diff --git a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/compiler.rs b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/compiler.rs
index 08ff3ac..5bd699c 100644
--- a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/compiler.rs
+++ b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/compiler.rs
@@ -757,6 +757,10 @@ impl Compiler {
         }
         ctx.max_regs = ctx.max_regs.max(1);
         ctx.reg_overflow = false;
+        // Count-pass instruction total for this body, compared against the emit pass below
+        // to catch any counter/emitter drift (which would mis-target jumps). reset_regs zeroes
+        // projected_pc, so capture it first.
+        let counted_pc = ctx.projected_pc;
         ctx.reset_regs();
 
         // Emit pass - reallocate params (same order = same regs after reset)
@@ -794,6 +798,14 @@ impl Compiler {
             }
         }
 
+        debug_assert_eq!(
+            counted_pc,
+            ctx.bytecode.len(),
+            "counter/emitter instruction drift in function body (before implicit RETURN): counted {} vs emitted {}",
+            counted_pc,
+            ctx.bytecode.len()
+        );
+
         // Emit implicit RETURN: expression body returns the last expression,
         // statement body returns undefined.
         if is_expression_body {
@@ -860,6 +872,9 @@ impl Compiler {
         crate::compiler_debug!("counter: {} instructions estimated", ctx.projected_pc);
         ctx.max_regs = ctx.max_regs.max(1);
         ctx.reg_overflow = false;
+        // Count-pass instruction total, compared against the emit pass below to catch
+        // counter/emitter drift. reset_regs zeroes projected_pc, so capture it first.
+        let counted_pc = ctx.projected_pc;
         ctx.reset_regs();
 
         // First sub-pass: emit FunctionDeclarations (hoisting)
@@ -883,6 +898,14 @@ impl Compiler {
         }
         crate::compiler_debug!("emitter: {} bytes emitted", ctx.bytecode.len());
 
+        debug_assert_eq!(
+            counted_pc,
+            ctx.bytecode.len(),
+            "counter/emitter instruction drift in top-level module (before result store + HALT): counted {} vs emitted {}",
+            counted_pc,
+            ctx.bytecode.len()
+        );
+
         if let Some(r) = last_result {
             ctx.emit(opcode::encode(OpCode::LOAD_VAR, 0, r, 0));
         } else {
diff --git a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/assignment.rs b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/assignment.rs
index 675a876..2ee9db1 100644
--- a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/assignment.rs
+++ b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/assignment.rs
@@ -13,10 +13,8 @@ impl Compiler {
             }
             self.count_expression(&member.object, ctx);
             self.count_expression(&assign.right, ctx);
-            if assign.operator != AssignmentOperator::Assign {
-                ctx.alloc_reg();
-                ctx.projected_pc += 1;
-            }
+            // Both plain (IC_SET_PROP) and compound (COMPOUND_MEMBER_*) emit one opcode + 3 ext
+            // words after the key load — no extra instruction for the compound case.
             ctx.count_load_const(); // key
             ctx.count_ic_set_with_ext(); // IC_SET_PROP or COMPOUND_MEMBER_* + 3 ext words
         } else if let oxide_parser::AssignmentTarget::ComputedMemberExpression(member) = &assign.left {
diff --git a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/control.rs b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/control.rs
index 9abedd5..a77cb5a 100644
--- a/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/control.rs
+++ b/crates/oxide_compiler/src/counter/expr/control.rs
@@ -42,21 +42,27 @@ impl Compiler {
             self.count_expression(&log.right, ctx);
             ctx.alloc_reg();
             ctx.projected_pc += 1; // AND/OR
+        } else if matches!(log.operator, LogicalOperator::Coalesce) {
+            // Mirror emit_logical_expression's Coalesce path: it patches raw bytecode
+            // positions and does NOT consume a label id. Consuming one here would shift
+            // every later construct's label id and break resolve_label at emit time.
+            ctx.alloc_reg(); // dup register
+            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // LOAD_VAR (DUP)
+            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // JMP_IF_NULLISH
+            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // JMP over RHS on non-nullish
+            self.count_expression(&log.right, ctx);
+            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // LOAD_VAR (overwrite)
         } else {
             let id = ctx.next_label_id();
             ctx.alloc_reg(); // dup register
             ctx.projected_pc += 1; // LOAD_VAR (DUP)
-            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // JMP_IF_FALSE, JMP_IF_TRUE, or JMP_IF_NULLISH
-            if matches!(log.operator, LogicalOperator::Coalesce) {
-                ctx.projected_pc += 1; // JMP over RHS on non-nullish
-                ctx.labels.label_map.insert(Label::TernaryElse(id), ctx.projected_pc);
-            }
+            ctx.projected_pc += 1; // JMP_IF_FALSE or JMP_IF_TRUE
             self.count_expression(&log.right, ctx);
             ctx.projected_pc += 1; // LOAD_VAR (overwrite)
             let skip_label = match log.operator {
                 LogicalOperator::And => Label::TernaryEnd(id),
                 LogicalOperator::Or => Label::TernaryElse(id),
-                LogicalOperator::Coalesce => Label::TernaryEnd(id),
+                LogicalOperator::Coalesce => unreachable!("coalesce handled above"),
             };
             ctx.labels.label_map.insert(skip_label, ctx.projected_pc);
         }
diff --git a/crates/oxide_vm/tests/compiler_alignment_expr_tests.rs b/crates/oxide_vm/tests/compiler_alignment_expr_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d8a3e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/oxide_vm/tests/compiler_alignment_expr_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+use oxide_compiler::compiler::Compiler;
+use oxide_parser::Allocator;
+use oxide_vm::vm::Vm;
+
+fn eval(source: &str) -> String {
+    let allocator = Allocator::default();
+    let program = match oxide_parser::parse(&allocator, source) {
+        Ok(p) => p,
+        Err(e) => return format!("parse error: {}", e[0].message),
+    };
+    let module = match Compiler::new().compile(&program) {
+        Ok(m) => m,
+        Err(e) => return format!("compile error: {e}"),
+    };
+    let mut vm = Vm::new();
+    match vm.run(&module) {
+        Ok(result) => format!("{result}"),
+        Err(e) => format!("vm error: {e}"),
+    }
+}
+
+// Non-simple `??` (side-effecting operands) followed by a label-bearing construct must not
+// shift the downstream label id (which produced `Label ... not found` at emit time).
+
+#[test]
+fn coalesce_nonsimple_then_if() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        eval("function a(){return null;} function b(){return 2;} var v=a()??b(); if(v>0){v=v+10;} v"),
+        "12"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn coalesce_nonsimple_then_while() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        eval("function a(){return null;} function b(){return 3;} var v=a()??b(); var c=0; while(c<v){c=c+1;} c"),
+        "3"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn coalesce_nonsimple_then_for() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        eval("function a(){return null;} var v=a()??4; var s=0; for(var i=0;i<v;i=i+1){s=s+i;} s"),
+        "6"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn coalesce_nonsimple_short_circuits_on_value() {
+    // 0 is not nullish, so `a() ?? b()` is 0 and the loop never runs.
+    assert_eq!(
+        eval("function a(){return 0;} function b(){return 9;} var v=a()??b(); var c=0; while(c<v){c=c+1;} c"),
+        "0"
+    );
+}
+
+// Static member compound assignment must not over-count vs the emitter (the extra +1 drifted
+// the following loop's jump target).
+
+#[test]
+fn static_member_compound_assign_then_loop() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("var o={x:1}; o.x+=2; var c=0; while(c<3){c=c+1;} c"), "3");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn static_member_compound_assign_in_loop() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("var o={x:0}; var c=0; while(o.x<3){o.x+=1; c=c+1;} c"), "3");
+}
+
+// Regressions: simple coalesce, nested coalesce, And/Or, compound member value, plain assign.
+#[test]
+fn simple_coalesce_regression() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("var x = null ?? 5; x"), "5");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn nested_coalesce_regression() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("function a(){return null;} var v = a() ?? a() ?? 7; v"), "7");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn logical_and_nonsimple_regression() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("function a(){return 1;} function b(){return 2;} var v=a()&&b(); if(v>0){} v"), "2");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn compound_member_value_regression() {
+    assert_eq!(eval("var o={x:10}; o.x-=3; o.x"), "7");
+}