diff --git a/src/nimony/decls.nim b/src/nimony/decls.nim
index 0af905cd..f5174e20 100644
--- a/src/nimony/decls.nim
+++ b/src/nimony/decls.nim
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ proc isRoutine*(t: SymKind): bool {.inline.} =
 proc isLocal*(t: SymKind): bool {.inline.} =
   t in {LetY, VarY, ResultY, ConstY, ParamY, TypevarY, CursorY, FldY, EfldY}
 
+proc isNominal*(t: TypeKind): bool {.inline.} =
+  ## type kinds that should stay as symbols, see sigmatch.matchSymbol
+  t in {ObjectT, EnumT, HoleyEnumT, DistinctT, ConceptT}
+
 const
   LocalTypePos* = 3
   LocalValuePos* = 4
diff --git a/src/nimony/sem.nim b/src/nimony/sem.nim
index 27ec4f85..02653f10 100644
--- a/src/nimony/sem.nim
+++ b/src/nimony/sem.nim
@@ -1777,9 +1777,9 @@ proc semTypeSym(c: var SemContext; s: Sym; info: PackedLineInfo; start: int; con
           typeclassBuf.addParRi()
           typeclassBuf.addParRi()
           replace(c.dest, cursorAt(typeclassBuf, 0), start)
-    else:
+    elif res.status == LacksNothing:
       let typ = asTypeDecl(res.decl)
-      if isGeneric(typ) or typ.body.typeKind in {ObjectT, EnumT, HoleyEnumT, DistinctT, ConceptT}:
+      if isGeneric(typ) or isNominal(typ.body.typeKind):
         # types that should stay as symbols, see sigmatch.matchSymbol
         discard
       else:
@@ -2055,7 +2055,12 @@ proc semInvoke(c: var SemContext; n: var Cursor) =
     semLocalTypeImpl c, n, AllowValues
   swap c.usedTypevars, genericArgs
   wantParRi c, n
-  if (genericArgs == 0 or magicKind != NoType) and ok:
+  if ok and (genericArgs == 0 or magicKind != NoType or
+      # structural types are inlined even with generic arguments
+      # XXX does not instantiate properly if structural type is forward declared
+      # because typevar syms are not created in the SemcheckTopLevelSyms phase
+      # maybe  they could be declared and captured in the body with an untyped prepass
+      not isNominal(decl.body.typeKind)):
     # we have to be eager in generic type instantiations so that type-checking
     # can do its job properly:
     let key = typeToCanon(c.dest, typeStart)
@@ -2113,7 +2118,8 @@ proc semInvoke(c: var SemContext; n: var Cursor) =
         semLocalTypeImpl c, m, InLocalDecl
         return
       let targetSym = newSymId(c, headId)
-      c.instantiatedTypes[key] = targetSym
+      if genericArgs == 0:
+        c.instantiatedTypes[key] = targetSym
       var sub = createTokenBuf(30)
       subsGenericTypeFromArgs c, sub, info, headId, targetSym, decl, args
       c.dest.endRead()
@@ -3691,6 +3697,7 @@ proc semObjConstr(c: var SemContext, it: var Item) =
   c.dest.shrink exprStart
   var decl = default(TypeDecl)
   var objType = it.typ
+  let isGenericObj = containsGenericParams(objType)
   if objType.typeKind in {RefT, PtrT}:
     inc objType
   if objType.typeKind == InvokeT:
@@ -3738,7 +3745,11 @@ proc semObjConstr(c: var SemContext, it: var Item) =
             skip it.n
           else:
             setFieldPositions[field.sym] = fieldStart
-            fieldBuf.add symToken(field.sym, info)
+            if isGenericObj:
+              # do not save generic field sym
+              fieldBuf.add identToken(fieldName, info)
+            else:
+              fieldBuf.add symToken(field.sym, info)
             # maybe add inheritance depth too somehow?
             var val = Item(n: it.n, typ: field.typ)
             swap c.dest, fieldBuf
diff --git a/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nif b/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nif
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..926f1d61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nif
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+(.nif24)
+,1,tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nim(stmts 5
+ (type :int.0.tge0lah6v
+  (i -1) . 5
+  (pragmas 2
+   (magic 7 Int)) .) 10,3
+ (type ~8 :Node.0.tge0lah6v . ~4
+  (typevars 1
+   (typevar :T.0.tge0lah6v . . . .)) . 2
+  (ref 11
+   (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v 1 T.0.tge0lah6v))) 13,4
+ (type ~11 :NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v . ~4
+  (typevars 1
+   (typevar :T.1.tge0lah6v . . . .)) . 2
+  (object . ~11,1
+   (fld :data.0.tge0lah6v . . 6 T.1.tge0lah6v .) ~11,2
+   (fld :left.0.tge0lah6v . . 8,~3
+    (ref 11
+     (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~1,3 T.1.tge0lah6v)) .) ~5,2
+   (fld :right.0.tge0lah6v . . 2,~3
+    (ref 11
+     (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~1,3 T.1.tge0lah6v)) .))) 4,8
+ (var :x.0.tge0lah6v . . 8,~5
+  (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 13
+  (obj ~5,~5
+   (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 5
+   (kv ~5 data.1.tge0lah6v 2 +123) 16
+   (kv ~16 left.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)) 28
+   (kv ~28 right.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)))) 7,9
+ (asgn ~6
+  (dot ~1 x.0.tge0lah6v data.1.tge0lah6v +0) 2 +456) 7,10
+ (asgn ~6
+  (dot ~1 x.0.tge0lah6v left.1.tge0lah6v +0) 11
+  (obj ~6,~7
+   (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 5
+   (kv ~5 data.1.tge0lah6v 2 +123) 16
+   (kv ~16 left.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)) 28
+   (kv ~28 right.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)))) 8,11
+ (asgn ~7
+  (dot ~1 x.0.tge0lah6v right.1.tge0lah6v +0) 2
+  (nil)) 13,12
+ (asgn ~7
+  (dot ~5
+   (dot ~1 x.0.tge0lah6v left.1.tge0lah6v +0) right.1.tge0lah6v +0) 2
+  (nil)) 4,13
+ (var :y.0.tge0lah6v . . 8,~10
+  (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 13
+  (obj ~5,~10
+   (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 5
+   (kv ~5 data.1.tge0lah6v 2 +987) 16
+   (kv ~16 left.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)) 28
+   (kv ~28 right.1.tge0lah6v 2
+    (nil)))) 12,14
+ (asgn ~6
+  (dot ~5
+   (dot ~1 x.0.tge0lah6v left.1.tge0lah6v +0) left.1.tge0lah6v +0) 11
+  (obj ~11,~11
+   (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 5
+   (kv ~5 data.1.tge0lah6v 2 -123) 17
+   (kv ~17 left.1.tge0lah6v 2 y.0.tge0lah6v) 27
+   (kv ~27 right.1.tge0lah6v 2 y.0.tge0lah6v))) ,16
+ (proc 5 :foo.0.tge0lah6v . . 8
+  (typevars 1
+   (typevar :T.2.tge0lah6v . . . .)) 11
+  (params 1
+   (param :data.0 . . 6 T.2.tge0lah6v .)) 12,~13
+  (ref 11
+   (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~7,13 T.2.tge0lah6v)) . . 2,1
+  (stmts 7
+   (result :result.0 . . 3,~14
+    (ref 11
+     (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~7,13 T.2.tge0lah6v)) .) 7
+   (asgn ~7 result.0 9
+    (obj ~6,~14
+     (ref 11
+      (at ~7 NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~7,13 T.2.tge0lah6v)) 5
+     (kv ~5 data 2 data.0) 17
+     (kv ~17 left 2
+      (nil)) 29
+     (kv ~29 right 2
+      (nil)))) 12,1
+   (asgn ~6
+    (dot ~6 result.0 data.0.tge0lah6v +0) 2 data.0) ~2,~1
+   (ret result.0))) 4,19
+ (let :a.0.tge0lah6v . . 8,~16
+  (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 7
+  (call ~3 foo.1.tge0lah6v 1 +123)) 2,20
+ (asgn ~2 x.0.tge0lah6v 2 a.0.tge0lah6v) 11,19
+ (proc :foo.1.tge0lah6v . ~11,~3 .
+  (at foo.0.tge0lah6v
+   (i -1)) ,~3
+  (params 1
+   (param :data.2 . .
+    (i -1) .)) 1,~16
+  (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) ~11,~3 . ~11,~3 . ~9,~2
+  (stmts 7
+   (result :result.1 . . 3,~14
+    (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) .) 7
+   (asgn ~7 result.1 9
+    (obj ~6,~14
+     (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) 5
+     (kv ~5 data.1.tge0lah6v 2 data.2) 17
+     (kv ~17 left.1.tge0lah6v 2
+      (nil)) 29
+     (kv ~29 right.1.tge0lah6v 2
+      (nil)))) 12,1
+   (asgn ~6
+    (dot ~6 result.1 data.1.tge0lah6v +0) 2 data.2) ~2,~1
+   (ret result.1))) 12,8
+ (type :Node.4.tge0lah6v .
+  (at Node.0.tge0lah6v ~7,~8
+   (i -1)) ~2,~5 . ,~5
+  (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v)) 23,3
+ (type :NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v .
+  (at NodeObj.0.tge0lah6v ~18,~3
+   (i -1)) ~10,1 . ~8,1
+  (object . ~11,1
+   (fld :data.1.tge0lah6v . . 1,~5
+    (i -1) .) ~11,2
+   (fld :left.1.tge0lah6v . . 8,~3
+    (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) .) ~5,2
+   (fld :right.1.tge0lah6v . . 2,~3
+    (ref 11 NodeObj.1.tge0lah6v) .))))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nim b/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b50e90f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/nimony/basics/tgenericbinarytree.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+type int* {.magic: Int.}
+
+type
+  Node[T] = ref NodeObj[T]
+  NodeObj[T] = object
+    data: T
+    left, right: Node[T]
+
+var x = Node[int](data: 123, left: nil, right: nil)
+x.data = 456
+x.left = Node[int](data: 123, left: nil, right: nil)
+x.right = nil
+x.left.right = nil
+var y = Node[int](data: 987, left: nil, right: nil)
+x.left.left = Node[int](data: -123, left: y, right: y)
+
+proc foo[T](data: T): Node[T] =
+  result = Node[T](data: data, left: nil, right: nil)
+  result.data = data
+let a = foo(123)
+x = a
diff --git a/tests/nimony/generics/trecursiveobj.nim b/tests/nimony/generics/trecursiveobj.nim
index ca89898c..84ff8951 100644
--- a/tests/nimony/generics/trecursiveobj.nim
+++ b/tests/nimony/generics/trecursiveobj.nim
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ type
 var foo: Foo[int]
 
 type
+  Node[T] = ref NodeObj[T]
   NodeObj[T] = object
     val: T
     left, right: Node[T]
-  Node[T] = ref NodeObj[T]
 
 var node: Node[int]
diff --git a/tests/nimony/sysbasics/tdefault.nif b/tests/nimony/sysbasics/tdefault.nif
index 3c7519da..d74e99df 100644
--- a/tests/nimony/sysbasics/tdefault.nif
+++ b/tests/nimony/sysbasics/tdefault.nif
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
    (asgn ~7 result.2 15
     (obj ~6,~1
      (at ~10 GenericObj.0.tde837gue 1 T.1.tde837gue) 2
-     (kv ~2 x.2.tde837gue 2 x.1))) 9,1
+     (kv ~2 x 2 x.1))) 9,1
    (asgn ~3
     (dot ~6 result.2 x.2.tde837gue +0) 2 x.1) ~2,~1
    (ret result.2))) 8,44
@@ -173,9 +173,8 @@
   (stmts 7
    (result :result.3 . . 9,~1 GenericObj.1.tde837gue .) 7
    (asgn ~7 result.3 15
-    (obj ~1,~4 GenericObj.1.tde837gue
-     (kv x.3.tde837gue 28,646,lib/std/system.nim
-      (expr +0)))) 9,1
+    (obj ~1,~4 GenericObj.1.tde837gue 2
+     (kv ~2 x.3.tde837gue 2 x.4))) 9,1
    (asgn ~3
     (dot ~6 result.3 x.3.tde837gue +0) 2 x.4) ~2,~1
    (ret result.3))) 23,38