diff --git a/TODO.org b/TODO.org
index 232707a1..939ae6dc 100644
--- a/TODO.org
+++ b/TODO.org
@@ -1919,6 +1919,8 @@ and an =eval-expr= of the =get=, all succeed. In a session every installed
 function of no arguments returning =()= has the type =(CFn [] ())=, not only
 =pause= — a bare =pause= or =tick= asked of the session says so — so the
 keyword may not be what resolved. The next report wants the exact form sent.
+Nor (2026-09-25) by a mark at the =:pause= or the =when=, frame evaluation, the
+indented syntax, or =load-file= after slot changes and with a program =pause=.
 
 ** DONE A digit does not take the restart RET takes
 CLOSED: [2026-09-25]
diff --git a/lib/ast.ml b/lib/ast.ml
index 7ab6b16e..210a5738 100644
--- a/lib/ast.ml
+++ b/lib/ast.ml
@@ -486,7 +486,9 @@ let map_children f (e : expr) : expr =
   in
   { e with e = kind }
 
-let pause_call loc = { e = Call ({ e = Var "pause"; loc }, []); loc }
+(* [fn] is the name the prelude's function answers to, which is not its own
+   when the program defines one of that name: see [Session.prelude_fn]. *)
+let pause_call ?(fn = "pause") loc = { e = Call ({ e = Var fn; loc }, []); loc }
 
 (* The stepper. [instrument_step ds] is [ds] with every [defn] rebuilt so a
    call stops before each form of its body, at any depth of body: the forms of
@@ -504,36 +506,36 @@ let pause_call loc = { e = Call ({ e = Var "pause"; loc }, []); loc }
    the local is visibly the compiler's and hidden from the locals listing. *)
 let step_flag = "flan~step"
 
-let step_point loc =
+let step_point fn loc =
   let v = { e = Var step_flag; loc } in
   { e =
       If (v,
-          { e = Set (Pvar step_flag, { e = Call ({ e = Var "step-point"; loc }, []); loc });
+          { e = Set (Pvar step_flag, { e = Call ({ e = Var fn; loc }, []); loc });
             loc },
           None);
     loc }
 
-let rec step_body (es : expr list) : expr list =
-  List.concat_map (fun (e : expr) -> [ step_point e.loc; step_expr e ]) es
+let rec step_body fn (es : expr list) : expr list =
+  List.concat_map (fun (e : expr) -> [ step_point fn e.loc; step_expr fn e ]) es
 
-and step_expr (e : expr) : expr =
+and step_expr fn (e : expr) : expr =
   let branch (x : expr) =
     match x.e with
-    | Do _ -> step_expr x
-    | _ -> { e = Do [ step_point x.loc; step_expr x ]; loc = x.loc }
+    | Do _ -> step_expr fn x
+    | _ -> { e = Do [ step_point fn x.loc; step_expr fn x ]; loc = x.loc }
   in
   match e.e with
-  | Do es -> { e with e = Do (step_body es) }
-  | Let (bs, es) -> { e with e = Let (bs, step_body es) }
+  | Do es -> { e with e = Do (step_body fn es) }
+  | Let (bs, es) -> { e with e = Let (bs, step_body fn es) }
   | If (c, a, b) -> { e with e = If (c, branch a, Option.map branch b) }
-  | While (l, c, es) -> { e with e = While (l, c, step_body es) }
-  | Loop (bs, es) -> { e with e = Loop (bs, step_body es) }
-  | Dotimes (l, n, b, es) -> { e with e = Dotimes (l, n, b, step_body es) }
+  | While (l, c, es) -> { e with e = While (l, c, step_body fn es) }
+  | Loop (bs, es) -> { e with e = Loop (bs, step_body fn es) }
+  | Dotimes (l, n, b, es) -> { e with e = Dotimes (l, n, b, step_body fn es) }
   | Match (sc, arms) ->
-    { e with e = Match (sc, List.map (fun a -> { a with body = step_body a.body }) arms) }
+    { e with e = Match (sc, List.map (fun a -> { a with body = step_body fn a.body }) arms) }
   | _ -> e
 
-let instrument_step (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
+let instrument_step ?(fn = "step-point") (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
   let hit = ref false in
   let ds =
     List.map
@@ -546,7 +548,7 @@ let instrument_step (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
                bval = { e = Var "true"; loc = d.dloc }; bloc = d.dloc }
            in
            { d with
-             d = Defn { f with fbody = [ { e = Let ([ on ], step_body f.fbody);
+             d = Defn { f with fbody = [ { e = Let ([ on ], step_body fn f.fbody);
                                            loc = d.dloc } ] } }
          | _ -> d)
       ds
@@ -568,7 +570,7 @@ let instrument_step (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
    A whole top-level [defn] is the third target from §9 and cannot be wrapped:
    [(do (pause) (defn ...))] is not an expression. Marking one means stopping
    on entry, so the call goes at the front of its body. *)
-let mark_pause ~line ~col (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
+let mark_pause ?fn ~line ~col (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
   let at (l : Loc.t) = l.Loc.line = line && l.Loc.col = col in
   let hit = ref false in
   let rec walk (e : expr) =
@@ -578,7 +580,7 @@ let mark_pause ~line ~col (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
       (* The [Do] takes the target's own location, and the target keeps its
          own: a wrapper at [Loc.unknown] would put the frame the break loop
          reports, and the line DWARF names, nowhere. *)
-      { e with e = Do [ pause_call e.loc; e ] }
+      { e with e = Do [ pause_call ?fn e.loc; e ] }
     end
     else map_children walk e
   in
@@ -587,7 +589,7 @@ let mark_pause ~line ~col (ds : decl list) : decl list option =
     match d.d with
     | Defn f when (not !hit) && at d.dloc ->
       hit := true;
-      { d with d = Defn { f with fbody = pause_call d.dloc :: f.fbody } }
+      { d with d = Defn { f with fbody = pause_call ?fn d.dloc :: f.fbody } }
     | Defn f -> { d with d = Defn { f with fbody = body f.fbody } }
     (* A method's body and a defmulti's dispatch body are code someone wrote
        and can stop inside, so both are walked. Marking the whole declaration
diff --git a/lib/session.ml b/lib/session.ml
index a759824a..b60917ed 100644
--- a/lib/session.ml
+++ b/lib/session.ml
@@ -812,6 +812,21 @@ let shadowing_fns t origin =
        | _ -> None)
     t.decls
 
+(* The name a prelude function the session splices a call to — [pause] for a
+   mark, [step-point] for the stepper — answers to in [decls]. A program's own
+   function or global of that name takes the name over and the prelude's is
+   renamed (see [Check.shadow_prelude]), and the spliced call is the
+   prelude's, not the program's. *)
+let prelude_fn (decls : Ast.decl list) n =
+  let takes (d : Ast.decl) =
+    match d.Ast.d with
+    | Ast.Defn fn | Ast.Declare (fn, _) | Ast.DeclareC (fn, _) ->
+      String.equal fn.Ast.name n
+    | Ast.Defvar (m, _, _, _) | Ast.Defconst (m, _, _) -> String.equal m n
+    | _ -> false
+  in
+  if List.exists takes decls then Check.prelude_alias ^ "/" ^ n else n
+
 (* [forms], when given, are [src] already read — [pruned] runs this over a
    file a form fewer each round and has no text for the subset. [base] is the
    file an [(import ...)] in them is resolved against, the session's own when
@@ -901,7 +916,10 @@ let eval ?(origin = "<eval>") ?base ?forms ?pause ?(step = false) ?(running = tr
     match pause with
     | None -> incoming
     | Some (line, col) ->
-      (match Ast.mark_pause ~line ~col incoming with
+      (match
+         Ast.mark_pause ~fn:(prelude_fn (t.decls @ incoming) "pause") ~line ~col
+           incoming
+       with
        | Some ds -> ds
        | None ->
          fail loc "nothing to pause at line %d, column %d of the form sent"
@@ -912,7 +930,10 @@ let eval ?(origin = "<eval>") ?base ?forms ?pause ?(step = false) ?(running = tr
   let incoming =
     if not step then incoming
     else
-      match Ast.instrument_step incoming with
+      match
+        Ast.instrument_step ~fn:(prelude_fn (t.decls @ incoming) "step-point")
+          incoming
+      with
       | Some ds -> ds
       | None -> fail loc "there is no defn in the form sent to step through"
   in
@@ -2323,7 +2344,10 @@ let eval_expr ?(origin = "<eval>") ?(pause = false) ?frame t src : change =
      the break loop reports reads it. *)
   let parsed =
     if pause then
-      { Ast.e = Ast.Do [ Ast.pause_call parsed.Ast.loc; parsed ];
+      { Ast.e =
+          Ast.Do
+            [ Ast.pause_call ~fn:(prelude_fn t.decls "pause") parsed.Ast.loc;
+              parsed ];
         Ast.loc = parsed.Ast.loc }
     else parsed
   in
diff --git a/test/test_session.ml b/test/test_session.ml
index 2f64cf33..2beb7a28 100644
--- a/test/test_session.ml
+++ b/test/test_session.ml
@@ -286,6 +286,39 @@ let () =
      fail "redefining a shadowed rand-int again installed %s"
        (String.concat " " c.Session.fns));
 
+  (* And a mark or a step once the program has a [pause] and a [step-point] of
+     its own: the call spliced in is still the prelude's, or a mark would run
+     the program's function and never stop. *)
+  (let t, _ = Session.create ~file:"programs/reload.flan" () in
+   ignore (Session.eval t "(defn pause [] i64 0)");
+   ignore (Session.eval t "(defn step-point [] bool false)");
+   let calls name want =
+     match
+       List.find_opt (fun (f : Tast.fn) -> f.Tast.name = name)
+         t.Session.program.Tast.fns
+     with
+     | None -> false
+     | Some f ->
+       let hit = ref false in
+       List.iter
+         (Tast.walk (fun (e : Tast.expr) ->
+              match e.Tast.e with
+              | Tast.Call (m, _) when m = want -> hit := true
+              | _ -> ()))
+         f.Tast.body;
+       !hit
+   in
+   ignore
+     (Session.eval ~pause:(1, 1) t
+        "(defn bump [] i64 (set counter (+ counter 5)) counter)");
+   if not (calls "bump" "prelude~/pause") then
+     fail "a mark with the program's own pause defined does not call the prelude's";
+   ignore
+     (Session.eval ~step:true t
+        "(defn bump [] i64 (set counter (+ counter 5)) counter)");
+   if not (calls "bump" "prelude~/step-point") then
+     fail "a step with the program's own step-point defined does not call the prelude's");
+
   (* DWARF in a redefinition module, which is a property of the session and
      not of the call. [Emit.redefinition] has taken a ~debug argument all
      along and was tested with it; what was missing was anyone passing it, so