diff --git a/crates/core/boot.fth b/crates/core/boot.fth
index c7b69ac..e078062 100644
--- a/crates/core/boot.fth
+++ b/crates/core/boot.fth
@@ -306,18 +306,7 @@
 
 \ .S keeps its Rust host function (complex stack introspection).
 
-\ ---------------------------------------------------------------
-\ Phase 8: Parse-ahead sugar
-\ ---------------------------------------------------------------
-
-\ S ( "<spaces>name<space>" -- )  ( -- c-addr u  at run time )
-\
-\ State-smart "quote the next whitespace-delimited token as a string".
-\ Interpret-mode: leave ( c-addr u ) pointing into the input buffer.
-\ Compile-mode:   append run-time semantics that push the copied string
-\                 (identical to writing S" name" inline).
-\
-\ This is the string analogue of [CHAR] (for chars) and ['] (for xts).
-\ Comparable to Lisp's quote: S foo is to a string what ' foo is to an xt.
-\ Inside a : definition the compiled code is bit-identical to S" foo".
-: S  PARSE-NAME  STATE @ IF SLITERAL THEN ; IMMEDIATE
+\ S ( "<spaces>name<space>" -- c-addr u )
+\   State-smart string literal for the next whitespace-delimited token.
+\   Handled in Rust (outer.rs interpret_token_immediate / compile_token)
+\   so the string survives REFILL in interpret mode.
diff --git a/crates/core/src/outer.rs b/crates/core/src/outer.rs
index 8d030a7..20f502d 100644
--- a/crates/core/src/outer.rs
+++ b/crates/core/src/outer.rs
@@ -671,6 +671,23 @@ impl<R: Runtime> ForthVM<R> {
             }
             return Ok(());
         }
+        if token_upper == "S" {
+            // State-smart string literal for the next whitespace-delimited token.
+            // Interpret mode: copy token bytes to HERE-space (stable across REFILL),
+            // push ( c-addr u ). Compile-mode branch lives in compile_token.
+            if let Some(name) = self.next_token() {
+                self.refresh_user_here();
+                let addr = self.user_here;
+                let bytes = name.as_bytes();
+                let len = bytes.len() as u32;
+                self.rt.mem_write_slice(addr, bytes);
+                self.user_here += len;
+                self.sync_here_cell();
+                self.push_data_stack(addr as i32)?;
+                self.push_data_stack(len as i32)?;
+            }
+            return Ok(());
+        }
         if token_upper == "(" {
             // Comment -- skip until )
             self.parse_until(')');
@@ -820,6 +837,23 @@ impl<R: Runtime> ForthVM<R> {
             }
             return Ok(());
         }
+        if token_upper == "S" {
+            // Compile-mode twin of the interpret-mode S handler: parse next
+            // whitespace-delimited token, copy into HERE, compile ( c-addr u )
+            // literals. Bit-identical to writing S" name" inline.
+            if let Some(name) = self.next_token() {
+                self.refresh_user_here();
+                let addr = self.user_here;
+                let bytes = name.as_bytes();
+                let len = bytes.len() as u32;
+                self.rt.mem_write_slice(addr, bytes);
+                self.user_here += len;
+                self.sync_here_cell();
+                self.push_ir(IrOp::PushI32(addr as i32));
+                self.push_ir(IrOp::PushI32(len as i32));
+            }
+            return Ok(());
+        }
         if token_upper == "(" {
             self.parse_until(')');
             return Ok(());
@@ -7580,6 +7614,18 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(vm.take_output(), "kelvar");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_s_interpret_survives_refill() {
+        // Regression: `S name` in interpret mode used to return an address
+        // pointing into TIB, so the next REFILL clobbered the string.
+        let mut vm = ForthVM::<NativeRuntime>::new().unwrap();
+        vm.evaluate("S test").unwrap();
+        vm.evaluate(".S").unwrap();
+        vm.take_output();
+        vm.evaluate("TYPE").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(vm.take_output(), "test");
+    }
+
     // ===================================================================
     // New words: COUNT
     // ===================================================================