diff --git a/jolt-core/clojure/core/00-syntax.clj b/jolt-core/clojure/core/00-syntax.clj
index aeb33f2..1b3131c 100644
--- a/jolt-core/clojure/core/00-syntax.clj
+++ b/jolt-core/clojure/core/00-syntax.clj
@@ -102,11 +102,24 @@
                    (vloop 0 0 (conj (conj acc g) init)))
                (map? pat)
                  (let* [g (symbol (str (gensym)))
+                        gm (symbol (str (gensym)))
+                        ;; kwargs: a map pattern may bind against the sequential rest
+                        ;; of a fn — (& {:keys [...]}) — which is a seq of alternating
+                        ;; k/v args, or a single trailing map. Coerce like Clojure (and
+                        ;; like the interpreter's destructure-bind, so interpret/compile
+                        ;; agree): a sequential value with one map element is that map,
+                        ;; otherwise (apply hash-map). A real map value is used as-is, so
+                        ;; ordinary map destructuring is unaffected. g holds init once;
+                        ;; gm is the coerced map every lookup (and :as) reads from.
+                        coerce `(if (sequential? ~g)
+                                  (if (and (= 1 (count ~g)) (map? (first ~g)))
+                                    (first ~g)
+                                    (apply hash-map ~g))
+                                  ~g)
                         or-map (get pat :or)
                         as-sym (get pat :as)
-                        base (if as-sym
-                               (conj (conj (conj (conj acc g) init) as-sym) g)
-                               (conj (conj acc g) init))
+                        bound (conj (conj (conj (conj acc g) init) gm) coerce)
+                        base (if as-sym (conj (conj bound as-sym) gm) bound)
                         group
                           (fn* [a kw kind]
                             (let* [names (get pat kw)]
@@ -125,8 +138,8 @@
                                            fo (find-or or-map local)]
                                       (conj (conj aa (symbol local))
                                             (if (nth fo 0)
-                                              `(get ~g ~keyform ~(nth fo 1))
-                                              `(get ~g ~keyform)))))
+                                              `(get ~gm ~keyform ~(nth fo 1))
+                                              `(get ~gm ~keyform)))))
                                   a names)
                                 a)))
                         g1 (group base :keys :kw)
@@ -135,7 +148,7 @@
                    (reduce (fn* [a k]
                              (if (keyword? k)
                                a
-                               (proc k `(get ~g ~(get pat k)) a)))
+                               (proc k `(get ~gm ~(get pat k)) a)))
                            g3 (keys pat)))
                :else (throw (str "unsupported destructuring pattern"))))
          ploop
@@ -212,8 +225,11 @@
       (let [as (vec (map mk aftn))]
         (if nm `(fn* ~nm ~@as) `(fn* ~@as))))))
 
-;; defn: drop an optional leading docstring and attr-map, then (def name (fn* ...)).
-;; Both single- and multi-arity reduce to (fn* ~@body) — fn* takes either a params
+;; defn: drop an optional leading docstring and attr-map, then (def name (fn ...)).
+;; Emits the fn MACRO (not the fn* primitive) so destructuring params desugar — fn*
+;; requires plain symbols (like Clojure). Unnamed (as before): self-recursion
+;; resolves through the def'd var, so this only adds the desugaring step.
+;; Both single- and multi-arity reduce to (fn ~@body) — fn takes either a params
 ;; vector + body or a sequence of ([params] body) clauses, so no arity branching is
 ;; needed. (map? is true for symbol forms too, so guard the attr-map with symbol?.)
 ;; Defined before fresh-sym below, which is a defn-.
@@ -221,7 +237,7 @@
   (let [body (if (and (seq body) (string? (first body))) (rest body) body)
         body (if (and (seq body) (map? (first body)) (not (symbol? (first body))))
                (rest body) body)]
-    `(def ~fn-name (fn* ~@body))))
+    `(def ~fn-name (fn ~@body))))
 
 ;; Jolt doesn't enforce privacy, so defn- is just defn (matching how Clojure's own
 ;; defn- delegates to defn with :private metadata).
diff --git a/src/jolt/evaluator.janet b/src/jolt/evaluator.janet
index 473ebbb..dfcae00 100644
--- a/src/jolt/evaluator.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/evaluator.janet
@@ -517,6 +517,21 @@
         (do (array/push fixed a) (+= i 1)))))
   {:fixed (tuple/slice (tuple ;fixed)) :rest rest-pat})
 
+(defn- plain-sym? [p] (and (struct? p) (= :symbol (p :jolt/type))))
+
+(defn- require-symbol-params
+  "fn* is a primitive: its params must be plain symbols. The fn/defn MACROS desugar
+  destructuring into plain params + a body let before emitting fn*, so fn* never
+  legitimately sees a pattern — matching Clojure, where (fn* [[a b]] ...) is the
+  compile error 'fn params must be Symbols'. Enforcing it here keeps the interpreter
+  consistent with the self-hosted analyzer (which also requires plain fn* params)
+  and with Clojure, instead of leniently destructuring a form Clojure rejects."
+  [param-info]
+  (each p (param-info :fixed)
+    (unless (plain-sym? p) (error "fn params must be Symbols")))
+  (let [r (param-info :rest)]
+    (when (and r (not (plain-sym? r))) (error "fn params must be Symbols"))))
+
 (defn- d-get
   "Look up key k in a map-like value (phm/struct/table/nil)."
   [m k]
@@ -925,6 +940,7 @@
                  (let [args-form (in pair 0)
                        body (tuple/slice pair 1)
                        param-info (parse-params args-form)
+                       _ (require-symbol-params param-info)
                        fixed-pats (param-info :fixed)
                        rest-pat (param-info :rest)
                        n-fixed (length fixed-pats)
@@ -962,6 +978,7 @@
              (let [args-form (in form 1)
                    body (tuple/slice form 2)
                    param-info (parse-params args-form)
+                   _ (require-symbol-params param-info)
                    fixed-pats (param-info :fixed)
                    rest-pat (param-info :rest)
                    defining-ns (ctx-current-ns ctx)]
@@ -994,6 +1011,9 @@
               (let [len (length bind-vec)]
                 (while (< i len)
                   (let [pat (bind-vec i)]
+                    # let* is a primitive (the let macro desugars destructuring);
+                    # its binding names must be plain symbols, as in Clojure.
+                    (unless (plain-sym? pat) (error "Bad binding form, expected symbol"))
                     (def val (eval-form ctx new-bindings (bind-vec (+ i 1))))
                     (destructure-bind ctx new-bindings pat val)
                     (+= i 2))))
@@ -1007,8 +1027,10 @@
                   patterns @[]]
               (var i 0)
               (while (< i (length bind-vec))
+                # loop* is a primitive (the loop macro desugars destructuring);
+                # its binding names must be plain symbols, as in Clojure.
+                (unless (plain-sym? (bind-vec i)) (error "Bad binding form, expected symbol"))
                 (array/push init-vals (eval-form ctx bindings (bind-vec (+ i 1))))
-                # keep the binding form (symbol OR destructuring pattern)
                 (array/push patterns (bind-vec i))
                 (+= i 2))
               (var loop-fn nil)
diff --git a/test/spec/destructuring-spec.janet b/test/spec/destructuring-spec.janet
index 31d8afd..91525dd 100644
--- a/test/spec/destructuring-spec.janet
+++ b/test/spec/destructuring-spec.janet
@@ -55,6 +55,20 @@
   ["loop map binding"   "4"      "(loop [{:keys [v]} {:v 1} n 0] (if (< n 2) (recur {:v (* v 2)} (inc n)) v))"]
   ["loop init sees destr" "[1 2 3]" "(loop [[a b] [1 2] c (+ a b)] [a b c])"])
 
+# fn*/let*/loop* are PRIMITIVES: their binding forms must be plain symbols, exactly
+# as in Clojure ("fn params must be Symbols" / "Bad binding form, expected symbol").
+# Destructuring lives in the fn/let/loop/defn MACROS, which desugar to plain
+# primitives — so the interpreter and the self-hosted analyzer agree (neither
+# destructures fn*), and nothing silently falls back to a lenient interpreter path.
+(defspec "destructure / primitives reject patterns (jolt-f79)"
+  ["fn* fixed pattern"  :throws  "((fn* [[a b]] a) [1 2])"]
+  ["fn* rest pattern"   :throws  "((fn* [a & [b]] b) 1 2 3)"]
+  ["let* pattern"       :throws  "(let* [[a b] [1 2]] a)"]
+  ["loop* pattern"      :throws  "(loop* [[a b] [1 2]] a)"]
+  # the macros still desugar the same patterns to plain primitives:
+  ["fn desugars"        "[1 2]"  "((fn [[a b]] [a b]) [1 2])"]
+  ["let desugars"       "[1 2]"  "(let [[a b] [1 2]] [a b])"])
+
 (defspec "destructure / macro params"
   ["macro & [a & more :as all]"
    "[1 [2 3] [1 2 3]]"