diff --git a/src/fennel-ls/compiler.fnl b/src/fennel-ls/compiler.fnl
index 462c296..e207095 100644
--- a/src/fennel-ls/compiler.fnl
+++ b/src/fennel-ls/compiler.fnl
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
 (local searcher (require :fennel-ls.searcher))
 (local utils (require :fennel-ls.utils))
 
+(local nil* (sym :nil))
+
 (fn scope? [candidate]
   ;; just checking a couple of the fields
   (and
@@ -67,6 +69,8 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
         lexical       {} ; all lists, tables, and symbols in the original source
         require-calls {}] ; the keys are all the calls that start with `require
 
+    (local defer [])
+
     (λ find-definition [name ?scope]
       (if ?scope
         (or (. definitions-by-scope ?scope name)
@@ -185,18 +189,18 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
           _ []))
       (each [_ argument (ipairs args)]
         (if (not (sym? argument :&))
-          (define (sym :nil) argument scope)))) ;; TODO  for now, function arguments are set to nil
+          (define nil* argument scope)))) ;; TODO  for now, function arguments are set to nil
 
     (λ define-function [ast scope]
       ;; handle the definitions of a function
       (define-function-name ast scope))
 
     (λ compile-for [ast scope binding]
-       (define (sym :nil) binding scope))
+       (define nil* binding scope))
 
     (λ compile-each [ast scope bindings]
       (each [_ binding (ipairs bindings)]
-        (define (sym :nil) binding scope)))
+        (define nil* binding scope)))
 
     (λ compile-fn [ast scope]
       (tset scopes ast scope)
@@ -205,8 +209,6 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
     (λ compile-do [ast scope]
       (tset scopes ast scope))
 
-    (local defer [])
-
     (λ call [ast scope]
       "every list that is a call to a special or macro or function"
       (tset calls ast true)
@@ -216,7 +218,7 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
         (case (and (sym? head) (tostring head))
           ;; This cannot be done through the :fn feature of the compiler plugin system
           ;; because it needs to be called *before* the body of the function is processed.
-          (where (or :fn :lambda :λ))
+          (where :fn)
           (define-function ast scope)
           (where (or :require :include))
           (tset require-calls ast true)
@@ -248,7 +250,7 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
           (when (and (= 1 (msg:find "expected even number of name/value bindings"))
                      (sequence? ?ast)
                      (= 1 (% (length ?ast) 2)))
-            (table.insert ?ast (sym :nil))
+            (table.insert ?ast nil*)
             (table.insert defer #(table.remove ?ast))
             true)
           (when (and (= 1 (msg:find "expected a function, macro, or special to call"))
@@ -356,7 +358,13 @@ identifiers are declared / referenced in which places."
         (when (or (table? ast) (list? ast))
           (each [k v (iter ast)]
             (parsed k)
-            (parsed v))))
+            (parsed v)))
+        (when (and (list? ast)
+                   (or (sym? (. ast 1) :λ)
+                       (sym? (. ast 1) :lambda)))
+          (let [old-sym (. ast 1)]
+            (tset ast 1 (sym :fn))
+            (table.insert defer #(tset ast 1 old-sym)))))
 
       (parsed ast lexical)
 
diff --git a/src/fennel-ls/formatter.fnl b/src/fennel-ls/formatter.fnl
index efbfddb..4c9148f 100644
--- a/src/fennel-ls/formatter.fnl
+++ b/src/fennel-ls/formatter.fnl
@@ -53,14 +53,16 @@ user code. Fennel-ls doesn't support user-code formatting as of now."
 fntype is one of fn or λ or lambda"
   (case ?ast
     ;; name + docstring
-    (where [fntype name arglist docstring _body]
+    (where [fntype name arglist docstring body]
+      body
       (fn? fntype)
       (sym? name)
       (type= arglist :table)
       (type= docstring :string))
     {: fntype : name : arglist : docstring}
     ;; docstring
-    (where [fntype arglist docstring _body]
+    (where [fntype arglist docstring body]
+      body
       (fn? fntype)
       (type= arglist :table)
       (type= docstring :string))
diff --git a/test/hover.fnl b/test/hover.fnl
index eed7f8c..d9e628c 100644
--- a/test/hover.fnl
+++ b/test/hover.fnl
@@ -96,15 +96,18 @@ except that it sets a new message handler `msgh`.")
             \"this is a doc string\"
             (print arg1 arg2 arg3))
           (my-function)|" nil)
-  (check "(λ foo| [x ...]
+  (check "(fn foo| [x ...]
             \"not a docstring, this gets returned\")"
          "```fnl\n(fn foo [x ...] ...)\n```")
+  (check "(λ foo| [x ...]
+            \"not a docstring, this gets returned\")"
+         "```fnl\n(λ foo [x ...] ...)\n```")
   (check "(λ foo| [{: start : end}]
             :body)"
-         "```fnl\n(fn foo [{: end : start}] ...)\n```")
+         "```fnl\n(λ foo [{: end : start}] ...)\n```")
   (check "(λ foo| [{:list [a b c] :table {: d : e : f}}]
             :body)"
-         "```fnl\n(fn foo [{:list [a b c] :table {: d : e : f}}] ...)\n```")
+         "```fnl\n(λ foo [{:list [a b c] :table {: d : e : f}}] ...)\n```")
   nil)
 
 (fn test-multisym []
diff --git a/test/lint.fnl b/test/lint.fnl
index 8899160..a99d618 100644
--- a/test/lint.fnl
+++ b/test/lint.fnl
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@
   ;; setting a field without reading is okay
   (check "(fn [a b] (set a.x 10) (fn b.f []))" [] [{}])
   (check "(case {:b 1} (where (or {:a x} {:b x})) x)" [] [{}])
+
+  (check "(fn foo [a] nil) (foo)" [{:message "unused definition: a"}] [])
+  (check "(λ foo [a] nil) (foo)" [{:message "unused definition: a"}] [])
+  (check "(lambda foo [a] nil) (foo)" [{:message "unused definition: a"}] [])
+
   nil)
 
 (fn test-ampersand []