diff --git a/lib/comp.c b/lib/comp.c
index e5d6c8d..eb949db 100644
--- a/lib/comp.c
+++ b/lib/comp.c
@@ -1566,28 +1566,58 @@ static HCL_INLINE int compile_symbol (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_t obj)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	/* check if a symbol is a local variable */
-	if (find_temporary_variable_backward(hcl, obj, &index) <= -1)
+	if (hcl->option.trait & HCL_CLI_MODE)
 	{
-		hcl_oop_t cons;
-/* TODO: if i require all variables to be declared, this part is not needed and should handle it as an error */
-/* TODO: change the scheme... allow declaration??? */
-		/* global variable */
-		cons = (hcl_oop_t)hcl_getatsysdic(hcl, obj);
-		if (!cons) 
+		if (find_temporary_variable_backward(hcl, obj, &index) <= -1)
 		{
-			cons = (hcl_oop_t)hcl_putatsysdic(hcl, obj, hcl->_nil);
-			if (!cons) return -1;
+			hcl_oop_t cons;
+
+			cons = (hcl_oop_t)hcl_getatsysdic(hcl, obj);
+			if (cons) 
+			{
+				if (add_literal(hcl, cons, &index) <= -1 ||
+				    emit_single_param_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_PUSH_OBJECT_0, index) <= -1) return -1;
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				/* in the cli mode, a symbol is pushed as a normal literal if it is not resolved
+				 * at the moment of compilation */
+				if (add_literal(hcl, obj, &index) <= -1 ||
+				    emit_single_param_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_PUSH_LITERAL_0, index) <= -1) return -1;
+			}
+
+			return 0;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			return emit_indexed_variable_access(hcl, index, HCL_CODE_PUSH_CTXTEMPVAR_0, HCL_CODE_PUSH_TEMPVAR_0);
 		}
-
-		if (add_literal(hcl, cons, &index) <= -1 ||
-		    emit_single_param_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_PUSH_OBJECT_0, index) <= -1) return -1;
-
-		return 0;
 	}
 	else
 	{
-		return emit_indexed_variable_access(hcl, index, HCL_CODE_PUSH_CTXTEMPVAR_0, HCL_CODE_PUSH_TEMPVAR_0);
+		/* check if a symbol is a local variable */
+		if (find_temporary_variable_backward(hcl, obj, &index) <= -1)
+		{
+			hcl_oop_t cons;
+	/* TODO: if i require all variables to be declared, this part is not needed and should handle it as an error */
+	/* TODO: change the scheme... allow declaration??? */
+			/* global variable */
+			cons = (hcl_oop_t)hcl_getatsysdic(hcl, obj);
+			if (!cons) 
+			{
+				cons = (hcl_oop_t)hcl_putatsysdic(hcl, obj, hcl->_nil);
+				if (!cons) return -1;
+			}
+
+			if (add_literal(hcl, cons, &index) <= -1 ||
+			    emit_single_param_instruction(hcl, HCL_CODE_PUSH_OBJECT_0, index) <= -1) return -1;
+
+			return 0;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			return emit_indexed_variable_access(hcl, index, HCL_CODE_PUSH_CTXTEMPVAR_0, HCL_CODE_PUSH_TEMPVAR_0);
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/dic.c b/lib/dic.c
index 4cda830..212a24a 100644
--- a/lib/dic.c
+++ b/lib/dic.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 
 #include "hcl-prv.h"
 
-#define SYMBOL_ONLY_KEY 
+#define SYMBOL_ONLY_KEY
 
 static hcl_oop_oop_t expand_bucket (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_oop_oop_t oldbuc)
 {
diff --git a/lib/exec.c b/lib/exec.c
index 84a1389..6bd5ad1 100644
--- a/lib/exec.c
+++ b/lib/exec.c
@@ -1015,9 +1015,9 @@ extern char **environ;
 
 static int is_regular_executable_file_by_me(const char *path)
 {
-	struct stat path_stat;
-	stat(path, &path_stat);
-	return S_ISREG(path_stat.st_mode) && access(path, X_OK) == 0; //? use eaccess instead??
+	struct stat st;
+	if (stat(path, &st) == -1) return 0;
+	return S_ISREG(st.st_mode) && access(path, X_OK) == 0; //? use eaccess instead??
 }
 
 static char* find_exec (hcl_t* hcl, const char *name)
@@ -1078,7 +1078,8 @@ done:
 static HCL_INLINE int exec_syscmd (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_ooi_t nargs)
 {
 	hcl_oop_word_t rcv;
-	hcl_bch_t* cmd, * xcmd;
+	hcl_bch_t* cmd = HCL_NULL;
+	hcl_bch_t* xcmd = HCL_NULL;
 
 	rcv = (hcl_oop_word_t)HCL_STACK_GETRCV(hcl, nargs);
 	/*HCL_ASSERT (hcl, HCL_IS_STRING(hcl, rcv) || HCL_IS_SYMBOL(hcl, rcv));*/
@@ -1088,18 +1089,18 @@ static HCL_INLINE int exec_syscmd (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_ooi_t nargs)
 	{
 		/* '\0' is contained in the middle */
 		hcl_seterrbfmt (hcl, HCL_EINVAL, "invalid callable %O", rcv);
-		return -1;
+		goto oops;
 	}
 
 	cmd = hcl_dupootobcstr(hcl, HCL_OBJ_GET_CHAR_SLOT(rcv), HCL_NULL);
-	if (!cmd) return -1;
+	if (!cmd) goto oops;
 
 	if (hcl_find_bchar_in_bcstr(cmd, '/'))
 	{
 		if (!is_regular_executable_file_by_me(cmd)) 
 		{
 			hcl_seterrbfmt (hcl, HCL_ECALL, "cannot execute %O", rcv);
-			return -1;
+			goto oops;
 		}
 
 		xcmd = cmd;
@@ -1107,7 +1108,7 @@ static HCL_INLINE int exec_syscmd (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_ooi_t nargs)
 	else
 	{
 		xcmd = find_exec(hcl, cmd);
-		if (!xcmd) return -1;
+		if (!xcmd) goto oops;
 	}
 
 { /* TODO: make it a callback ... */
@@ -1115,36 +1116,38 @@ static HCL_INLINE int exec_syscmd (hcl_t* hcl, hcl_ooi_t nargs)
 	int status;
 
 	pid = fork();
-	if (pid == -1) return -1;
+	if (pid == -1) goto oops;
 
 /* TODO: set a new process group / session leader??? */
 
 	if (pid == 0)
 	{
+		hcl_bch_t** argv;
+		hcl_ooi_t i;
 
-			hcl_bch_t** argv;
-			hcl_ooi_t i;
-
-			/* TODO: close file descriptors??? */
-			argv = (hcl_bch_t**)hcl_allocmem(hcl, (nargs + 2) * HCL_SIZEOF(*argv));
-			if (argv)
-			{
-				argv[0] = cmd;
+		/* TODO: close file descriptors??? */
+		argv = (hcl_bch_t**)hcl_allocmem(hcl, (nargs + 2) * HCL_SIZEOF(*argv));
+		if (argv)
+		{
+			argv[0] = cmd;
 HCL_DEBUG1 (hcl, "NARG %d\n", (int)nargs);
-				for (i = 0; i < nargs;)
-				{
-					hcl_oop_t ta = HCL_STACK_GETARG(hcl, nargs, i);
+			for (i = 0; i < nargs;)
+			{
+				hcl_oop_t ta = HCL_STACK_GETARG(hcl, nargs, i);
 /* TODO: check if an argument is a string or a symbol */
-					argv[++i] = hcl_dupootobchars(hcl, HCL_OBJ_GET_CHAR_SLOT(ta), HCL_OBJ_GET_SIZE(ta), HCL_NULL);
+				argv[++i] = hcl_dupootobchars(hcl, HCL_OBJ_GET_CHAR_SLOT(ta), HCL_OBJ_GET_SIZE(ta), HCL_NULL);
 HCL_DEBUG2 (hcl, "ARG %d -> %hs\n", (int)i - 1, argv[i]);
-				}
-				argv[nargs + 1] = HCL_NULL;
-				execvp (xcmd, argv);
 			}
-			_exit (255);
+			argv[nargs + 1] = HCL_NULL;
+			execvp (xcmd, argv);
+		}
+
+		if (cmd) hcl_freemem (hcl, cmd);
+		if (xcmd && xcmd != cmd) hcl_freemem (hcl, xcmd);
+		_exit (255);
 	}
 
-	waitpid (pid, &status, 0);
+	waitpid (pid, &status, 0); /* TOOD: enhance this waiting */
 
 	HCL_STACK_SETRET (hcl, nargs, HCL_SMOOI_TO_OOP(WEXITSTATUS(status)));
 }
@@ -1152,6 +1155,11 @@ HCL_DEBUG2 (hcl, "ARG %d -> %hs\n", (int)i - 1, argv[i]);
 	hcl_freemem (hcl, cmd);
 	if (xcmd != cmd) hcl_freemem (hcl, xcmd);
 	return 0;
+
+oops:
+	if (cmd) hcl_freemem (hcl, cmd);
+	if (xcmd && xcmd != cmd) hcl_freemem (hcl, xcmd);
+	return -1;
 }
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
@@ -1738,6 +1746,8 @@ static int execute (hcl_t* hcl)
 						case HCL_BRAND_PRIM:
 							if (call_primitive(hcl, b1) <= -1) goto oops;
 							break;
+
+						case HCL_BRAND_SYMBOL:
 						case HCL_BRAND_STRING:
 							if ((hcl->option.trait & HCL_CLI_MODE) && exec_syscmd(hcl, b1) >= 0) break;
 							/* fall thru */
diff --git a/lib/read.c b/lib/read.c
index 849cc5d..0e83bfd 100644
--- a/lib/read.c
+++ b/lib/read.c
@@ -2405,8 +2405,12 @@ HCL_DEBUG0 (hcl, "22 LEAVING LIST\n");
 				break;
 
 			case HCL_IOTOK_STRLIT:
+				obj = hcl_makestring(hcl, TOKEN_NAME_PTR(hcl), TOKEN_NAME_LEN(hcl), 0);
+				break;
+
 			case HCL_IOTOK_IDENT:
 				obj = hcl_makestring(hcl, TOKEN_NAME_PTR(hcl), TOKEN_NAME_LEN(hcl), 0);
+				obj = hcl_makesymbol(hcl, TOKEN_NAME_PTR(hcl), TOKEN_NAME_LEN(hcl));
 				break;
 		}