diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ast.rs b/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
index 11a1a88bf5f7..761bfd906ad2 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
@@ -378,8 +378,9 @@ type matcher = spanned<matcher_>;
 enum matcher_ {
     /* match one token */
     mtc_tok(token::token),
-    /* match repetitions of a sequence: body, separator, zero ok? : */
-    mtc_rep(~[matcher], option<token::token>, bool),
+    /* match repetitions of a sequence: body, separator, zero ok?,
+    lo, hi position-in-match-array used: */
+    mtc_rep(~[matcher], option<token::token>, bool, uint, uint),
     /* parse a Rust NT: name to bind, name of NT, position in match array : */
     mtc_bb(ident, ident, uint)
 }
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/earley_parser.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/earley_parser.rs
index 152b92a4b53b..5015efa67dff 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/earley_parser.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/earley_parser.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ type matcher_pos = ~{
     mut idx: uint,
     mut up: matcher_pos_up, // mutable for swapping only
     matches: ~[dvec<@arb_depth>],
+    match_lo: uint, match_hi: uint,
     sp_lo: uint,
 };
 
@@ -55,17 +56,25 @@ fn count_names(ms: &[matcher]) -> uint {
     vec::foldl(0u, ms, |ct, m| {
         ct + alt m.node {
           mtc_tok(_) { 0u }
-          mtc_rep(more_ms, _, _) { count_names(more_ms) }
+          mtc_rep(more_ms, _, _, _, _) { count_names(more_ms) }
           mtc_bb(_,_,_) { 1u }
         }})
 }
 
 #[warn(no_non_implicitly_copyable_typarams)]
-fn new_matcher_pos(ms: ~[matcher], sep: option<token>, lo: uint)
+fn initial_matcher_pos(ms: ~[matcher], sep: option<token>, lo: uint)
     -> matcher_pos {
+    let mut match_idx_hi = 0u;
+    for ms.each() |elt| {
+        alt elt.node {
+          mtc_tok(_) {}
+          mtc_rep(_,_,_,_,hi) { match_idx_hi = hi; } //it is monotonic...
+          mtc_bb(_,_,pos) { match_idx_hi = pos+1u; } //...so latest is highest
+        }
+    }
     ~{elts: ms, sep: sep, mut idx: 0u, mut up: matcher_pos_up(none),
       matches: copy vec::from_fn(count_names(ms), |_i| dvec::dvec()),
-      sp_lo: lo}
+      match_lo: 0u, match_hi: match_idx_hi, sp_lo: lo}
 }
 
 /* logically, an arb_depth should contain only one kind of nonterminal */
@@ -79,7 +88,7 @@ fn nameize(p_s: parse_sess, ms: ~[matcher], res: ~[@arb_depth])
              ret_val: hashmap<ident, @arb_depth>) {
         alt m {
           {node: mtc_tok(_), span: _} { }
-          {node: mtc_rep(more_ms, _, _), span: _} {
+          {node: mtc_rep(more_ms, _, _, _, _), span: _} {
             for more_ms.each() |next_m| { n_rec(p_s, next_m, res, ret_val) };
           }
           {node: mtc_bb(bind_name, _, idx), span: sp} {
@@ -104,7 +113,7 @@ enum parse_result {
 fn parse(sess: parse_sess, cfg: ast::crate_cfg, rdr: reader, ms: ~[matcher])
     -> parse_result {
     let mut cur_eis = ~[];
-    vec::push(cur_eis, new_matcher_pos(ms, none, rdr.peek().sp.lo));
+    vec::push(cur_eis, initial_matcher_pos(ms, none, rdr.peek().sp.lo));
 
     loop {
         let mut bb_eis = ~[]; // black-box parsed by parser.rs
@@ -141,10 +150,10 @@ fn parse(sess: parse_sess, cfg: ast::crate_cfg, rdr: reader, ms: ~[matcher])
                         // I bet this is a perf problem: we're preemptively
                         // doing a lot of array work that will get thrown away
                         // most of the time.
-                        for ei.matches.eachi() |idx, elt| {
-                            let sub = elt.get();
-                            // Some subtrees don't contain the name at all
-                            if sub.len() == 0u { again; }
+
+                        // Only touch the binders we have actually bound
+                        for uint::range(ei.match_lo, ei.match_hi) |idx| {
+                            let sub = ei.matches[idx].get();
                             new_pos.matches[idx]
                                 .push(@seq(sub, mk_sp(ei.sp_lo,sp.hi)));
                         }
@@ -176,10 +185,15 @@ fn parse(sess: parse_sess, cfg: ast::crate_cfg, rdr: reader, ms: ~[matcher])
             } else {
                 alt copy ei.elts[idx].node {
                   /* need to descend into sequence */
-                  mtc_rep(matchers, sep, zero_ok) {
+                  mtc_rep(matchers, sep, zero_ok, match_idx_lo, match_idx_hi){
                     if zero_ok {
                         let new_ei = copy ei;
                         new_ei.idx += 1u;
+                        //we specifically matched zero repeats.
+                        for uint::range(match_idx_lo, match_idx_hi) |idx| {
+                            new_ei.matches[idx].push(@seq(~[], sp));
+                        }
+
                         vec::push(cur_eis, new_ei);
                     }
 
@@ -189,7 +203,9 @@ fn parse(sess: parse_sess, cfg: ast::crate_cfg, rdr: reader, ms: ~[matcher])
                     vec::push(cur_eis, ~{
                         elts: matchers, sep: sep, mut idx: 0u,
                         mut up: matcher_pos_up(some(ei_t)),
-                        matches: matches, sp_lo: sp.lo
+                        matches: matches,
+                        match_lo: match_idx_lo, match_hi: match_idx_hi,
+                        sp_lo: sp.lo
                     });
                   }
                   mtc_bb(_,_,_) { vec::push(bb_eis, ei) }
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/macro_rules.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/macro_rules.rs
index 7bed3107f533..a1bb879965fb 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/macro_rules.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/macro_rules.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ fn add_new_extension(cx: ext_ctxt, sp: span, name: ident,
             ms(mtc_bb(@~"lhs",@~"mtcs", 0u)),
             ms(mtc_tok(FAT_ARROW)),
             ms(mtc_bb(@~"rhs",@~"tt", 1u)),
-        ], some(SEMI), false))];
+        ], some(SEMI), false, 0u, 2u))];
 
     let arg_reader = new_tt_reader(cx.parse_sess().span_diagnostic,
                                    cx.parse_sess().interner, none, arg);
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/transcribe.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/transcribe.rs
index a9bc124b6051..b9d4adc2339e 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/transcribe.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/tt/transcribe.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ pure fn lookup_cur_ad_by_ad(r: tt_reader, start: @arb_depth) -> @arb_depth {
           seq(ads, _) { ads[idx] }
         }
     }
+    unchecked {io::println(#fmt["%? / %?", copy r.repeat_idx,
+                                copy r.repeat_len]);};
     vec::foldl(start, r.repeat_idx, red)
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
index 656e064d694e..b9fb9dab3742 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
@@ -1194,13 +1194,14 @@ class parser {
         let m = if self.token == token::DOLLAR {
             self.bump();
             if self.token == token::LPAREN {
+                let name_idx_lo = *name_idx;
                 let ms = self.parse_matcher_subseq(name_idx, token::LPAREN,
                                                    token::RPAREN);
                 if ms.len() == 0u {
                     self.fatal(~"repetition body must be nonempty");
                 }
                 let (sep, zerok) = self.parse_sep_and_zerok();
-                mtc_rep(ms, sep, zerok)
+                mtc_rep(ms, sep, zerok, name_idx_lo, *name_idx)
             } else {
                 let bound_to = self.parse_ident();
                 self.expect(token::COLON);