diff --git a/src/fennel-ls/diagnostics.fnl b/src/fennel-ls/diagnostics.fnl
index 349ca56..50bb81c 100644
--- a/src/fennel-ls/diagnostics.fnl
+++ b/src/fennel-ls/diagnostics.fnl
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Goes through a file and mutates the `file.diagnostics` field, filling it with di
   (icollect [symbol (pairs file.references) &into file.diagnostics]
     (if (. (utils.multi-sym-split symbol) 2)
       (let [opts {}
-            item (language.search self file symbol [] opts)]
+            item (language.search-ast self file symbol [] opts)]
         (if (and (not item) opts.searched-through-require)
           {:range (message.ast->range self file symbol)
            :message (.. "unknown field: " (tostring symbol))
diff --git a/src/fennel-ls/handlers.fnl b/src/fennel-ls/handlers.fnl
index 0c127f0..6e73d11 100644
--- a/src/fennel-ls/handlers.fnl
+++ b/src/fennel-ls/handlers.fnl
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Every time the client sends a message, it gets handled by a function in the corr
       (if
         ;; require call
         (. file.require-calls parent)
-        (language.search self file parent [] {:stop-early? true})
+        (language.search-ast self file parent [] {:stop-early? true})
         ;; regular symbol
         (language.search-main self file symbol {:stop-early? true} byte))
       (result result-file)
@@ -157,11 +157,13 @@ Every time the client sends a message, it gets handled by a function in the corr
       (case (language.search-assignment self file ref stack {})
         ({: definition} file)
         (case (values definition (type definition))
+          ;; fields of a string are hardcoded to "string"
           (_str :string) (icollect [label _ (pairs string)]
                            {: label :kind kinds.Field})
+          ;; fields of a table
           (tbl :table) (icollect [label _ (pairs tbl)]
                          (if (= (type label) :string)
-                           (case (language.search self file tbl [label] {})
+                           (case (language.search-ast self file tbl [label] {})
                              def (formatter.completion-item-format label def)
                              _ {: label :kind kinds.Field}))))
         _ nil))))
diff --git a/src/fennel-ls/language.fnl b/src/fennel-ls/language.fnl
index a4ae994..29eacc8 100644
--- a/src/fennel-ls/language.fnl
+++ b/src/fennel-ls/language.fnl
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ the data provided by compiler.fnl."
 (local -nil- (sym :nil))
 (local -setmetatable- (sym :setmetatable))
 
-(var search nil) ;; all of the search functions are mutually recursive
+(var search-ast nil) ;; all of the search functions are mutually recursive
 
 (λ stack-add-keys! [stack ?keys]
   "add the keys to the end of the stack in reverse order"
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ the data provided by compiler.fnl."
         ;; search a virtual field from :fields
         (and (not= 0 (length stack)) (?. ?fields (. stack (length stack))))
         (search-assignment self file (. ?fields (table.remove stack)) stack opts)
-        (search self file ?definition (stack-add-keys! stack ?keys) opts))))
+        (search-ast self file ?definition (stack-add-keys! stack ?keys) opts))))
 
 (λ search-symbol [self file symbol stack opts]
   (if (= symbol -nil-)
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ the data provided by compiler.fnl."
 
 (λ search-table [self file tbl stack opts]
   (if (. tbl (. stack (length stack)))
-      (search self file (. tbl (table.remove stack)) stack opts)
+      (search-ast self file (. tbl (table.remove stack)) stack opts)
       (= 0 (length stack))
       (values {:definition tbl} file) ;; BASE CASE !!
       nil)) ;; BASE CASE Give up
@@ -66,22 +66,22 @@ the data provided by compiler.fnl."
       (let [newfile (state.get-by-module self mod)]
         (when newfile
           (let [newitem (. newfile.ast (length newfile.ast))]
-            (search self newfile newitem stack (doto opts (tset :searched-through-require true)))))))
+            (search-ast self newfile newitem stack (doto opts (tset :searched-through-require true)))))))
 
     ;; A . form  indexes into item 1 with the other items
     (where [-dot- & split] (. split 1))
-    (search self file (. split 1) (stack-add-split! stack split) opts)
+    (search-ast self file (. split 1) (stack-add-split! stack split) opts)
 
     ;; A do block returns the last form
     (where [-do- & body] (. body 1))
-    (search self file (. body (length body)) stack opts)
+    (search-ast self file (. body (length body)) stack opts)
 
     (where [-let- _binding & body] (. body 1))
-    (search self file (. body (length body)) stack opts)
+    (search-ast self file (. body (length body)) stack opts)
 
     ;; TODO care about the setmetatable call
     (where [-setmetatable- tbl _mt])
-    (search self file tbl stack opts)
+    (search-ast self file tbl stack opts)
 
     ;; functions evaluate to "themselves"
     [-fn-]
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ the data provided by compiler.fnl."
     (if (= 0 (length stack))
         (values {:definition call} file)))) ;; BASE CASE!!
 
-(set search
-  (λ search [self file item stack opts]
+(set search-ast
+  (λ [self file item stack opts]
     (if
         (sym? item)               (search-symbol self file item stack opts)
         (list? item)              (search-list self file item stack opts)
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ Returns:
         _ (case (. file.references symbol)
             ref (search-assignment self file ref stack opts)
             _ (case (. file.definitions symbol)
-                def (search self file def.definition (stack-add-keys! stack def.keys) opts)))))))
+                def (search-ast self file def.definition (stack-add-keys! stack def.keys) opts)))))))
 
 (λ find-local-definition [file name ?scope]
   (when ?scope
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ Returns:
       _ (case (global-info self name)
          global-item global-item
          _ (case (find-local-definition file name scope)
-             def (search self file def.definition (stack-add-keys! stack def.keys) (or ?opts {})))))))
+             def (search-ast self file def.definition (stack-add-keys! stack def.keys) (or ?opts {})))))))
 
 (λ _past? [?ast byte]
   ;; check if a byte is past an ast object
@@ -235,4 +235,4 @@ Returns:
  : search-main
  : search-assignment
  : search-name-and-scope
- : search}
+ : search-ast}