diff --git a/src/eval.rs b/src/eval.rs
index 6e5e0a7ccc..6b02c0e25c 100644
--- a/src/eval.rs
+++ b/src/eval.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ pub enum ShellError {
     Mismatch(String, Span),
     Unsupported(Span),
     InternalError(String),
+    VariableNotFound(Span),
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
@@ -98,8 +99,11 @@ impl Stack {
         match this.vars.get(&var_id) {
             Some(v) => Ok(v.clone()),
             _ => {
-                println!("var_id: {}", var_id);
-                Err(ShellError::InternalError("variable not found".into()))
+                if let Some(parent) = &this.parent {
+                    parent.get_var(var_id)
+                } else {
+                    Err(ShellError::InternalError("variable not found".into()))
+                }
             }
         }
     }
@@ -283,7 +287,9 @@ pub fn eval_expression(
             val: *i,
             span: expr.span,
         }),
-        Expr::Var(var_id) => stack.get_var(*var_id),
+        Expr::Var(var_id) => stack
+            .get_var(*var_id)
+            .map_err(move |_| ShellError::VariableNotFound(expr.span)),
         Expr::Call(call) => eval_call(state, stack, call),
         Expr::ExternalCall(_, _) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
         Expr::Operator(_) => Ok(Value::Unknown),
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 624eb951a6..7aad256c4f 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
             let mut working_set = ParserWorkingSet::new(&*parser_state);
             let (output, err) = working_set.parse_file(&path, &file, false);
             if let Some(err) = err {
-                eprintln!("Error: {:?}", err);
+                eprintln!("Parse Error: {:?}", err);
                 std::process::exit(1);
             }
             (output, working_set.render())
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
                 println!("{}", value);
             }
             Err(err) => {
-                eprintln!("Error: {:?}", err);
+                eprintln!("Eval Error: {:?}", err);
                 std::process::exit(1);
             }
         }
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
                             false,
                         );
                         if let Some(err) = err {
-                            println!("Error: {:?}", err);
+                            eprintln!("Parse Error: {:?}", err);
                             break;
                         }
                         (output, working_set.render())
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
                             println!("{}", value);
                         }
                         Err(err) => {
-                            println!("Error: {:?}", err);
+                            eprintln!("Eval Error: {:?}", err);
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/src/tests.rs b/src/tests.rs
index 86048546ee..2cdd1d77dc 100644
--- a/src/tests.rs
+++ b/src/tests.rs
@@ -18,11 +18,15 @@ fn run_test(input: &str, expected: &str) -> TestResult {
 
     let output = cmd.output()?;
 
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).to_string();
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).to_string();
+
+    println!("stdout: {}", stdout);
+    println!("stderr: {}", stderr);
+
     assert!(output.status.success());
 
-    let output = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).to_string();
-
-    assert_eq!(output.trim(), expected);
+    assert_eq!(stdout.trim(), expected);
 
     Ok(())
 }
@@ -40,6 +44,7 @@ fn fail_test(input: &str, expected: &str) -> TestResult {
     let output = cmd.output()?;
 
     let output = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).to_string();
+    println!("{}", output);
 
     assert!(output.contains("Error:"));
     assert!(output.contains(expected));
@@ -71,3 +76,40 @@ fn if_test1() -> TestResult {
 fn if_test2() -> TestResult {
     run_test("if $false { 10 } else { 20 } ", "20")
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn no_leak1() -> TestResult {
+    fail_test(
+        "if $false { let $x = 10 } else { let $x = 20 }; $x",
+        "VariableNotFound",
+    )
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn no_leak2() -> TestResult {
+    fail_test(
+        "def foo [] { $x }; def bar [] { let $x = 10; foo }; bar",
+        "VariableNotFound",
+    )
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn no_leak3() -> TestResult {
+    run_test(
+        "def foo [$x] { $x }; def bar [] { let $x = 10; foo 20}; bar",
+        "20",
+    )
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn no_leak4() -> TestResult {
+    run_test(
+        "def foo [$x] { $x }; def bar [] { let $x = 10; (foo 20) + $x}; bar",
+        "30",
+    )
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn simple_var_closing() -> TestResult {
+    run_test("let $x = 10; def foo [] { $x }; foo", "10")
+}