diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.test.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.test.ts
index f4e6a6866..ea0517b56 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.test.ts
@@ -130,3 +130,19 @@ test("function arms are nullable pointers compared by identity root", () => {
   expect(isPointerIdentityArm(single)).toBe(false);
   expect(unions.armTypes().get("fu")).toEqual(fn);
 });
+
+test("typed array arms are nullable pointers compared by identity", () => {
+  const i32: IrType = { kind: "bytes", elem: "i32" };
+  const unions = new NullableUnions(
+    module([
+      { id: "iu", arms: [i32, UNDEFINED_T] },
+      { id: "nin", arms: [NULL_T, i32, UNDEFINED_T] },
+      { id: "if", arms: [i32, F64] },
+    ]),
+  );
+  expect(unions.single("iu")).toMatchObject({ refTag: 0, unitTag: 1, nullTag: -1, arm: i32 });
+  expect(unions.single("nin")).toMatchObject({ refTag: 1, unitTag: 2, nullTag: 0, arm: i32 });
+  expect(unions.get("if")).toBeNull();
+  expect(isObjectArm(unions.single("iu")!)).toBe(true);
+  expect(isPointerIdentityArm(unions.single("iu")!)).toBe(true);
+});
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.ts
index eedb922b3..587f3c18c 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/nullable-unions.ts
@@ -88,17 +88,17 @@ export const NULLABLE_NULL = "@sc_nullable_null";
 export const NULLABLE_ABSENT = "@sc_nullable_absent";
 
 /** The reference arms whose instances are never NULL. Class and record
- * entry points all tolerate NULL; strings, Stats snapshots, arrays, maps and
- * sets retain through a NULL-skipping wrapper (shapes.ts), as do closures
- * (function arms). Object arms are always truthy and compare by identity
- * (function arms by identity root); string arms are truthy when non-empty
- * and compare bytes. */
+ * entry points all tolerate NULL; strings, Stats snapshots, arrays, typed
+ * arrays, maps and sets retain through a NULL-skipping wrapper (shapes.ts),
+ * as do closures (function arms). Object arms are always truthy and compare
+ * by identity (function arms by identity root); string arms are truthy when
+ * non-empty and compare bytes. */
 export type NullableRefArm =
   | { kind: "object"; className: string }
   | { kind: "record"; shapeId: string }
   | { kind: "string" }
   | { kind: "stats" }
-  | (IrType & { kind: "array" | "map" | "set" | "func" });
+  | (IrType & { kind: "array" | "bytes" | "map" | "set" | "func" });
 
 /** The arm is a JS object: always truthy. */
 export function isObjectArm(nullable: PointerUnion): boolean {
@@ -273,7 +273,13 @@ function nullableShape(
     return { ...base, arm: { kind: "record", shapeId: arm.shapeId } };
   if (arm.kind === "string") return { ...base, arm: { kind: "string" } };
   if (arm.kind === "stats") return { ...base, arm: { kind: "stats" } };
-  if (arm.kind === "array" || arm.kind === "map" || arm.kind === "set" || arm.kind === "func")
+  if (
+    arm.kind === "array" ||
+    arm.kind === "bytes" ||
+    arm.kind === "map" ||
+    arm.kind === "set" ||
+    arm.kind === "func"
+  )
     return { ...base, arm };
   return null;
 }
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.test.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.test.ts
index caa6be94f..4df5f88fe 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.test.ts
@@ -139,3 +139,24 @@ test("returns of walks, including calls to borrowed-return callees, return borro
   );
   expect(analyzeWalks(owned, borrowedHost).returnsWalk).toBe(true);
 });
+
+test("a string literal return keeps the body's other walks borrowed", () => {
+  const ret = (value: IrExpr | null): IrStmt => ({ kind: "return", value, loc });
+  const STRING: IrType = { kind: "string" };
+  const text: IrExpr = {
+    kind: "fieldGet",
+    obj: ref("node"),
+    className: "Node",
+    field: "text",
+    type: STRING,
+    loc,
+  };
+  const empty: IrExpr = { kind: "strLit", value: "", type: STRING, loc };
+  const getter = fn([ret(text), ret(empty)], []);
+  expect(analyzeWalks(getter, host).returnsWalk).toBe(true);
+  // The literal needs no unwritten location; the field read still does.
+  expect(analyzeWalks(getter, { ...host, unwritten: () => false }).returnsWalk).toBe(false);
+  expect(analyzeWalks(fn([ret(empty)], []), { ...host, unwritten: () => false }).returnsWalk).toBe(
+    true,
+  );
+});
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.ts
index 86b8f3d21..573eb775f 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/walk-borrows.ts
@@ -42,8 +42,9 @@ const WALK_KINDS: readonly IrNodeKind[] = [
 
 export interface WalkFacts {
   locals: ReadonlySet<string>;
-  /** Every return yields a walk (or a throw), so the body can return its
-   * pointer without a reference: no try statement, at least one return. */
+  /** Every return yields a walk, a throw or a string literal (an interned
+   * constant that nothing frees), so the body can return its pointer
+   * without a reference: no try statement, at least one return. */
   returnsWalk: boolean;
 }
 
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ export function analyzeWalks(fn: IrFunction, host: WalkBorrowHost): WalkFacts {
   };
   const isThrow = (e: IrExpr): boolean => e.kind === "libCall" && e.fn === "error.nodeThrow";
   const walkOrThrow = (e: IrExpr): boolean => isThrow(e) || walk(e);
+  const constant = (e: IrExpr): boolean => isThrow(e) || e.kind === "strLit";
   for (let changed = true; changed;) {
     changed = false;
     for (const id of candidates) {
@@ -199,8 +201,7 @@ export function analyzeWalks(fn: IrFunction, host: WalkBorrowHost): WalkFacts {
     returns.every(
       (value) =>
         value !== null &&
-        walkOrThrow(value) &&
-        (isThrow(value) || host.unwritten?.(value, candidates) !== false),
+        (constant(value) || (walk(value) && host.unwritten?.(value, candidates) !== false)),
     );
   return { locals: result, returnsWalk };
 }
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/ts7/baselines/order-parity/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json b/packages/compiler/test/ts7/baselines/order-parity/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..48f4fcde4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/ts7/baselines/order-parity/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+ "order": [
+  "<repo>/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts"
+ ],
+ "diags": []
+}
diff --git a/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts b/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..11bee503f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/corpus/typed-array-or-undefined.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+// Typed arrays in `T | undefined` slots: paged bit sets, optional fields,
+// map values, comparisons, printing and JSON.
+class PagedBits {
+  readonly pages: (Int32Array | undefined)[] = [];
+  has(id: number): boolean {
+    const page = this.pages[id >> 8];
+    return page !== undefined && (page[(id >> 5) & 7]! & (1 << (id & 31))) !== 0;
+  }
+  add(id: number): void {
+    const index = id >> 8;
+    let page = this.pages[index];
+    if (page === undefined) {
+      page = new Int32Array(8);
+      while (this.pages.length <= index) this.pages.push(undefined);
+      this.pages[index] = page;
+    }
+    page[(id >> 5) & 7]! |= 1 << (id & 31);
+  }
+  clearPage(index: number): void {
+    this.pages[index] = undefined;
+  }
+}
+
+const bits = new PagedBits();
+for (let i = 0; i < 4000; i += 13) bits.add(i);
+for (let i = 2000; i < 2600; i += 7) bits.add(i);
+let count = 0;
+for (let i = 0; i < 5000; i++) if (bits.has(i)) count++;
+console.log("count", count, "pages", bits.pages.length);
+console.log(
+  "present",
+  bits.pages.map((p) => (p === undefined ? "-" : p.length)).join(","),
+);
+bits.clearPage(3);
+let after = 0;
+for (let i = 0; i < 5000; i++) if (bits.has(i)) after++;
+console.log("after clear", after, bits.pages[3] === undefined, bits.pages[99]);
+
+// A page read past the end and from a hole.
+const sparse: (Uint8Array | undefined)[] = [];
+sparse[4] = Uint8Array.of(1, 2, 3);
+console.log(sparse.length, sparse[0], sparse[4], sparse[9]);
+console.log(sparse.findIndex((p) => p !== undefined), sparse.includes(undefined));
+
+// Optional fields and parameters.
+class Buffered {
+  data: Float64Array | undefined;
+  constructor(n: number) {
+    this.data = n > 0 ? new Float64Array(n).fill(0.5) : undefined;
+  }
+  total(): number {
+    const d = this.data;
+    if (!d) return -1;
+    let s = 0;
+    for (const x of d) s += x;
+    return s;
+  }
+}
+const buffers = [new Buffered(4), new Buffered(0), new Buffered(2)];
+console.log(buffers.map((b) => b.total()));
+console.log(buffers.map((b) => b.data?.length ?? "none"));
+buffers[1]!.data = buffers[0]!.data;
+console.log(buffers[1]!.data === buffers[0]!.data, buffers[2]!.data === buffers[0]!.data);
+buffers[0]!.data![0] = 9;
+console.log(buffers[1]!.total(), typeof buffers[1]!.data, typeof buffers[2]!.data?.[5]);
+
+function pick(a: Int16Array | undefined, b: Int16Array | undefined): Int16Array | undefined {
+  return a ?? b;
+}
+const one = Int16Array.of(-1, 2);
+console.log(pick(undefined, one), pick(one, undefined) === one, pick(undefined, undefined));
+
+// Map values and printing.
+const byName = new Map<string, Uint32Array | undefined>();
+byName.set("a", Uint32Array.of(7, 8));
+byName.set("b", undefined);
+for (const [k, v] of byName) console.log(k, v, v ? v[1] : "absent");
+console.log(byName.get("c"), byName.has("b"));
+const row: (Int32Array | undefined)[] = [Int32Array.of(5), undefined];
+console.log(row, JSON.stringify(row));
+const copy = [...row, Int32Array.of(6)];
+console.log(copy.filter((p) => p !== undefined).length, copy.indexOf(row[0]));
diff --git a/tests/harness/corpus-costs/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json b/tests/harness/corpus-costs/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ec575788c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/harness/corpus-costs/typed-array-or-undefined.ts.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{ "plain": 2800 }