diff --git a/crates/lean_compiler/src/b_compile_intermediate.rs b/crates/lean_compiler/src/b_compile_intermediate.rs
index b172b538..84a1d307 100644
--- a/crates/lean_compiler/src/b_compile_intermediate.rs
+++ b/crates/lean_compiler/src/b_compile_intermediate.rs
@@ -126,13 +126,14 @@ fn compile_function(
     function: &SimpleFunction,
     compiler: &mut Compiler,
 ) -> Result<Vec<IntermediateInstruction>, String> {
-    let mut internal_vars = find_internal_vars(&function.instructions);
-
-    internal_vars.retain(|var| !function.arguments.contains(var));
+    let internal_vars: InternalVars =
+        find_internal_vars(&function.instructions, &|var: &Var| -> bool {
+            function.arguments.contains(var)
+        });
 
     // memory layout: pc, fp, args, return_vars, internal_vars
     let mut stack_pos = 2; // Reserve space for pc and fp
-    let mut var_positions = BTreeMap::new();
+    let mut var_positions: BTreeMap<Var, usize> = BTreeMap::new();
 
     for (i, var) in function.arguments.iter().enumerate() {
         var_positions.insert(var.clone(), stack_pos + i);
@@ -141,10 +142,7 @@ fn compile_function(
 
     stack_pos += function.n_returned_vars;
 
-    for (i, var) in internal_vars.iter().enumerate() {
-        var_positions.insert(var.clone(), stack_pos + i);
-    }
-    stack_pos += internal_vars.len();
+    stack_pos = layout_internal_vars(&internal_vars, &mut var_positions, stack_pos);
 
     compiler.func_name = function.name.clone();
     compiler.var_positions = var_positions;
@@ -161,6 +159,37 @@ fn compile_function(
     )
 }
 
+fn layout_internal_vars(
+    internal_vars: &InternalVars,
+    var_positions: &mut BTreeMap<Var, usize>,
+    initial_stack_pos: usize,
+) -> usize {
+    let mut stack_pos = initial_stack_pos;
+    match internal_vars {
+        InternalVars::One(var) => {
+            if !var_positions.contains_key(var) {
+                var_positions.insert(var.clone(), stack_pos);
+                stack_pos += 1;
+            }
+        }
+        InternalVars::AllOf(children) => {
+            for child in children {
+                stack_pos = layout_internal_vars(child, var_positions, stack_pos);
+            }
+        }
+        InternalVars::OneOf(children) => {
+            // TODO: this is wrong b/c it can result in the same stack pos
+            // being doubly assigned when a name is shared between branches?
+            let mut new_stack_poss: Vec<usize> = Vec::new();
+            for child in children {
+                new_stack_poss.push(layout_internal_vars(child, var_positions, stack_pos));
+            }
+            stack_pos = *new_stack_poss.iter().max().unwrap_or(&stack_pos);
+        }
+    }
+    stack_pos
+}
+
 fn compile_lines(
     function_name: &Label,
     lines: &[SimpleLine],
@@ -795,50 +824,166 @@ fn compile_function_ret(
     });
 }
 
-fn find_internal_vars(lines: &[SimpleLine]) -> BTreeSet<Var> {
-    let mut internal_vars = BTreeSet::new();
+enum InternalVars {
+    One(Var),
+    AllOf(Vec<InternalVars>),
+    OneOf(Vec<InternalVars>),
+}
+
+fn find_internal_vars<F>(lines: &[SimpleLine], exclude: &F) -> InternalVars
+where
+    F: Fn(&Var) -> bool,
+{
+    let mut internal_vars: Vec<InternalVars> = Vec::new();
+
+    // Scan outside of conditional statements first, so that any variables shared
+    // between branches of conditional statements and also outside of the conditional
+    // statement will be assigned a consistent stack location.
     for line in lines {
         match line {
-            SimpleLine::Match { arms, .. } => {
-                for arm in arms {
-                    internal_vars.extend(find_internal_vars(arm));
+            SimpleLine::Match { value, .. } => {
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = value && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
                 }
             }
-            SimpleLine::Assignment { var, .. } => {
-                if let VarOrConstMallocAccess::Var(var) = var {
-                    internal_vars.insert(var.clone());
+            SimpleLine::Assignment { var, arg0, arg1, .. } => {
+                if let VarOrConstMallocAccess::Var(var) = var
+                    && !exclude(var)
+                {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg0 && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg1 && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::TestZero { arg0, arg1, .. } => {
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg0 && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg1 && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::HintMAlloc { var, size, vectorized_len, .. } => {
+                if !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = size && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = vectorized_len && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::DecomposeBits { var, to_decompose, .. }
+            | SimpleLine::DecomposeCustom { var, to_decompose, .. } => {
+                if !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                for expr in to_decompose {
+                    if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = expr && !exclude(var) {
+                        internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                    }
                 }
             }
-            SimpleLine::TestZero { .. } => {}
-            SimpleLine::HintMAlloc { var, .. }
-            | SimpleLine::ConstMalloc { var, .. }
-            | SimpleLine::DecomposeBits { var, .. }
-            | SimpleLine::DecomposeCustom { var, .. }
+            SimpleLine::ConstMalloc { var, .. }
             | SimpleLine::CounterHint { var } => {
-                internal_vars.insert(var.clone());
+                if !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
             }
-            SimpleLine::RawAccess { res, .. } => {
-                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = res {
-                    internal_vars.insert(var.clone());
+            SimpleLine::RawAccess { res, index, .. } => {
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = res && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = index && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::FunctionCall { return_data, args, .. } => {
+                internal_vars.extend(
+                    return_data
+                        .iter()
+                        .filter(|&var| !exclude(var))
+                        .cloned()
+                        .map(InternalVars::One),
+                );
+                for arg in args {
+                    if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg && !exclude(var) {
+                        internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::FunctionRet { return_data } => {
+                for expr in return_data {
+                    if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = expr && !exclude(var) {
+                        internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::Precompile { args, .. } => {
+                for arg in args {
+                    if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = arg && !exclude(var) {
+                        internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            SimpleLine::Print { content, .. } => {
+                for expr in content {
+                    if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = expr && !exclude(var) {
+                        internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                    }
                 }
             }
-            SimpleLine::FunctionCall { return_data, .. } => {
-                internal_vars.extend(return_data.iter().cloned());
+            SimpleLine::IfNotZero { condition, .. } => {
+                if let SimpleExpr::Var(var) = condition && !exclude(var) {
+                    internal_vars.push(InternalVars::One(var.clone()));
+                }
             }
+            SimpleLine::Panic
+            | SimpleLine::LocationReport { .. } => {}
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Having scanned outside of conditional statements, scan inside conditional statements.
+    for line in lines {
+        match line {
             SimpleLine::IfNotZero {
                 then_branch,
                 else_branch,
                 ..
             } => {
-                internal_vars.extend(find_internal_vars(then_branch));
-                internal_vars.extend(find_internal_vars(else_branch));
+                internal_vars.push(InternalVars::OneOf(vec![
+                    find_internal_vars(then_branch, exclude),
+                    find_internal_vars(else_branch, exclude),
+                ]));
             }
-            SimpleLine::Panic
+            SimpleLine::Match { arms, .. } => {
+                let mut branch_vars: Vec<InternalVars> = Vec::new();
+                for arm in arms {
+                    branch_vars.push(find_internal_vars(arm, exclude));
+                }
+                internal_vars.push(InternalVars::OneOf(branch_vars));
+            }
+            SimpleLine::Assignment { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::TestZero { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::HintMAlloc { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::ConstMalloc { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::DecomposeBits { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::DecomposeCustom { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::CounterHint { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::RawAccess { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::FunctionCall { .. }
+            | SimpleLine::Panic
             | SimpleLine::Print { .. }
             | SimpleLine::FunctionRet { .. }
             | SimpleLine::Precompile { .. }
             | SimpleLine::LocationReport { .. } => {}
         }
     }
-    internal_vars
+
+    InternalVars::AllOf(internal_vars)
 }
diff --git a/crates/lean_prover/tests/test_zkvm.rs b/crates/lean_prover/tests/test_zkvm.rs
index 9733e38a..9b2e9f53 100644
--- a/crates/lean_prover/tests/test_zkvm.rs
+++ b/crates/lean_prover/tests/test_zkvm.rs
@@ -135,6 +135,6 @@ fn test_zk_vm_helper(
     );
     let proof_time = time.elapsed();
     verify_execution(&bytecode, public_input, proof_data, whir_config_builder()).unwrap();
-    println!("{}", summary);
+    println!("{summary}");
     println!("Proof time: {:.3} s", proof_time.as_secs_f32());
 }