diff --git a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
index 29ebd6a47..1ea0d79f2 100644
--- a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
+++ b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
@@ -2792,12 +2792,12 @@ class LinkDotResolveVisitor final : public VNVisitor {
                             "Bad package link");
                 AstClassOrPackageRef* const cpackagerefp
                     = VN_AS(m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), ClassOrPackageRef);
-                classOrPackagep = cpackagerefp->classOrPackagep();
-                UASSERT_OBJ(classOrPackagep, m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), "Bad package link");
                 if (cpackagerefp->name() == "local::") {
                     m_randSymp = nullptr;
                     first = true;
                 } else {
+                    classOrPackagep = cpackagerefp->classOrPackagep();
+                    UASSERT_OBJ(classOrPackagep, m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), "Bad package link");
                     m_ds.m_dotSymp = m_statep->getNodeSym(classOrPackagep);
                 }
                 m_ds.m_dotPos = DP_SCOPE;
@@ -3169,6 +3169,7 @@ class LinkDotResolveVisitor final : public VNVisitor {
                 nodep->v3error("Illegal 'local::' outside 'randomize() with'"
                                " (IEEE 1800-2023 18.7.1)");
                 m_ds.m_dotErr = true;
+                return;
             }
         }
         AstClass* const modClassp = VN_CAST(m_modp, Class);
@@ -3427,11 +3428,11 @@ class LinkDotResolveVisitor final : public VNVisitor {
             staticAccess = true;
             AstClassOrPackageRef* const cpackagerefp
                 = VN_AS(m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), ClassOrPackageRef);
-            UASSERT_OBJ(cpackagerefp->classOrPackagep(), m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), "Bad package link");
             if (cpackagerefp->name() == "local::") {
                 m_randSymp = nullptr;
                 first = true;
             } else {
+                UASSERT_OBJ(cpackagerefp->classOrPackagep(), m_ds.m_dotp->lhsp(), "Bad package link");
                 nodep->classOrPackagep(cpackagerefp->classOrPackagep());
             }
             // Class/package :: HERE function() . method_called_on_function_return_value()
diff --git a/src/verilog.y b/src/verilog.y
index 067405e47..8e2373723 100644
--- a/src/verilog.y
+++ b/src/verilog.y
@@ -7311,13 +7311,13 @@ dollarUnitNextId<nodeExprp>:    // $unit
                           SYMP->nextId(PARSEP->rootp()); }
         ;
 
-localNextId<nodeExprp>:         // local
+localNextId<nodeExprp>:         // local::
         //                      // IMPORTANT: The lexer will parse the following ID to be in the found package
         //                      //     if not needed must use packageClassScopeNoId
         //                      // Must call nextId without any additional tokens following
                 yLOCAL__COLONCOLON
-                        { $$ = new AstClassOrPackageRef{$1, "local::", PARSEP->unitPackage($<fl>1), nullptr};
-                          SYMP->nextId(PARSEP->rootp()); }
+                        { $$ = new AstClassOrPackageRef{$1, "local::", nullptr, nullptr};
+                          /* No SYMP->nextId(...); normal search upward we should find local's vars */ }
         ;
 
 //^^^=========