diff --git a/extra/benchmark/fasta/fasta.factor b/extra/benchmark/fasta/fasta.factor
index 215b677e16..d449c0fc5b 100755
--- a/extra/benchmark/fasta/fasta.factor
+++ b/extra/benchmark/fasta/fasta.factor
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ HINTS: random fixnum ;
     write-description
     [let | k! [ 0 ] alu [ ] |
         [| len | k len alu make-repeat-fasta k! ] split-lines
-    ] with-locals ; inline
+    ] ; inline
 
 : fasta ( n out -- )
     homo-sapiens make-cumulative
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ HINTS: random fixnum ;
             drop
         ] with-file-writer
 
-    ] with-locals ;
+    ] ;
 
 : run-fasta 2500000 reverse-complement-in fasta ;
 
diff --git a/extra/locals/locals-docs.factor b/extra/locals/locals-docs.factor
index 96485825ff..961017f39e 100644
--- a/extra/locals/locals-docs.factor
+++ b/extra/locals/locals-docs.factor
@@ -2,15 +2,6 @@ USING: help.syntax help.markup kernel macros prettyprint
 memoize ;
 IN: locals
 
-<PRIVATE
-
-: $with-locals-note
-    drop {
-        "This form must appear either in a word defined by " { $link POSTPONE: :: } " or " { $link POSTPONE: MACRO:: } ", or alternatively, " { $link with-locals } " must be called on the top-level form of the word to perform closure conversion."
-    } $notes ;
-
-PRIVATE>
-
 HELP: [|
 { $syntax "[| bindings... | body... ]" }
 { $description "A lambda abstraction. When called, reads stack values into the bindings from left to right; the body may then refer to these bindings." }
@@ -22,8 +13,7 @@ HELP: [|
         "3 5 adder call ."
         "8"
     }
-}
-$with-locals-note ;
+} ;
 
 HELP: [let
 { $syntax "[let | binding1 [ value1... ]\n       binding2 [ value2... ]\n       ... |\n    body... ]" }
@@ -38,8 +28,7 @@ HELP: [let
         "6 { 36 14 } frobnicate ."
         "{ 36 2 }"
     }
-}
-$with-locals-note ;
+} ;
 
 HELP: [let*
 { $syntax "[let* | binding1 [ value1... ]\n       binding2 [ value2... ]\n       ... |\n    body... ]" }
@@ -55,8 +44,7 @@ HELP: [let*
         "1 { 32 48 } frobnicate ."
         "{ 2 3 }"
     }
-}
-$with-locals-note ;
+} ;
 
 { POSTPONE: [let POSTPONE: [let* } related-words
 
@@ -75,10 +63,6 @@ HELP: [wlet
     }
 } ;
 
-HELP: with-locals
-{ $values { "form" "a quotation, lambda, let or wlet form" } { "quot" "a quotation" } }
-{ $description "Performs closure conversion of a lexically-scoped form. All nested sub-forms are converted. This word must be applied to a " { $link POSTPONE: [| } ", " { $link POSTPONE: [let } " or " { $link POSTPONE: [wlet } " used in an ordinary definition, however forms in " { $link POSTPONE: :: } " and " { $link POSTPONE: MACRO:: } " definitions are automatically closure-converted and there is no need to use this word." } ;
-
 HELP: ::
 { $syntax ":: word ( bindings... -- outputs... ) body... ;" }
 { $description "Defines a word with named inputs; it reads stack values into bindings from left to right, then executes the body with those bindings in lexical scope. Any " { $link POSTPONE: [| } ", " { $link POSTPONE: [let } " or " { $link POSTPONE: [wlet } " forms used in the body of the word definition are automatically closure-converted." }
@@ -136,8 +120,6 @@ $nl
 { $subsection POSTPONE: :: }
 { $subsection POSTPONE: MEMO:: }
 { $subsection POSTPONE: MACRO:: }
-"Explicit closure conversion outside of applicative word definitions:"
-{ $subsection with-locals }
 "Lexical binding forms:"
 { $subsection POSTPONE: [let }
 { $subsection POSTPONE: [let* }
diff --git a/extra/locals/locals-tests.factor b/extra/locals/locals-tests.factor
index bb2fd9893c..5c3d2005a8 100755
--- a/extra/locals/locals-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/locals/locals-tests.factor
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 USING: locals math sequences tools.test hashtables words kernel
 namespaces arrays strings prettyprint io.streams.string parser
-;
+accessors ;
 IN: locals.tests
 
 :: foo ( a b -- a a ) a a ;
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ IN: locals.tests
 
 [ 5 ] [
     [let | a [ 3 ] | [wlet | func [ a + ] | 2 func ] ]
-    with-locals
 ] unit-test
 
 :: wlet-test-2 ( a b -- seq )
@@ -108,7 +107,7 @@ write-test-2 "q" set
 
 [ 10 20 ]
 [
-    20 10 [| a! | [| b! | a b ] ] with-locals call call
+    20 10 [| a! | [| b! | a b ] ] call call
 ] unit-test
 
 :: write-test-3 ( a! -- q ) [| b | b a! ] ;
@@ -170,16 +169,22 @@ M:: string lambda-generic ( a b -- c ) a b lambda-generic-2 ;
 
 [ ] [ \ lambda-generic see ] unit-test
 
+:: unparse-test-1 ( a -- ) [let | a! [ ] | ] ;
+
 [ "[let | a! [ ] | ]" ] [
-    [let | a! [ ] | ] unparse
+    \ unparse-test-1 "lambda" word-prop body>> first unparse
 ] unit-test
 
+:: unparse-test-2 ( -- ) [wlet | a! [ ] | ] ;
+
 [ "[wlet | a! [ ] | ]" ] [
-    [wlet | a! [ ] | ] unparse
+    \ unparse-test-2 "lambda" word-prop body>> first unparse
 ] unit-test
 
+:: unparse-test-3 ( -- b ) [| a! | ] ;
+
 [ "[| a! | ]" ] [
-    [| a! | ] unparse
+    \ unparse-test-3 "lambda" word-prop body>> first unparse
 ] unit-test
 
 DEFER: xyzzy
@@ -237,3 +242,7 @@ M: integer next-method-test 3 + ;
 M:: fixnum next-method-test ( a -- b ) a call-next-method 1 + ;
 
 [ 5 ] [ 1 next-method-test ] unit-test
+
+: no-with-locals-test { 1 2 3 } [| x | x 3 + ] map ;
+
+[ { 4 5 6 } ] [ no-with-locals-test ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/locals/locals.factor b/extra/locals/locals.factor
index 031348fbe8..4b7ab8cdad 100755
--- a/extra/locals/locals.factor
+++ b/extra/locals/locals.factor
@@ -201,8 +201,11 @@ M: object local-rewrite* , ;
 : pop-locals ( assoc -- )
     use get delete ;
 
+SYMBOL: in-lambda?
+
 : (parse-lambda) ( assoc end -- quot )
-    parse-until >quotation swap pop-locals ;
+    t in-lambda? [ parse-until ] with-variable
+    >quotation swap pop-locals ;
 
 : parse-lambda ( -- lambda )
     "|" parse-tokens make-locals dup push-locals
@@ -283,24 +286,24 @@ M: wlet local-rewrite*
     CREATE-METHOD
     [ parse-locals-definition ] with-method-definition ;
 
+: parsed-lambda ( form -- )
+    in-lambda? get [ parsed ] [ lambda-rewrite over push-all ] if ;
+
 PRIVATE>
 
-: [| parse-lambda parsed ; parsing
+: [| parse-lambda parsed-lambda ; parsing
 
 : [let
     scan "|" assert= parse-bindings
-\ ] (parse-lambda) <let> parsed ; parsing
+    \ ] (parse-lambda) <let> parsed-lambda ; parsing
 
 : [let*
     scan "|" assert= parse-bindings*
-    >r \ ] parse-until >quotation <let*> parsed r> pop-locals ;
-    parsing
+    \ ] (parse-lambda) <let*> parsed-lambda ; parsing
 
 : [wlet
     scan "|" assert= parse-wbindings
-    \ ] (parse-lambda) <wlet> parsed ; parsing
-
-MACRO: with-locals ( form -- quot ) lambda-rewrite ;
+    \ ] (parse-lambda) <wlet> parsed-lambda ; parsing
 
 : :: (::) define ; parsing
 
diff --git a/extra/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor b/extra/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
index 0ee7bf515f..c3252de500 100644
--- a/extra/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
+++ b/extra/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ M: ebnf-sequence build-locals ( code ast -- code )
         ] 2each
         " | " %
         %  
-        " ] with-locals" %     
+        " ]" %     
     ] "" make 
   ] if ;
 
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ M: ebnf-var build-locals ( code ast -- )
     name>> % " [ dup ] " %
     " | " %
     %  
-    " ] with-locals" %     
+    " ]" %     
   ] "" make ;
 
 M: object build-locals ( code ast -- )