diff --git a/compiler/project.xml b/compiler/project.xml
index 2b6fe0c..d512332 100644
--- a/compiler/project.xml
+++ b/compiler/project.xml
@@ -10,6 +10,16 @@
       <path>../runtime/src/main/pascal</path>
       <path>../stdlib/src/main/pascal</path>
     </unitPaths>
+    <!-- Build the compiler (and its TestRunner) with the native x86-64
+         backend to exercise it locally.  The shipped default backend
+         stays QBE for now; remove this once native becomes the default.
+         debug-opdf embeds OPDF debug info so the binaries can be debugged
+         with pdr (see the Debugging section in CLAUDE.md); it roughly
+         triples binary size but has no runtime cost. -->
+    <compilerOptions>
+      <option>--backend native</option>
+      <option>--debug-opdf</option>
+    </compilerOptions>
   </build>
 
   <test>
diff --git a/compiler/src/main/pascal/blaise.codegen.native.x86_64.pas b/compiler/src/main/pascal/blaise.codegen.native.x86_64.pas
index e57f52f..3622e32 100644
--- a/compiler/src/main/pascal/blaise.codegen.native.x86_64.pas
+++ b/compiler/src/main/pascal/blaise.codegen.native.x86_64.pas
@@ -402,6 +402,7 @@ type
                                AArgs: TObjectList);
     { Evaluate an integer expression; result left in %rax (64-bit-extended). }
     procedure EmitExprToEax(AExpr: TASTExpr);
+    procedure EmitByteRhsToEax(AExpr: TASTExpr);
     { Evaluate a float expression (tyDouble or tySingle); result left in %xmm0.
       Binary ops: left → push onto int stack via subq/movsd, right → %xmm0,
       pop left → %xmm1, then addsd/subsd/mulsd/divsd. }
@@ -3150,6 +3151,32 @@ end;
   field-access targets: R.F (inline record), C.F (class variable — slot
   holds the object pointer), implicit-Self record/class bases, var-param
   record bases, and chained Base.F (Base evaluated to an address). }
+{ Evaluate the RHS of a byte-sized store into %eax.
+
+  Chr(N) must NOT lower via the normal _Chr call — that returns a heap
+  string POINTER, and the byte store would truncate to the pointer's low
+  byte (the "P[I] := Chr(N)" garbage bug).  Emit the argument N directly.
+  Single-char string literals get the same fold to their ordinal.
+  Mirrors the QBE backend's EmitByteRhs. }
+procedure TX86_64Backend.EmitByteRhsToEax(AExpr: TASTExpr);
+begin
+  if (AExpr is TFuncCallExpr) and
+     SameText(TFuncCallExpr(AExpr).Name, 'Chr') and
+     (TFuncCallExpr(AExpr).Args.Count = 1) then
+  begin
+    Self.EmitExprToEax(TASTExpr(TFuncCallExpr(AExpr).Args.Items[0]));
+    Exit;
+  end;
+  if (AExpr is TStringLiteral) and
+     (Length(TStringLiteral(AExpr).Value) = 1) then
+  begin
+    Self.Emit(Format(#9'movl $%d, %%eax',
+      [Ord(TStringLiteral(AExpr).Value[0])]));
+    Exit;
+  end;
+  Self.EmitExprToEax(AExpr);
+end;
+
 procedure TX86_64Backend.EmitLValueSlotAddr(AExpr: TASTExpr);
 var
   IE:  TIdentExpr;
@@ -9276,7 +9303,10 @@ begin
         DAElemType := TDynArrayTypeDesc(FA.FieldInfo.TypeDesc).ElementType
       else
         DAElemType := TStaticArrayTypeDesc(FA.FieldInfo.TypeDesc).ElementType;
-      Self.EmitExprToEax(FA.Expr);
+      if DAElemType.Kind in [tyByte, tyBoolean] then
+        Self.EmitByteRhsToEax(FA.Expr)
+      else
+        Self.EmitExprToEax(FA.Expr);
       Self.Emit(#9'pushq %rax');           { value (or record src addr) }
       Self.EmitExprToEax(FA.PropIndexExpr);
       if (FA.FieldInfo.TypeDesc.Kind = tyStaticArray) and
@@ -9901,7 +9931,7 @@ begin
     begin
       { PChar subscript write: P[I] := byte — storeb at base + I.  The PChar
         value lives directly in the variable slot (an 8-byte pointer). }
-      Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
+      Self.EmitByteRhsToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
       Self.Emit(#9'pushq %rax');
       Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.IndexExpr);
       if Self.IsLocal(SSA.ArrayName) then
@@ -9943,7 +9973,10 @@ begin
         Self.Emit(#9'popq %rbx');
         Exit;
       end;
-      Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
+      if DAElemType.Kind in [tyByte, tyBoolean] then
+        Self.EmitByteRhsToEax(SSA.ValueExpr)
+      else
+        Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
       Self.Emit(#9'pushq %rax');
       Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.IndexExpr);
       Self.Emit(Format(#9'imulq $%d, %%rax', [DAElemType.RawSize()]));
@@ -10042,7 +10075,10 @@ begin
       Self.Emit(#9'popq %rbx');
       Exit;
     end;
-    Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
+    if DAElemType.Kind in [tyByte, tyBoolean] then
+      Self.EmitByteRhsToEax(SSA.ValueExpr)
+    else
+      Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.ValueExpr);
     Self.Emit(#9'pushq %rax');
     Self.EmitExprToEax(SSA.IndexExpr);
     if TStaticArrayTypeDesc(SSA.ResolvedArrayType).LowBound <> 0 then
@@ -10171,7 +10207,11 @@ begin
     end
     else
     begin
-      Self.EmitExprToEax(TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).ValExpr);
+      if (TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).BaseTy <> nil) and
+         (TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).BaseTy.Kind in [tyByte, tyBoolean]) then
+        Self.EmitByteRhsToEax(TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).ValExpr)
+      else
+        Self.EmitExprToEax(TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).ValExpr);
       Self.Emit(#9'pushq %rax');
       Self.EmitExprToEax(TPointerWriteStmt(AStmt).PtrExpr);
       Self.Emit(#9'movq %rax, %rcx');
@@ -12244,6 +12284,13 @@ begin
           Self.Emit(Format(#9'movq $0, %s',
             [Self.IntfItabOperand(TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).Names.Strings[J], False)]));
         end
+      else if TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).ResolvedType.Kind = tyDynArray then
+        { Dyn-array locals MUST start nil: SetLength reads the old pointer
+          (_DynArrayLength / _BlaiseFreeMem on it) and the epilogue releases
+          it — stack garbage in the slot corrupts the heap or crashes. }
+        for J := 0 to TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).Names.Count - 1 do
+          Self.Emit(Format(#9'movq $0, %s',
+            [Self.VarOperand(TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).Names.Strings[J])]))
       else if TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).ResolvedType.Kind = tyRecord then
         for J := 0 to TVarDecl(ADecl.Body.Decls.Items[I]).Names.Count - 1 do
         begin
diff --git a/compiler/src/main/pascal/uDebugOPDF.pas b/compiler/src/main/pascal/uDebugOPDF.pas
index 8219f43..b158018 100644
--- a/compiler/src/main/pascal/uDebugOPDF.pas
+++ b/compiler/src/main/pascal/uDebugOPDF.pas
@@ -561,7 +561,12 @@ begin
   L('    # recGlobalVar: ' + AVarName);
   EmitRecHdr(REC_GLOBALVAR, RecSize);
   L('    .int  ' + IntToStr(GetOrAllocTypeID(CName)) + '  # TypeID');
-  L('    .quad ' + AVarName + '  # Address (linker-resolved)');
+  if (AType <> nil) and (AType.Kind = tyInterface) then
+    { Interface globals are two labels, Name_obj + Name_itab — there is no
+      bare Name symbol.  Point the record at the object-pointer half. }
+    L('    .quad ' + AVarName + '_obj  # Address (linker-resolved)')
+  else
+    L('    .quad ' + AVarName + '  # Address (linker-resolved)');
   EmitStrField(AVarName);
 end;
 
diff --git a/compiler/src/test/pascal/cp.test.e2e.native.pas b/compiler/src/test/pascal/cp.test.e2e.native.pas
index 0e32dbb..66f4402 100644
--- a/compiler/src/test/pascal/cp.test.e2e.native.pas
+++ b/compiler/src/test/pascal/cp.test.e2e.native.pas
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ type
     procedure TestRun_Native_String_ConcatWithInt;
     procedure TestRun_Native_String_ChrConcat;
 
+    { Local dynamic-array variables must start nil: SetLength reads the old
+      pointer and the epilogue releases it.  The dirty-stack helper makes the
+      uninitialised slot hold garbage rather than lucky zeros. }
+    procedure TestRun_Native_LocalDynArray_DirtyStack;
+
     { M7d — exception handling }
     procedure TestRun_Native_TryFinally_Normal;
     procedure TestRun_Native_TryFinally_NestedNormal;
@@ -1924,6 +1929,39 @@ begin
   AssertRunsOnAll(SrcChrConcat, 'ABC' + LE + 'ABCDE' + LE, 0);
 end;
 
+const
+  SrcLocalDynDirty =
+    '''
+    program P;
+    procedure Dirty();
+    var
+      A: array[0..63] of Int64;
+      I: Integer;
+    begin
+      for I := 0 to 63 do
+        A[I] := -81985529216486896;
+    end;
+    procedure UseLocalDyn();
+    var
+      Arr: array of Integer;
+    begin
+      SetLength(Arr, 5);
+      Arr[2] := 42;
+      writeln(Arr[2]);
+    end;
+    begin
+      Dirty();
+      UseLocalDyn();
+      writeln('done');
+    end.
+    ''';
+
+procedure TE2ENativeTests.TestRun_Native_LocalDynArray_DirtyStack;
+begin
+  if not ToolchainAvailable() then begin Ignore('toolchain unavailable'); Exit; end;
+  AssertRunsOnAll(SrcLocalDynDirty, '42' + LE + 'done' + LE, 0);
+end;
+
 { M7d — exception handling source programs }
 const
   SrcExcBase =