g_err_msg);
+      } else {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Parse error %s:%d:%d: %s (in %s:%d)\n",
+                path ? path : "<input>", line, col, g_err_msg, inc_path, mapped_inner);
       }
-      fprintf(stderr, "Parse error %s:%d:%d: %s (in %s:%d)\n",
-              path ? path : "<input>", line, col, g_err_msg, inc_path, inner_line);
     } else {
       fprintf(stderr, "Parse error %s:%d:%d: %s\n", path ? path : "<input>", line, col, g_err_msg);
     }
diff --git a/src/parser_utils.c b/src/parser_utils.c
index e0c80f2..d3e45b9 100644
--- a/src/parser_utils.c
+++ b/src/parser_utils.c
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ static void collect_exports_top_level(const char *text, NameList *out) {
   }
 }
 
-static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
+static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, const char *current_path, int depth) {
   if (!src) return NULL;
   if (depth > 64) {
     fprintf(stderr, "Include error: include nesting too deep\n");
@@ -515,10 +515,44 @@ static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
   size_t len = strlen(src);
   StrBuf out;
   sb_init(&out);
+
+  /* Preserve shebang on the very first line before inserting the initial marker. */
+  size_t shebang_end = 0;
+  int shebang_lines = 0;
+  if (src[0] == '#' && src[1] == '!') {
+    /* find end of line (handle CR, LF, or CRLF) */
+    size_t j = 0;
+    while (src[j] && src[j] != '\n' && src[j] != '\r') j++;
+    /* include line ending */
+    if (src[j] == '\r') {
+      j++;
+      if (src[j] == '\n') j++;
+    } else if (src[j] == '\n') {
+      j++;
+    }
+    /* count lines in shebang we are copying */
+    for (size_t t = 0; t < j; ++t) if (src[t] == '\n') shebang_lines++;
+    if (shebang_lines == 0) shebang_lines = 1; /* single shebang line without LF */
+    shebang_end = j;
+    sb_append_n(&out, src, shebang_end);
+  }
+
+  /* When we know the current file path, emit a leading marker so mapping
+   * can always recover the correct file for regions before any include. */
+  if (current_path && current_path[0]) {
+    sb_append(&out, "// __include_begin__: ");
+    sb_append(&out, current_path);
+    /* annotate physical base line in the original file */
+    char lb[32];
+    int base_line = 1 + (shebang_end ? shebang_lines : 0);
+    snprintf(lb, sizeof(lb), " @line %d", base_line);
+    sb_append(&out, lb);
+    sb_append(&out, "\n");
+  }
   int in_line = 0, in_block = 0, in_sq = 0, in_dq = 0, esc = 0;
   int bol = 1; /* beginning of line */
 
-  for (size_t i = 0; i < len;) {
+  for (size_t i = shebang_end; i < len;) {
     char c = src[i];
 
     /* Detect include directive at BOL, outside comments/strings */
@@ -657,7 +691,7 @@ static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
                   startp = q;
                 }
                 char *inc_clean = strdup(startp);
-                char *exp = preprocess_includes_internal(inc_clean, depth + 1);
+                char *exp = preprocess_includes_internal(inc_clean, resolved, depth + 1);
                 free(inc);
                 free(inc_clean);
                 if (exp) {
@@ -668,6 +702,7 @@ static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
                     sb_append(&out, " as ");
                     sb_append(&out, ns);
                   }
+                  sb_append(&out, " @line 1");
                   sb_append(&out, "\n");
 
                   /* append expanded included content */
@@ -675,6 +710,23 @@ static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
                   /* ensure included chunk ends with newline to preserve line structure */
                   if (out.len == 0 || out.buf[out.len - 1] != '\n') sb_append_ch(&out, '\n');
 
+                  /* After including, if we know the parent file path, emit a marker to
+                   * resume mapping to the including (parent) file for the subsequent text. */
+                  if (current_path && current_path[0]) {
+                    sb_append(&out, "// __include_begin__: ");
+                    sb_append(&out, current_path);
+                    /* compute resume line number in parent: next line after include directive */
+                    char lb2[32];
+                    /* crude estimate: resume at next physical line */
+                    snprintf(lb2, sizeof(lb2), " @line %d", 0); /* will be patched below */
+                    /* We need actual parent line number. Compute by scanning from start to 'i' */
+                    int parent_line = 1 + (shebang_end ? shebang_lines : 0);
+                    for (size_t tt = shebang_end; tt < k; ++tt) if (src[tt] == '\n') parent_line++;
+                    snprintf(lb2, sizeof(lb2), " @line %d", parent_line);
+                    sb_append(&out, lb2);
+                    sb_append(&out, "\n");
+                  }
+
                   free(exp);
                 }
               }
@@ -792,7 +844,12 @@ static char *preprocess_includes_internal(const char *src, int depth) {
 }
 
 char *preprocess_includes(const char *src) {
-  return preprocess_includes_internal(src, 0);
+  return preprocess_includes_internal(src, NULL, 0);
+}
+
+/* Variant with known current file path to allow precise resume markers. */
+char *preprocess_includes_with_path(const char *src, const char *current_path) {
+  return preprocess_includes_internal(src, current_path, 0);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -813,7 +870,7 @@ int map_expanded_line_to_include_path(const char *path, int line,
   char *orig = read_file_all(path, &fsz);
   if (!orig) return 0;
 
-  char *prep = preprocess_includes_internal(orig, 0);
+  char *prep = preprocess_includes_internal(orig, path, 0);
   free(orig);
   if (!prep) return 0;
 
@@ -827,11 +884,9 @@ int map_expanded_line_to_include_path(const char *path, int line,
   }
   if (cur != line) { free(prep); return 0; }
 
-  /* scan backward to find last include marker line */
+  /* scan backward to find the nearest include/resume marker line */
   const char *marker = "// __include_begin__: ";
-  const char *end_marker = "// __include_end__: ";
   size_t mlen = strlen(marker);
-  size_t elen = strlen(end_marker);
   size_t scan = pos;
   while (scan > 0) {
     /* find start of current line */
@@ -839,46 +894,51 @@ int map_expanded_line_to_include_path(const char *path, int line,
     while (ls > 0 && prep[ls - 1] != '\n') ls--;
     /* check if this line starts with marker */
     if (ls + mlen <= len && strncmp(prep + ls, marker, mlen) == 0) {
-      /* extract included path until EOL or " as " */
+      /* Parse marker line: path [as alias] [@line N] */
       size_t p = ls + mlen;
-      size_t pe = p;
-      while (pe < len && prep[pe] != '\n' && !(prep[pe] == ' ' && pe + 3 < len && strncmp(prep + pe, " as ", 4) == 0)) pe++;
-      size_t copy = (pe - p) < (out_path_cap - 1) ? (pe - p) : (out_path_cap - 1);
+      size_t eol = p;
+      while (eol < len && prep[eol] != '\n') eol++;
+      /* find separators */
+      size_t pos_as = eol, pos_line = eol;
+      for (size_t t = p; t + 3 < eol; ++t) {
+        if (prep[t] == ' ' && strncmp(prep + t, " as ", 4) == 0) { pos_as = t; break; }
+      }
+      for (size_t t = p; t + 6 < eol; ++t) {
+        if (prep[t] == ' ' && strncmp(prep + t, " @line ", 7) == 0) { pos_line = t; break; }
+      }
+      size_t path_end = pos_as < pos_line ? pos_as : pos_line;
+      if (path_end < p) path_end = eol;
+      size_t copy = (path_end - p) < (out_path_cap - 1) ? (path_end - p) : (out_path_cap - 1);
       memcpy(out_path, prep + p, copy);
       out_path[copy] = '\0';
 
-      /* determine the span end by scanning forward with nesting to match the
-       * corresponding __include_end__ marker. Lines between begin and its
-       * matching end belong to this include. */
-      size_t q = pe; /* end of path segment on the begin line */
-      /* move to first content line after begin marker */
-      while (q < len && prep[q] != '\n') q++;
-      if (q < len && prep[q] == '\n') q++;
+      /* parse optional base line number */
+      int base_line = 1;
+      if (pos_line < eol) {
+        size_t num_start = pos_line + 7; /* after ' @line ' */
+        int v = 0;
+        while (num_start < eol && prep[num_start] == ' ') num_start++;
+        while (num_start < eol && prep[num_start] >= '0' && prep[num_start] <= '9') {
+          v = v * 10 + (prep[num_start] - '0');
+          num_start++;
+        }
+        if (v > 0) base_line = v;
+      }
 
-      /* forward scan to find matching end marker accounting for nested includes */
+      /* determine the span: from the end of this marker line to the start of the next marker line */
+      size_t q = eol;
+      if (q < len && prep[q] == '\n') q++;
       size_t span_start = q;
-      size_t span_end = len; /* default to EOF if no end marker is found */
-      int depth = 0;
+      size_t span_end = len;
       size_t fwd = q;
       while (fwd < len) {
-        /* find start of current line */
+        /* find start of next line */
         size_t ls2 = fwd;
-        if (ls2 > 0) {
-          while (ls2 > 0 && prep[ls2 - 1] != '\n') ls2--;
-        }
+        while (ls2 > 0 && prep[ls2 - 1] != '\n') ls2--;
         if (ls2 + mlen <= len && strncmp(prep + ls2, marker, mlen) == 0) {
-          /* nested begin */
-          depth++;
-        } else if (ls2 + elen <= len && strncmp(prep + ls2, end_marker, elen) == 0) {
-          if (depth == 0) {
-            /* matching end for our begin */
-            span_end = ls2; /* end before this line */
-            break;
-          } else {
-            depth--;
-          }
+          span_end = ls2; /* region ends right before the next marker */
+          break;
         }
-        /* advance to next line */
         while (fwd < len && prep[fwd] != '\n') fwd++;
         if (fwd < len && prep[fwd] == '\n') fwd++;
       }
@@ -894,39 +954,7 @@ int map_expanded_line_to_include_path(const char *path, int line,
       int inner = 1;
       size_t cnt = span_start;
       while (cnt < pos) { if (prep[cnt] == '\n') inner++; cnt++; }
-
-      /* Adjust for stripped shebang in included file: if the physical file
-       * starts with "#!" (with or without a UTF-8 BOM), add +1 so the reported
-       * line matches what the user sees in the editor. */
-      do {
-        size_t inc_sz = 0;
-        char *inc_src = read_file_all(out_path, &inc_sz);
-        if (!inc_src) break;
-        const unsigned char *u = (const unsigned char *)inc_src;
-        size_t off = 0;
-        if (inc_sz >= 3 && u[0] == 0xEF && u[1] == 0xBB && u[2] == 0xBF) off = 3; /* UTF-8 BOM */
-        if (inc_sz >= off + 2 && inc_src[off] == '#' && inc_src[off + 1] == '!') {
-          inner += 1;
-        }
-        free(inc_src);
-      } while (0);
-
-      /* Adjust for shebang stripping: if the real included file starts with '#!',
-       * preprocessing removed that entire first line, so the visible "inner" line
-       * number in the expanded text is one less than the actual file line. */
-      int adjusted = inner;
-      if (copy > 2) {
-        FILE *sf = fopen(out_path, "rb");
-        if (sf) {
-          int c1 = fgetc(sf);
-          int c2 = fgetc(sf);
-          if (c1 == '#' && c2 == '!') {
-            adjusted += 1;
-          }
-          fclose(sf);
-        }
-      }
-      *out_line = adjusted;
+      *out_line = base_line + inner - 1;
       free(prep);
       return 1;
     }
diff --git a/src/vm.c b/src/vm.c
index 27490cc..51468ce 100644
--- a/src/vm.c
+++ b/src/vm.c
@@ -123,13 +123,27 @@ static int fun_vm_vfprintf(FILE *stream, const char *fmt, va_list ap) {
         /* fallback to VM's last recorded line if no marker found */
         if (line <= 0) line = g_active_vm->current_line > 0 ? g_active_vm->current_line : 1;
 
-        /* If this function was compiled from an include-expanded source, map to the included file */
-        if (sfile && line > 0) {
-          char mapped_path[1024];
-          int mapped_line = line;
-          if (map_expanded_line_to_include_path(sfile, line, mapped_path, sizeof(mapped_path), &mapped_line)) {
-            sfile = strdup(mapped_path); /* leak on purpose for simplicity; this is rare */
-            line = mapped_line;
+        /* Map expanded line back to the real included file.
+         * Important: OP_LINE operands refer to the expanded, top-level source produced by
+         * the preprocessor. Therefore we must pass the TOP-LEVEL script path to the mapper,
+         * not the current function's own source_file (which may point at an included file).
+         */
+        if (line > 0) {
+          /* Attempt to retrieve the entry frame's source file as the true top-level path */
+          const char *top_path = NULL;
+          if (g_active_vm->fp >= 0) {
+            Frame *entry = &g_active_vm->frames[0];
+            if (entry && entry->fn && entry->fn->source_file) top_path = entry->fn->source_file;
+          }
+          /* Fallback: use current function's source when entry is unavailable */
+          if (!top_path) top_path = sfile;
+          if (top_path) {
+            char mapped_path[1024];
+            int mapped_line = line;
+            if (map_expanded_line_to_include_path(top_path, line, mapped_path, sizeof(mapped_path), &mapped_line)) {
+              sfile = strdup(mapped_path); /* leak acceptable on error paths */
+              line = mapped_line;
+            }
           }
         }
       }