diff --git a/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp b/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp
index 540b66c2..1860853c 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp
@@ -54,8 +54,12 @@ namespace xo {
             DExpectFormalArgSsm();
 
             /** create empty instance using memory from @p mm **/
-            DExpectFormalArgSsm * _make(DArena & mm);
+            static obj<ASyntaxStateMachine,DExpectFormalArgSsm> make(DArena & mm);
 
+            /** create empty instance using memory from @p mm **/
+            static DExpectFormalArgSsm * _make(DArena & mm);
+
+            /** puah instance of this ssm onto @p p_psm **/
             static void start(ParserStateMachine * p_psm);
 
             /** @defgroup scm-expectformalargssm-ssm-facet syntaxstatemachine facet methods **/
diff --git a/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp b/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp
index 4cb04019..d874e63a 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/include/xo/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp
@@ -38,8 +38,7 @@ namespace xo {
              *  to the state machine on top of the stack
              *  as of when this start() method invoked
              **/
-            static void start(DArena & parser_mm,
-                              ParserStateMachine * p_psm);
+            static void start(ParserStateMachine * p_psm);
 
             /** update state for this syntax on incoming token @p tk,
              *  with overall parser state in @p p_psm
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
index af8cee87..f7edd2a3 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ namespace xo {
             if (defstate_ == defexprstatetype::def_0) {
                 this->defstate_ = defexprstatetype::def_1;
 
-                DExpectSymbolSsm::start(p_psm->parser_alloc(), p_psm);
+                DExpectSymbolSsm::start(p_psm);
                 return;
             }
 
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.cpp
index 7952c8f2..2a19ce62 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArgSsm.cpp
@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@
  **/
 
 #include "DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp"
+#include "ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp"
+#include "DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp"
+#include "ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp"
 
 #ifdef NOT_YET
-#include "expect_symbol_xs.hpp"
 #include "expect_type_xs.hpp"
-#include "parserstatemachine.hpp"
-#include "exprstatestack.hpp"
+//#include "parserstatemachine.hpp"
+//#include "exprstatestack.hpp"
 #include "xo/expression/Variable.hpp"
 #endif
 
@@ -38,6 +40,12 @@ namespace xo {
 
         DExpectFormalArgSsm::DExpectFormalArgSsm() = default;
 
+        obj<ASyntaxStateMachine,DExpectFormalArgSsm>
+        DExpectFormalArgSsm::make(DArena & mm)
+        {
+            return obj<ASyntaxStateMachine,DExpectFormalArgSsm>(_make(mm));
+        }
+
         DExpectFormalArgSsm *
         DExpectFormalArgSsm::_make(DArena & mm)
         {
@@ -46,6 +54,14 @@ namespace xo {
             return new (mem) DExpectFormalArgSsm();
         }
 
+        void
+        DExpectFormalArgSsm::start(ParserStateMachine * p_psm)
+        {
+            p_psm->push_ssm(DExpectFormalArgSsm::make(p_psm->parser_alloc()));
+
+            DExpectSymbolSsm::start(p_psm);
+        }
+
         syntaxstatetype
         DExpectFormalArgSsm::ssm_type() const noexcept {
             return syntaxstatetype::expect_formal_arg;
@@ -161,14 +177,8 @@ namespace xo {
                                              expr,
                                              this->get_expect_str());
         }
+
 #ifdef NOT_YET
-        void
-        DExpectFormalSsm::start(ParserStateMachine * p_psm) {
-            p_psm->push_exprstate(expect_formal_xs::make());
-
-            expect_symbol_xs::start(p_psm);
-        }
-
         expect_formal_xs::expect_formal_xs()
             : exprstate(exprstatetype::expect_formal)
         {}
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArglistSsm.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArglistSsm.cpp
index 3912a43d..eaad8028 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArglistSsm.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectFormalArglistSsm.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 #include "DExpectFormalArglistSsm.hpp"
 #include "ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectFormalArglistSsm.hpp"
+#include "DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp"
+#include "ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp"
 #include <xo/printable2/Printable.hpp>
 #include <xo/alloc2/arena/IAllocator_DArena.hpp>
 #include <xo/facet/FacetRegistry.hpp>
@@ -213,14 +215,10 @@ namespace xo {
         DExpectFormalArglistSsm::on_leftparen_token(const Token & tk,
                                                     ParserStateMachine * p_psm)
         {
-            scope log(XO_DEBUG(true));
-
             if (fastate_ == formalarglstatetype::argl_0) {
                 this->fastate_ = formalarglstatetype::argl_1a;
 
-                log && log("STUB: DExpectFormalArglistSsm::on_leftparen_token -> DExpectFormalSsm::start()");
-
-                //DExpectFormalSsm::start(p_psm);
+                DExpectFormalArgSsm::start(p_psm);
                 return;
             }
 
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.cpp
index c10678f2..7a86e721 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DExpectSymbolSsm.cpp
@@ -29,11 +29,10 @@ namespace xo {
         }
 
         void
-        DExpectSymbolSsm::start(DArena & parser_alloc,
-                                ParserStateMachine * p_psm)
+        DExpectSymbolSsm::start(ParserStateMachine * p_psm)
         {
             DExpectSymbolSsm * sym_ssm
-                = DExpectSymbolSsm::make(parser_alloc);
+                = DExpectSymbolSsm::make(p_psm->parser_alloc());
 
             // note:
             // relying on [ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectedSymbolSsm.hpp]
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/reader2_register_facets.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/reader2_register_facets.cpp
index 1cb37de9..9dc10aa2 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/reader2_register_facets.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/reader2_register_facets.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 #include <xo/reader2/ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectFormalArglistSsm.hpp>
 #include <xo/reader2/ssm/IPrintable_DExpectFormalArglistSsm.hpp>
 
+#include <xo/reader2/ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp>
+#include <xo/reader2/ssm/IPrintable_DExpectFormalArgSsm.hpp>
+
 #include <xo/reader2/ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp>
 #include <xo/reader2/ssm/IPrintable_DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp>
 
@@ -63,6 +66,9 @@ namespace xo {
             FacetRegistry::register_impl<ASyntaxStateMachine, DExpectFormalArglistSsm>();
             FacetRegistry::register_impl<APrintable, DExpectFormalArglistSsm>();
 
+            FacetRegistry::register_impl<ASyntaxStateMachine, DExpectFormalArgSsm>();
+            FacetRegistry::register_impl<APrintable, DExpectFormalArgSsm>();
+
             FacetRegistry::register_impl<ASyntaxStateMachine, DExpectSymbolSsm>();
             FacetRegistry::register_impl<APrintable, DExpectSymbolSsm>();
 
@@ -80,6 +86,7 @@ namespace xo {
             log && log(xtag("DLambdaSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DLambdaSsm>()));
             log && log(xtag("DIfElseSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DIfElseSsm>()));
             log && log(xtag("DExpectFormalArglistSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DExpectFormalArglistSsm>()));
+            log && log(xtag("DExpectFormalArgSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DExpectFormalArgSsm>()));
             log && log(xtag("DExpectSymbolSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DExpectSymbolSsm>()));
             log && log(xtag("DExpectTypeSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DExpectTypeSsm>()));
             log && log(xtag("DExpectExprSsm.tseq", typeseq::id<DExpectExprSsm>()));