Inline asm: {var} placeholder substitution

Within \`asm { ... }\` blocks, \`{name}\` is replaced with the
resolved hex address of the variable at codegen time. The lexer's
asm-body capture now balances nested braces so it doesn't cut off
at the first \`{x}\`. Both IR and AST codegen paths preprocess the
body before passing to the inline parser:

    var counter: u8 = 0
    on frame {
        asm {
            LDA {counter}
            CLC
            ADC #\$01
            STA {counter}
        }
    }

Zero-page addresses become \`\$XX\`, absolute addresses become
\`\$XXXX\`. Unknown names pass through unchanged so the asm parser
can surface the "unknown mnemonic" / "unexpected token" error.

https://claude.ai/code/session_01W6eQFStA66EuMKHUFo2rx3

docs/language-guide.md

@@ -909,6 +909,44 @@ error[E0402]: recursion is not allowed
 
 ### Build
 
+## Inline Assembly
+
+`asm { ... }` blocks contain raw 6502 assembly that the compiler
+parses and splices directly into the output:
+
+```
+fun fast_add() -> u8 {
+    var x: u8 = 5
+    var y: u8 = 3
+    asm {
+        LDA {x}
+        CLC
+        ADC {y}
+        STA {x}
+    }
+    return x
+}
+```
+
+Within an asm block, `{name}` is replaced with the resolved
+zero-page or absolute address of the variable `name`. This lets
+handwritten assembly reference NEScript variables without knowing
+where the analyzer allocated them.
+
+Supported addressing modes (mirroring the generated codegen):
+
+- `LDA #$10` / `LDA #42` — immediate
+- `LDA $10` / `STA $20,X` — zero-page (+ indexed)
+- `LDA $2000` / `LDA $0200,Y` — absolute (+ indexed)
+- `LDA ($10,X)` / `LDA ($10),Y` — indirect-X / indirect-Y
+- `JMP ($FFFC)` — indirect
+- `CLC`, `SEC`, `NOP`, ... — implied
+- `LSR A` — accumulator
+- Labels: `loop_start:` defines a label; `BNE loop_start` branches
+  to it. Labels are local to the surrounding asm block.
+
+## Command Line
+
 Compile a `.ne` source file into a `.nes` ROM:
 
 ```

src/codegen/ir_codegen.rs

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ pub struct IrCodeGen<'a> {
     /// When true, emit code for `debug.log` / `debug.assert`.
     /// When false, these ops are stripped entirely.
     debug_mode: bool,
-    _allocations: &'a [VarAllocation],
+    allocations: &'a [VarAllocation],
 }
 
 impl<'a> IrCodeGen<'a> {
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ impl<'a> IrCodeGen<'a> {
             next_oam_slot: 0,
             in_frame_handler: false,
             debug_mode: false,
-            _allocations: allocations,
+            allocations,
         }
     }
 
@@ -616,12 +616,19 @@ impl<'a> IrCodeGen<'a> {
                 }
             }
             IrOp::InlineAsm(body) => {
-                // Parse the asm body with the shared inline parser and
-                // splice the resulting instructions directly into our
-                // output stream. Parse errors are emitted as `BRK` so
-                // the ROM still links — codegen is too late to return
+                // Preprocess `{var}` substitutions, then parse with
+                // the shared inline parser and splice the resulting
+                // instructions. Parse errors emit `BRK` so the ROM
+                // still links — codegen is too late to return
                 // user-facing diagnostics cleanly.
-                match crate::asm::parse_inline(body) {
+                let substituted = substitute_asm_vars(body, |name| {
+                    // Look up by allocated name. Prefer exact match.
+                    self.allocations
+                        .iter()
+                        .find(|a| a.name == name)
+                        .map(|a| a.address)
+                });
+                match crate::asm::parse_inline(&substituted) {
                     Ok(parsed) => self.instructions.extend(parsed),
                     Err(msg) => {
                         eprintln!("inline asm error: {msg}");
@@ -710,6 +717,52 @@ enum CmpKind {
     GtEq,
 }
 
+/// Replace `{name}` tokens in an inline-asm body with the resolved
+/// hex address from the given resolver. Unknown names and malformed
+/// placeholders are passed through unchanged (the asm parser will
+/// surface a clearer error than we could at this stage).
+///
+/// Addresses that fit in a byte become zero-page syntax (`$XX`),
+/// otherwise absolute (`$XXXX`). This lets users write
+/// `lda {score}` and have it resolve to `lda $10` or similar.
+fn substitute_asm_vars<F: Fn(&str) -> Option<u16>>(body: &str, resolver: F) -> String {
+    let mut out = String::with_capacity(body.len());
+    let bytes = body.as_bytes();
+    let mut i = 0;
+    while i < bytes.len() {
+        if bytes[i] == b'{' {
+            // Find the closing `}`.
+            if let Some(end) = bytes[i + 1..].iter().position(|&b| b == b'}') {
+                let name_start = i + 1;
+                let name_end = i + 1 + end;
+                let name = &body[name_start..name_end];
+                // Only substitute bare identifiers.
+                let is_ident = !name.is_empty()
+                    && name
+                        .chars()
+                        .next()
+                        .is_some_and(|c| c == '_' || c.is_ascii_alphabetic())
+                    && name.chars().all(|c| c == '_' || c.is_ascii_alphanumeric());
+                if is_ident {
+                    if let Some(addr) = resolver(name) {
+                        use std::fmt::Write;
+                        if addr < 0x100 {
+                            let _ = write!(out, "${addr:02X}");
+                        } else {
+                            let _ = write!(out, "${addr:04X}");
+                        }
+                        i = name_end + 1;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        out.push(bytes[i] as char);
+        i += 1;
+    }
+    out
+}
+
 /// Scan the IR functions for all scanline handlers (named
 /// `{state}_scanline_{line}`) and return them in IR function order.
 fn collect_scanline_handlers(ir: &IrProgram) -> Vec<(String, u8)> {

src/codegen/mod.rs

@@ -107,6 +107,40 @@ impl CodeGen {
         self
     }
 
+    /// Replace `{name}` placeholders in an inline-asm body with the
+    /// resolved zero-page or absolute hex address. Unknown names
+    /// pass through unchanged so the asm parser can surface a clear
+    /// error.
+    fn substitute_asm_vars(&self, body: &str) -> String {
+        use std::fmt::Write;
+        let mut out = String::with_capacity(body.len());
+        let bytes = body.as_bytes();
+        let mut i = 0;
+        while i < bytes.len() {
+            if bytes[i] == b'{' {
+                if let Some(end) = bytes[i + 1..].iter().position(|&b| b == b'}') {
+                    let name_start = i + 1;
+                    let name_end = i + 1 + end;
+                    let name = &body[name_start..name_end];
+                    if !name.is_empty() {
+                        if let Some(&addr) = self.var_addrs.get(name) {
+                            if addr < 0x100 {
+                                let _ = write!(out, "${addr:02X}");
+                            } else {
+                                let _ = write!(out, "${addr:04X}");
+                            }
+                            i = name_end + 1;
+                            continue;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            out.push(bytes[i] as char);
+            i += 1;
+        }
+        out
+    }
+
     fn fresh_label(&mut self, prefix: &str) -> String {
         self.label_counter += 1;
         format!("__{prefix}_{}", self.label_counter)
@@ -369,13 +403,16 @@ impl CodeGen {
                     self.emit_label(&pass_label);
                 }
             }
-            Statement::InlineAsm(body, _) => match crate::asm::parse_inline(body) {
-                Ok(parsed) => self.instructions.extend(parsed),
-                Err(msg) => {
-                    eprintln!("inline asm error: {msg}");
-                    self.emit(BRK, AM::Implied);
+            Statement::InlineAsm(body, _) => {
+                let substituted = self.substitute_asm_vars(body);
+                match crate::asm::parse_inline(&substituted) {
+                    Ok(parsed) => self.instructions.extend(parsed),
+                    Err(msg) => {
+                        eprintln!("inline asm error: {msg}");
+                        self.emit(BRK, AM::Implied);
+                    }
                 }
-            },
+            }
             Statement::Play(_, _) | Statement::StartMusic(_, _) | Statement::StopMusic(_) => {
                 // Audio statements compile to no-ops for now.
             }

src/lexer/mod.rs

@@ -498,11 +498,23 @@ impl<'a> Lexer<'a> {
 
 impl Lexer<'_> {
     /// Capture everything between the `{` we just consumed and the
-    /// matching `}` as an `AsmBody` token. 6502 assembly has no
-    /// `{`/`}` in its syntax, so we can simply scan for the next `}`.
+    /// matching `}` as an `AsmBody` token. Nested braces (e.g.
+    /// `{variable}` substitution placeholders) are balanced by
+    /// depth counting, so the body isn't cut short.
     fn capture_asm_body(&mut self, start: usize) -> Token {
         let body_start = self.pos;
-        while self.pos < self.source.len() && self.source[self.pos] != b'}' {
+        let mut depth = 1u32;
+        while self.pos < self.source.len() && depth > 0 {
+            match self.source[self.pos] {
+                b'{' => depth += 1,
+                b'}' => {
+                    depth -= 1;
+                    if depth == 0 {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+                _ => {}
+            }
             self.pos += 1;
         }
         let body = String::from_utf8_lossy(&self.source[body_start..self.pos]).into_owned();

tests/integration_test.rs

@@ -322,6 +322,26 @@ fn program_with_enums() {
     rom::validate_ines(&rom_data).expect("should be valid iNES");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn program_with_inline_asm_variable_substitution() {
+    let source = r#"
+        game "AsmVar" { mapper: NROM }
+        var counter: u8 = 0
+        on frame {
+            asm {
+                LDA {counter}
+                CLC
+                ADC #$01
+                STA {counter}
+            }
+            wait_frame
+        }
+        start Main
+    "#;
+    let rom_data = compile(source);
+    rom::validate_ines(&rom_data).expect("should be valid iNES");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn program_with_inline_asm() {
     let source = r#"