diff --git a/language.js b/language.js
index 73fcbd1c..61219c76 100644
--- a/language.js
+++ b/language.js
@@ -545,12 +545,13 @@ module.exports = function (packets) {
         // conditionals to implement optional fields.
         function absent (value) {
             return [{
-                ...extra,
                 type: 'absent',
                 vivify: value == null ? 'variant' : 'array',
                 value: value,
+                dotted: '',
                 bits: 0,
-                fixed: true
+                fixed: true,
+                ...extra
             }]
         }
         //
@@ -1041,14 +1042,14 @@ module.exports = function (packets) {
                     : 'variant'
             }, cases[0].fields[0].vivify)
             return [{
-                ...extra,
                 type: 'switch',
                 select: { ...args([ packet[0] ]) },
                 vivify: vivify == 'object' ? 'variant' : vivify,
                 stringify: ! Array.isArray(packet[1]),
                 bits: bits < 0 ? 0 : bits,
                 fixed: bits > 0,
-                cases: cases
+                cases: cases,
+                ...extra
             }]
         }
         //
diff --git a/test/cycle/absent.t.js b/test/cycle/absent.t.js
index 5f0aa358..1ea7de00 100644
--- a/test/cycle/absent.t.js
+++ b/test/cycle/absent.t.js
@@ -19,4 +19,16 @@ function prove (okay) {
         },
         objects: [{ value: [] }]
     })
+    require('./cycle')(okay, {
+        name: 'absent/switch',
+        define: {
+            object: {
+                value: [ $ => 0, [
+                    { $_: 0 }, null,
+                    {}, null
+                ]]
+            }
+        },
+        objects: [{ value: null }]
+    })
 }
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.lookup.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.lookup.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d7faf17f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.lookup.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = []
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.all.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.all.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eab36e6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.all.js
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function ($buffer, $start) {
+                let object = {
+                    value: null
+                }
+
+                switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                case 0:
+                    object.value = null
+
+                    break
+
+                case undefined:
+                    object.value = null
+
+                    break
+                }
+
+                return object
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.bff.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.bff.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..443553ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.bff.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $incremental, $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function () {
+                return function ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    let object = {
+                        value: null
+                    }
+
+                    switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                    case 0:
+                        object.value = null
+
+                        break
+
+                    case undefined:
+                        object.value = null
+
+                        break
+                    }
+
+                    return { start: $start, object: object, parse: null }
+                }
+            } ()
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.chk.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.chk.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..443553ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.chk.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $incremental, $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function () {
+                return function ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    let object = {
+                        value: null
+                    }
+
+                    switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                    case 0:
+                        object.value = null
+
+                        break
+
+                    case undefined:
+                        object.value = null
+
+                        break
+                    }
+
+                    return { start: $start, object: object, parse: null }
+                }
+            } ()
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.inc.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.inc.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3090cf55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.parser.inc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function (object, $step = 0) {
+
+                return function $parse ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    for (;;) {
+                        switch ($step) {
+                        case 0:
+
+                            object = {
+                                value: null
+                            }
+
+                        case 1:
+
+                            switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                            case 0:
+
+                                $step = 2
+                                continue
+
+                            case undefined:
+
+                                $step = 3
+                                continue
+                            }
+
+                        case 2:
+
+                            object.value = null
+                            $step = 4
+                            continue
+
+                        case 3:
+
+                            object.value = null
+
+                        }
+
+                        return { start: $start, object: object, parse: null }
+                        break
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.all.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.all.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a239e0ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.all.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function (object, $buffer, $start) {
+                switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                case 0:
+
+
+                    break
+
+                case undefined:
+
+
+                    break
+                }
+
+                return { start: $start, serialize: null }
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.bff.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.bff.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1254d12b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.bff.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $incremental, $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function (object) {
+                return function ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                    case 0:
+
+
+                        break
+
+                    case undefined:
+
+
+                        break
+                    }
+
+                    return { start: $start, serialize: null }
+                }
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.chk.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.chk.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1254d12b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.chk.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $incremental, $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function (object) {
+                return function ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                    case 0:
+
+
+                        break
+
+                    case undefined:
+
+
+                        break
+                    }
+
+                    return { start: $start, serialize: null }
+                }
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.inc.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.inc.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b01b2d53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.serializer.inc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+module.exports = function ({ $lookup }) {
+    return {
+        object: function () {
+            return function (object, $step = 0) {
+                return function $serialize ($buffer, $start, $end) {
+                    for (;;) {
+                        switch ($step) {
+                        case 0:
+
+                            switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+                            case 0:
+
+                                $step = 1
+                                continue
+
+                            case undefined:
+
+                                $step = 2
+                                continue
+                            }
+
+                        case 1:
+                            $step = 3
+                            continue
+
+                        case 2:
+
+                        }
+
+                        break
+                    }
+
+                    return { start: $start, serialize: null }
+                }
+            }
+        } ()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/generated/absent/switch.sizeof.js b/test/generated/absent/switch.sizeof.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3966ac6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/generated/absent/switch.sizeof.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+module.exports = {
+    object: function () {
+        return function (object) {
+            let $start = 0
+
+            switch (($ => 0)(object)) {
+            case 0:
+
+
+                break
+
+            case undefined:
+
+
+                break
+            }
+
+            return $start
+        }
+    } ()
+}
diff --git a/test/language/absent.t.js b/test/language/absent.t.js
index 5ca2b4bf..86bbb34b 100644
--- a/test/language/absent.t.js
+++ b/test/language/absent.t.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-require('proof')(2, okay => {
+require('proof')(3, okay => {
     const language = require('../../language')
     okay(language({
         packet: {
@@ -42,4 +42,47 @@ require('proof')(2, okay => {
             fixed: true
         }]
     }], 'array')
+    okay(language({
+        packet: {
+            value: [ $ => 0, [
+                { $_: 0 }, null
+            ]]
+        }
+    }), [{
+        name: 'packet',
+        type: 'structure',
+        vivify: 'object',
+        dotted: '',
+        fixed: false,
+        bits: 0,
+        fields: [{
+            type: 'switch',
+            name: 'value',
+            dotted: '.value',
+            select: {
+                defaulted: [],
+                positional: true,
+                properties: [],
+                source: '$ => 0',
+                arity: 1,
+                vargs: []
+            },
+            vivify: 'variant',
+            stringify: false,
+            bits: 0,
+            fixed: false,
+            cases: [{
+                value: 0,
+                otherwise: false,
+                fields: [{
+                    type: 'absent',
+                    dotted: '',
+                    vivify: 'variant',
+                    value: null,
+                    bits: 0,
+                    fixed: true
+                }]
+            }]
+        }]
+    }], 'switch')
 })