diff --git a/src/compiler.rs b/src/compiler.rs
index 300ab68..3e57712 100644
--- a/src/compiler.rs
+++ b/src/compiler.rs
@@ -588,6 +588,22 @@ impl StmtVisitor for Compiler<'_> {
         match stmt.op.kind {
             // normal assignment
             TokenKind::Eq => {
+                // Insert the name beforehand, but only if we're compiling a function
+                // I think this is the only instance where we care about inserting a name before
+                // it's used
+                if stmt
+                    .rhs
+                    .as_any_ref()
+                    .downcast_ref::<FunctionExpr>()
+                    .is_some()
+                {
+                    if self.is_global_scope() {
+                        self.insert_global(name)?;
+                    } else if self.get_local(name).is_none() {
+                        self.insert_local(name.to_string())?;
+                    }
+                }
+
                 // compile RHS
                 self.compile_expr(&stmt.rhs)?;