diff --git a/packages/uzu/test/uzu.test.mjs b/packages/uzu/test/uzu.test.mjs
index c58eb1a8..33451f0c 100644
--- a/packages/uzu/test/uzu.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/uzu/test/uzu.test.mjs
@@ -58,13 +58,32 @@ let desguar = (a) => {
 
 describe('uzu sugar', () => {
   it('should desugar []', () => expect(desguar('[a b c]')).toEqual('(seq a b c)'));
-  it('should desugar [] nested', () => expect(desguar('[a [b c]]')).toEqual('(seq a (seq b c))'));
+  it('should desugar [] nested', () => expect(desguar('[a [b c] d]')).toEqual('(seq a (seq b c) d)'));
   it('should desugar <>', () => expect(desguar('<a b c>')).toEqual('(cat a b c)'));
-  it('should desugar <> nested', () => expect(desguar('<a <b c>>')).toEqual('(cat a (cat b c))'));
+  it('should desugar <> nested', () => expect(desguar('<a <b c> d>')).toEqual('(cat a (cat b c) d)'));
   it('should desugar mixed [] <>', () => expect(desguar('[a <b c>]')).toEqual('(seq a (cat b c))'));
   it('should desugar mixed <> []', () => expect(desguar('<a [b c]>')).toEqual('(cat a (seq b c))'));
+
   it('should desugar .', () => expect(desguar('s jazz . fast 2')).toEqual('(fast (s jazz) 2)'));
+  it('should desugar . seq', () => expect(desguar('[bd cp . fast 2]')).toEqual('(fast (seq bd cp) 2)'));
   it('should desugar . twice', () => expect(desguar('s jazz . fast 2 . slow 2')).toEqual('(slow (fast (s jazz) 2) 2)'));
+  it('should desugar . nested', () => expect(desguar('(s cp . fast 2)')).toEqual('(fast (s cp) 2)'));
+  it('should desugar . within []', () => expect(desguar('[bd cp . fast 2]')).toEqual('(fast (seq bd cp) 2)'));
+  it('should desugar . within , within []', () =>
+    expect(desguar('[bd cp . fast 2, x]')).toEqual('(stack (fast (seq bd cp) 2) x)'));
+
+  it('should desugar . ()', () => expect(desguar('[jazz hh.(fast 2)]')).toEqual('(seq jazz (fast hh 2))'));
+
+  it('should desugar , seq', () => expect(desguar('[bd, hh]')).toEqual('(stack bd hh)'));
+  it('should desugar , seq 2', () => expect(desguar('[bd, hh oh]')).toEqual('(stack bd (seq hh oh))'));
+  it('should desugar , seq 3', () => expect(desguar('[bd cp, hh oh]')).toEqual('(stack (seq bd cp) (seq hh oh))'));
+  it('should desugar , cat', () => expect(desguar('<bd, hh>')).toEqual('(stack bd hh)'));
+  it('should desugar , cat 2', () => expect(desguar('<bd, hh oh>')).toEqual('(stack bd (cat hh oh))'));
+  it('should desugar , cat 3', () => expect(desguar('<bd cp, hh oh>')).toEqual('(stack (cat bd cp) (cat hh oh))'));
+  it('should desugar , ()', () => expect(desguar('(s bd, s cp)')).toEqual('(stack (s bd) (s cp))'));
+  it('should desugar * /', () => expect(desguar('[a b*2 c d/3 e]')).toEqual('(seq a (* b 2) c (/ d 3) e)'));
+  it('should desugar []*x', () => expect(desguar('[a [b c]*3]')).toEqual('(seq a (* (seq b c) 3))'));
+
   it('should desugar README example', () =>
     expect(desguar('s [bd hh*2 cp.(crush 4) <mt ht lt>] . speed .8')).toEqual(
       '(speed (s (seq bd (* hh 2) (crush cp 4) (cat mt ht lt))) .8)',
diff --git a/packages/uzu/uzu.mjs b/packages/uzu/uzu.mjs
index 6a515781..e79488a5 100644
--- a/packages/uzu/uzu.mjs
+++ b/packages/uzu/uzu.mjs
@@ -86,10 +86,14 @@ export class UzuParser {
     return children;
   }
   // Token[] => Token[][] . returns empty list if type not found
-  split_children(children, type) {
+  split_children(children, split_type, sequence_type) {
+    if (sequence_type) {
+      // if given, the first child is ignored
+      children = children.slice(1);
+    }
     const chunks = [];
     while (true) {
-      let commaIndex = children.findIndex((child) => child.type === type);
+      let commaIndex = children.findIndex((child) => child.type === split_type);
       if (commaIndex === -1) break;
       const chunk = children.slice(0, commaIndex);
       chunks.push(chunk);
@@ -101,13 +105,11 @@ export class UzuParser {
     chunks.push(children);
     return chunks;
   }
-  desugar_stack(children) {
-    let [type, ...rest] = children;
+  desugar_stack(children, sequence_type) {
     // children is expected to contain seq or cat as first item
-    const chunks = this.split_children(rest, 'stack');
+    const chunks = this.split_children(children, 'stack', sequence_type);
     if (!chunks.length) {
-      // no stack
-      return children;
+      return this.desugar_children(children);
     }
     // collect args of stack function
     const args = chunks.map((chunk) => {
@@ -115,8 +117,14 @@ export class UzuParser {
         // chunks of one element can be added to the stack as is
         return chunk[0];
       } else {
-        // chunks of multiple args are added to a subsequence of type
-        return { type: 'list', children: [type, ...chunk] };
+        // chunks of multiple args
+        if (sequence_type) {
+          // if given, each chunk needs to be prefixed
+          // [a b, c d] => (stack (seq a b) (seq c d))
+          chunk = [{ type: 'plain', value: sequence_type }, ...chunk];
+        }
+        chunk = this.desugar_children(chunk);
+        return { type: 'list', children: chunk };
       }
     });
     return [{ type: 'plain', value: 'stack' }, ...args];
@@ -203,21 +211,22 @@ export class UzuParser {
   }
   parse_list() {
     let children = this.parse_pair('open_list', 'close_list');
+    children = this.desugar_stack(children);
     children = this.desugar_children(children);
     return { type: 'list', children };
   }
   parse_cat() {
     let children = this.parse_pair('open_cat', 'close_cat');
     children = [{ type: 'plain', value: 'cat' }, ...children];
-    children = this.desugar_children(children);
     children = this.desugar_stack(children, 'cat');
+    children = this.desugar_children(children);
     return { type: 'list', children };
   }
   parse_seq() {
     let children = this.parse_pair('open_seq', 'close_seq');
     children = [{ type: 'plain', value: 'seq' }, ...children];
-    children = this.desugar_children(children);
     children = this.desugar_stack(children, 'seq');
+    children = this.desugar_children(children);
     return { type: 'list', children };
   }
   consume(type) {