diff --git a/src/codegen.c b/src/codegen.c
index 7d318d2e..01ba4eb1 100644
--- a/src/codegen.c
+++ b/src/codegen.c
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ typedef struct analyze_state {
   pic_sym sGSET, sLSET, sCSET;
 } analyze_state;
 
+static void push_scope(analyze_state *, pic_value);
+static void pop_scope(analyze_state *);
+
 #define register_symbol(pic, state, slot, name) do {    \
     state->slot = pic_intern_cstr(pic, name);           \
   } while (0)
@@ -115,7 +118,7 @@ new_analyze_state(pic_state *pic)
 
   state = (analyze_state *)pic_alloc(pic, sizeof(analyze_state));
   state->pic = pic;
-  state->scope = global_scope(pic);
+  state->scope = NULL;
 
   stdlib = pic_find_library(pic, pic_parse(pic, "(scheme base)"));
 
@@ -143,6 +146,9 @@ new_analyze_state(pic_state *pic)
   register_symbol(pic, state, sLREF, "lref");
   register_symbol(pic, state, sCREF, "cref");
 
+  /* push initial scope */
+  push_scope(state, pic_nil_value());
+
   return state;
 }
 
@@ -242,12 +248,6 @@ define_var(analyze_state *state, const char *name)
   xh_put(scope->dirty_flags, name, 0);
 }
 
-static bool
-is_global_scope(analyze_scope *scope)
-{
-  return scope->up == NULL;
-}
-
 static pic_value
 new_cref(analyze_state *state, int depth, pic_sym sym)
 {