diff --git a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
index 8c1205889..7a21a9e34 100644
--- a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
+++ b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ class AsmGen6502Internal (
                 } else {
                     return if (allocator.isZpVar((target as PtNamedNode).scopedName)) {
                         // pointervar is already in the zero page, no need to copy
-                        out("  ldy  #0 |  lda  ($sourceName),y")
+                        loadAFromZpPointerVar(sourceName, true)
                         sourceName
                     } else {
                         out("""
@@ -448,18 +448,26 @@ class AsmGen6502Internal (
         }
     }
 
-    internal fun storeAIntoZpPointerVar(zpPointerVar: String) {
+    internal fun storeAIntoZpPointerVar(zpPointerVar: String, keepY: Boolean) {
         if (isTargetCpu(CpuType.CPU65c02))
             out("  sta  ($zpPointerVar)")
-        else
-            out("  ldy  #0 |  sta  ($zpPointerVar),y")
+        else {
+            if(keepY)
+                out("  sty  P8ZP_SCRATCH_REG |  ldy  #0 |  sta  ($zpPointerVar),y |  ldy  P8ZP_SCRATCH_REG")
+            else
+                out("  ldy  #0 |  sta  ($zpPointerVar),y")
+        }
     }
 
-    internal fun loadAFromZpPointerVar(zpPointerVar: String) {
+    internal fun loadAFromZpPointerVar(zpPointerVar: String, keepY: Boolean) {
         if (isTargetCpu(CpuType.CPU65c02))
             out("  lda  ($zpPointerVar)")
-        else
-            out("  ldy  #0 |  lda  ($zpPointerVar),y")
+        else {
+            if(keepY)
+                out("  sty  P8ZP_SCRATCH_REG |  ldy  #0 |  lda  ($zpPointerVar),y |  php |  ldy  P8ZP_SCRATCH_REG |  plp")
+            else
+                out("  ldy  #0 |  lda  ($zpPointerVar),y")
+        }
     }
 
     private  fun fixNameSymbols(name: String): String {
diff --git a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AssignmentAsmGen.kt b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AssignmentAsmGen.kt
index 73b3c30d3..9039fb424 100644
--- a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AssignmentAsmGen.kt
+++ b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AssignmentAsmGen.kt
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ internal class AssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
             SourceStorageKind.MEMORY -> {
                 fun assignViaExprEval(expression: PtExpression) {
                     assignExpressionToVariable(expression, "P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", DataType.UWORD)
-                    asmgen.loadAFromZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2")
+                    asmgen.loadAFromZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", false)
                     assignRegisterByte(assign.target, CpuRegister.A, false, true)
                 }
 
@@ -2037,7 +2037,7 @@ internal class AssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
 
                     fun assignViaExprEval(addressExpression: PtExpression) {
                         asmgen.assignExpressionToVariable(addressExpression, "P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", DataType.UWORD)
-                        asmgen.loadAFromZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2")
+                        asmgen.loadAFromZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", false)
                         asmgen.out("  ldy  #0")
                         assignRegisterpairWord(target, RegisterOrPair.AY)
                     }
@@ -3880,14 +3880,14 @@ internal class AssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
             when(addressExpr) {
                 is PtNumber, is PtIdentifier -> {
                     assignExpressionToVariable(addressExpr, "P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", DataType.UWORD)
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2")
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", false)
                 }
                 else -> {
                     // same as above but we need to save the A register
                     asmgen.out("  pha")
                     assignExpressionToVariable(addressExpr, "P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", DataType.UWORD)
                     asmgen.out("  pla")
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2")
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", false)
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -3989,7 +3989,7 @@ internal class AssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                                         lda  (P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2),y
                                         eor  #255""")
                                 }
-                                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2")
+                                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar("P8ZP_SCRATCH_W2", false)
                             }
                         }
                     }
diff --git a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen.kt b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen.kt
index 316abf146..d63370121 100644
--- a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen.kt
+++ b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/assignment/AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen.kt
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
             "<", "<=", ">", ">=" -> TODO("byte-var-to-pointer comparisons")
             else -> throw AssemblyError("invalid operator for in-place modification $operator")
         }
-        asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+        asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
     }
 
     private fun inplacemodificationBytePointerWithLiteralval(pointervar: PtIdentifier, operator: String, value: Int) {
@@ -971,7 +971,7 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                 } else {
                     val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                     asmgen.out("  clc |  adc  #$value")
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
                 }
             }
             "-" -> {
@@ -982,7 +982,7 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                 } else {
                     val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                     asmgen.out("  sec |  sbc  #$value")
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
                 }
             }
             "*" -> {
@@ -991,50 +991,50 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                     asmgen.out("  jsr  math.mul_byte_${value}")
                 else
                     asmgen.out("  ldy  #$value |  jsr  math.multiply_bytes")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "/" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                 if(value==0)
                     throw AssemblyError("division by zero")
                 asmgen.out("  ldy  #$value |  jsr  math.divmod_ub_asm |  tya")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "%" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                 if(value==0)
                     throw AssemblyError("division by zero")
                 asmgen.out("  ldy  #$value |  jsr  math.divmod_ub_asm")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "<<" -> {
                 if (value > 0) {
                     val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                     repeat(value) { asmgen.out("  asl  a") }
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
                 }
             }
             ">>" -> {
                 if (value > 0) {
                     val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                     repeat(value) { asmgen.out("  lsr  a") }
-                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                    asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
                 }
             }
             "&" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                 asmgen.out("  and  #$value")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "|"-> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                 asmgen.out("  ora  #$value")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "^" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
                 asmgen.out("  eor  #$value")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "==" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
@@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                     beq  ++
 +                   lda  #1
 +""")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             "!=" -> {
                 val sourceName = asmgen.loadByteFromPointerIntoA(pointervar)
@@ -1056,7 +1056,7 @@ internal class AugmentableAssignmentAsmGen(private val program: PtProgram,
                     beq  ++
 +                   lda  #1
 +""")
-                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName)
+                asmgen.storeAIntoZpPointerVar(sourceName, false)
             }
             // pretty uncommon, who's going to assign a comparison boolean expresion to a pointer?:
             "<", "<=", ">", ">=" -> TODO("byte-litval-to-pointer comparisons")