diff --git a/include/xo/reader2/ParserStack.hpp b/include/xo/reader2/ParserStack.hpp
index b63be044..936c57e5 100644
--- a/include/xo/reader2/ParserStack.hpp
+++ b/include/xo/reader2/ParserStack.hpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "SyntaxStateMachine.hpp"
 #include <xo/arena/DArena.hpp>
 #include <xo/facet/obj.hpp>
+#include <xo/indentlog/print/pretty.hpp>
 
 namespace xo {
     namespace scm {
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ namespace xo {
         class ParserStack {
         public:
             using DArena = xo::mm::DArena;
+            using ppindentinfo = xo::print::ppindentinfo;
 
         public:
             ParserStack(DArena::Checkpoint ckp,
@@ -42,6 +44,11 @@ namespace xo {
             obj<ASyntaxStateMachine> top() const noexcept { return ssm_; }
             ParserStack * parent() const noexcept { return parent_; }
 
+            /** regular printing **/
+            void print(std::ostream & os) const;
+            /** pretty-printer support **/
+            bool pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii) const;
+
         private:
             /** stack pointer: top of stack just before this instance created **/
             DArena::Checkpoint ckp_;
@@ -51,7 +58,32 @@ namespace xo {
             ParserStack * parent_ = nullptr;
         };
 
+        inline std::ostream & operator<< (std::ostream & os, const ParserStack * x) {
+            if (x) {
+                x->print(os);
+            } else {
+                os << "nullptr";
+            }
+            return os;
+        }
+
     } /*namespace scm*/
+
+    namespace print {
+        /** pretty printer in <xo/indentlog/print/pretty.hpp> relies on this specialization
+         *  to handle ParserResult instances
+         **/
+        template <>
+        struct ppdetail<xo::scm::ParserStack*> {
+            static inline bool print_pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii, const xo::scm::ParserStack * p) {
+                if (p)
+                    return p->pretty(ppii);
+                else
+                    return ppii.pps()->print_upto("nullptr");
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
 } /*namespace xo*/
 
 /* end ParserStack.hpp */
diff --git a/include/xo/reader2/ParserStateMachine.hpp b/include/xo/reader2/ParserStateMachine.hpp
index b333dd51..fbef2393 100644
--- a/include/xo/reader2/ParserStateMachine.hpp
+++ b/include/xo/reader2/ParserStateMachine.hpp
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ namespace xo {
         //
         class ASyntaxStateMachine;
 
-        // note: load-bearing to forward-declare ParserStack,
+        // note: it's load-bearing here to forward-declare ParserStack,
+        //       see ParserStack.hpp for impl
         //       because ASyntaxStateMachine.hpp includes ParserStateMachine.hpp;
         //       before obj<SyntaxStateMachine> is defined.
         class ParserStack;
diff --git a/include/xo/reader2/SchematikaParser.hpp b/include/xo/reader2/SchematikaParser.hpp
index 81115239..300980fb 100644
--- a/include/xo/reader2/SchematikaParser.hpp
+++ b/include/xo/reader2/SchematikaParser.hpp
@@ -153,9 +153,10 @@ namespace xo {
          **/
         class SchematikaParser {
         public:
+            using token_type = Token;
             using ArenaConfig = xo::mm::ArenaConfig;
             using AAllocator = xo::mm::AAllocator;
-            using token_type = Token;
+            using ppindentinfo = xo::print::ppindentinfo;
 
         public:
             /** create parser in initial state;
@@ -216,6 +217,8 @@ namespace xo {
 
             /** print human-readable representation on stream @p os **/
             void print(std::ostream & os) const;
+            /** pretty-printer support **/
+            bool pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii) const;
 
         private:
             /** state machine **/
@@ -227,12 +230,31 @@ namespace xo {
 
         inline std::ostream &
         operator<< (std::ostream & os,
-                    const SchematikaParser & x) {
-            x.print(os);
+                    const SchematikaParser * x) {
+            if (x) {
+                x->print(os);
+            } else {
+                os << "nullptr";
+            }
             return os;
         }
 
     } /*namespace scm*/
+
+    namespace print {
+        /** pretty printer in <xo/indentlog/print/pretty.hpp> relies on this specialization
+         *  to handle ParserResult instances
+         **/
+        template <>
+        struct ppdetail<xo::scm::SchematikaParser*> {
+            static inline bool print_pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii, const xo::scm::SchematikaParser* p) {
+                if (p)
+                    return p->pretty(ppii);
+                else
+                    return ppii.pps()->print_upto("nullptr");
+            }
+        };
+    }
 } /*namespace xo*/
 
 /* end SchematikaParser.hpp */
diff --git a/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp b/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
index 3ae20286..c1e3f6a9 100644
--- a/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
+++ b/src/reader2/DDefineSsm.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 #include "DDefineSsm.hpp"
 #include "DExpectSymbolSsm.hpp"
 #include "ssm/ISyntaxStateMachine_DDefineSsm.hpp"
+#include "ssm/IPrintable_DDefineSsm.hpp"
+#include <xo/expression2/detail/IPrintable_DDefineExpr.hpp>
+#include <xo/printable2/Printable.hpp>
 
 #ifdef NOT_YET
 #include "parserstatemachine.hpp"
@@ -16,6 +19,7 @@
 #endif
 
 namespace xo {
+    using xo::print::APrintable;
     using xo::facet::with_facet;
     using xo::facet::typeseq;
 
@@ -497,10 +501,13 @@ namespace xo {
         bool
         DDefineSsm::pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii) const
         {
+            auto expr = with_facet<APrintable>::mkobj(def_expr_.data());
+
             return ppii.pps()->pretty_struct
                 (ppii,
                  "DDefineSsm",
-                 refrtag("defstate", defstate_));
+                 refrtag("defstate", defstate_),
+                 refrtag("def_expr", expr));
         }
     } /*namespace scm*/
 } /*namespace xo*/
diff --git a/src/reader2/ParserStack.cpp b/src/reader2/ParserStack.cpp
index ba39517d..91d8bca9 100644
--- a/src/reader2/ParserStack.cpp
+++ b/src/reader2/ParserStack.cpp
@@ -5,8 +5,12 @@
 
 #include "ParserStack.hpp"
 #include "SyntaxStateMachine.hpp"
+#include <xo/printable2/Printable.hpp>
+#include <xo/facet/FacetRegistry.hpp>
 
 namespace xo {
+    using xo::print::APrintable;
+    using xo::facet::FacetRegistry;
     using xo::facet::typeseq;
 
     namespace scm {
@@ -41,6 +45,48 @@ namespace xo {
             return stack->parent();
         }
 
+        void
+        ParserStack::print(std::ostream & os) const
+        {
+            os << "<ParserStack>";
+            os << xtag("ssm", "*placeholder*");
+            os << xtag("parent", "*placeholder*");
+            os << ">";
+        }
+
+        bool
+        ParserStack::pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii) const
+        {
+            auto * pps = ppii.pps();
+
+            /* always use multiple lines */
+
+            if (ppii.upto())
+                return false;
+
+            pps->write("<ParserStack");
+
+            const ParserStack * frame = this;
+            std::size_t i_frame = 0;
+
+            while (frame) {
+                char buf[80];
+                snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "[%lu]", i_frame);
+
+                auto ssm = FacetRegistry::instance().variant<APrintable,
+                                                             ASyntaxStateMachine> (frame->top());
+
+                pps->newline_pretty_tag(ppii.ci1(), buf, ssm);
+
+                ++i_frame;
+                frame = frame->parent_;
+            }
+
+            pps->write(">");
+
+            return false;
+        }
+
     } /*namespace scm*/
 } /*namespace xo*/
 
diff --git a/src/reader2/SchematikaParser.cpp b/src/reader2/SchematikaParser.cpp
index ac2d4520..d243de51 100644
--- a/src/reader2/SchematikaParser.cpp
+++ b/src/reader2/SchematikaParser.cpp
@@ -86,6 +86,28 @@ namespace xo {
                << xtag("has_stack", (psm_.stack() != nullptr))
                << ">" << std::endl;
         }
+
+        bool
+        SchematikaParser::pretty(const ppindentinfo & ppii) const {
+            auto * pps = ppii.pps();
+
+            if (ppii.upto())
+                return false;
+
+            // TODO: consider printing:
+            //   psm.stringtable_
+            //   psm.parser_alloc_
+            //   psm.parser_alloc_ckp_
+            //   psm.expr_alloc_
+            //   psm.result_
+            //   psm.debug_flag_
+            //
+
+            return pps->pretty_struct
+                       (ppii,
+                        "SchematikaParser",
+                        refrtag("stack", psm_.stack()));
+        }
     } /*namespace scm*/
 } /*namespace xo*/
 
diff --git a/utest/SchematikaParser.test.cpp b/utest/SchematikaParser.test.cpp
index e2a9023e..8cccfd7b 100644
--- a/utest/SchematikaParser.test.cpp
+++ b/utest/SchematikaParser.test.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  **/
 
 #include <xo/reader2/SchematikaParser.hpp>
+#include <xo/reader2/init_reader2.hpp>
 #include <xo/alloc2/arena/IAllocator_DArena.hpp>
 #include <catch2/catch.hpp>
 
@@ -17,6 +18,8 @@ namespace xo {
     using xo::mm::DArena;
     using xo::facet::with_facet;
 
+    static InitEvidence s_init = (InitSubsys<S_reader2_tag>::require());
+
     namespace ut {
         TEST_CASE("SchematikaParser-ctor", "[reader2][SchematikaParser]")
         {
@@ -92,6 +95,10 @@ namespace xo {
                 // but is still "at toplevel" in the sense of ready for input
                 REQUIRE(parser.has_incomplete_expr() == true);
                 REQUIRE(result.is_incomplete());
+
+                log && log("after def token:");
+                log && log(xtag("parser", &parser));
+                log && log(xtag("result", result));
             }
 
             {
@@ -100,6 +107,8 @@ namespace xo {
                 REQUIRE(parser.has_incomplete_expr() == true);
                 REQUIRE(result.is_incomplete());
 
+                log && log("after lhs symbol token:");
+                log && log(xtag("parser", &parser));
                 log && log(xtag("result", result));
             }