diff --git a/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.c b/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.c
index c44a0b544..2d9740db0 100644
--- a/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.c
+++ b/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.c
@@ -88,20 +88,6 @@ bool cbm_scope_bind_callable_checked(CBMScope *scope, const char *name, const CB
     return cbm_scope_bind_value(scope, name, type, callable_qn);
 }
 
-const CBMVarBinding *cbm_scope_lookup_binding(const CBMScope *scope, const char *name) {
-    if (!name)
-        return NULL;
-    for (const CBMScope* s = scope; s != NULL; s = s->parent) {
-        for (const CBMScopeChunk* c = s->chunks; c != NULL; c = c->next) {
-            for (int i = 0; i < c->used; i++) {
-                if (c->bindings[i].name && strcmp(c->bindings[i].name, name) == 0)
-                    return &c->bindings[i];
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    return NULL;
-}
-
 const CBMType* cbm_scope_lookup(const CBMScope* scope, const char* name) {
     const CBMVarBinding *binding = cbm_scope_lookup_binding(scope, name);
     if (binding)
diff --git a/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.h b/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.h
index 3ec438fe9..5ba7265a3 100644
--- a/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.h
+++ b/internal/cbm/lsp/scope.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "../arena.h"
 #include <stdatomic.h> /* relaxed cache for cbm_lsp_max_walk_depth */
 #include <stdlib.h>     /* getenv, atoi (cbm_lsp_max_walk_depth) */
+#include <string.h>     /* strcmp (cbm_scope_lookup_binding) */
 
 typedef struct {
     const char* name;
@@ -30,6 +31,25 @@ typedef struct CBMScope {
     CBMArena* arena;        // owning arena, propagated to children at push time
 } CBMScope;
 
+/* Return the complete nearest binding in one scope-chain walk, or NULL when
+ * unbound. Keep this internal hot-path primitive inline: all language
+ * resolvers use cbm_scope_lookup(), while Python also consumes the complete
+ * record to avoid repeating the same linear scan. */
+static inline const CBMVarBinding *cbm_scope_lookup_binding(const CBMScope *scope,
+                                                            const char *name) {
+    if (!name)
+        return NULL;
+    for (const CBMScope *s = scope; s != NULL; s = s->parent) {
+        for (const CBMScopeChunk *c = s->chunks; c != NULL; c = c->next) {
+            for (int i = 0; i < c->used; i++) {
+                if (c->bindings[i].name && strcmp(c->bindings[i].name, name) == 0)
+                    return &c->bindings[i];
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 // Bail-to-UNKNOWN depth for type-lookup chains: alias resolution, MRO walks,
 // embedded-field/struct-traversal. Exceeding this collapses to cbm_type_unknown
 // rather than recursing — guards against pathological hierarchies.
@@ -82,10 +102,6 @@ bool cbm_scope_bind_callable_checked(CBMScope *scope, const char *name, const CB
 void cbm_scope_bind_callable(CBMScope *scope, const char *name, const CBMType *type,
                              const char *callable_qn);
 const CBMType* cbm_scope_lookup(const CBMScope* scope, const char* name);
-/* Return the complete nearest binding in one scope-chain walk, or NULL when
- * unbound. Callers that need presence, type, and callable identity together
- * should use this instead of repeating three linear scans. */
-const CBMVarBinding *cbm_scope_lookup_binding(const CBMScope *scope, const char *name);
 /* True when any lexical frame contains name, even when its type is UNKNOWN. */
 bool cbm_scope_contains(const CBMScope *scope, const char *name);
 /* Return the exact callable QN from the nearest binding.  A nearer ordinary