diff --git a/internal/engine.cm b/internal/engine.cm
index b338acf5..11244d90 100644
--- a/internal/engine.cm
+++ b/internal/engine.cm
@@ -73,7 +73,21 @@ function ensure_build_dir() {
   return dir
 }
 
-// Load a pipeline module from cache, with boot/ seed fallback
+// Load a boot seed module (for compiling pipeline modules on cache miss)
+function boot_load(name) {
+  var mcode_path = core_path + '/boot/' + name + '.cm.mcode'
+  var mcode_blob = null
+  var mach_blob = null
+  if (!fd.is_file(mcode_path)) {
+    print("error: missing boot seed: " + name + "\n")
+    disrupt
+  }
+  mcode_blob = fd.slurp(mcode_path)
+  mach_blob = mach_compile_mcode_bin(name, text(mcode_blob))
+  return mach_load(mach_blob, {use: use_embed})
+}
+
+// Load a pipeline module from cache; on miss compile from source via boot chain
 function load_pipeline_module(name, env) {
   var source_path = core_path + '/' + name + '.cm'
   var source_blob = null
@@ -82,14 +96,48 @@ function load_pipeline_module(name, env) {
   var mcode_path = null
   var mcode_blob = null
   var mach_blob = null
+  var src = null
+  var boot_tok = null
+  var boot_par = null
+  var boot_fld = null
+  var boot_mc = null
+  var tok_result = null
+  var ast = null
+  var compiled = null
+  var mcode_json = null
   if (fd.is_file(source_path)) {
     source_blob = fd.slurp(source_path)
     hash = content_hash(source_blob)
     cached = cache_path(hash)
     if (cached && fd.is_file(cached))
       return mach_load(fd.slurp(cached), env)
+
+    // Cache miss: compile from source using boot seed pipeline
+    mcode_path = core_path + '/boot/' + name + '.cm.mcode'
+    if (fd.is_file(mcode_path)) {
+      boot_tok = boot_load("tokenize")
+      boot_par = boot_load("parse")
+      boot_fld = boot_load("fold")
+      boot_mc = boot_load("mcode")
+      src = text(source_blob)
+      tok_result = boot_tok(src, source_path)
+      ast = boot_par(tok_result.tokens, src, source_path, boot_tok)
+      if (ast.errors != null && length(ast.errors) > 0) {
+        print("error: failed to compile pipeline module: " + name + "\n")
+        disrupt
+      }
+      ast = boot_fld(ast)
+      compiled = boot_mc(ast)
+      mcode_json = json.encode(compiled)
+      mach_blob = mach_compile_mcode_bin(name, mcode_json)
+      if (cached) {
+        ensure_build_dir()
+        fd.slurpwrite(cached, mach_blob)
+      }
+      return mach_load(mach_blob, env)
+    }
   }
-  // Boot seed fallback
+  // Last resort: boot seed as runtime (no source file found)
   mcode_path = core_path + '/boot/' + name + '.cm.mcode'
   if (fd.is_file(mcode_path)) {
     mcode_blob = fd.slurp(mcode_path)
diff --git a/parse.cm b/parse.cm
index dc52a372..07c7f185 100644
--- a/parse.cm
+++ b/parse.cm
@@ -437,7 +437,14 @@ var parse = function(tokens, src, filename, tokenizer) {
         }
         push(list, pair)
         if (tok.kind == ",") advance()
-        else break
+        else if (tok.kind == "{") {
+          if (right && right.kind == "(") {
+            parse_error(tok, "unexpected '{' after property value; use method shorthand `name(args) { ... }` or `name: function(args) { ... }`")
+          } else {
+            parse_error(tok, "expected ',' or '}' in object literal")
+          }
+          break
+        } else break
       }
       ast_node_end(node)
       if (tok.kind == "}") advance()