diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 343a2e40c..424475c81 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 <!-- Add all new changes here. They will be moved under a version at release -->
 * `CHG` Modified the `ResolveRequire` function to pass the source URI as a third argument.
 * `CHG` Improved the output of test failures during development
+* `FIX` Fix type inference for `x == nil and "default" or x` idiom [#2236](https://github.com/LuaLS/lua-language-server/issues/2236)
+* `FIX` Fix type loss for assignments inside `if`/`for` blocks due to circular dependency in tracer [#2374](https://github.com/LuaLS/lua-language-server/issues/2374) [#2494](https://github.com/LuaLS/lua-language-server/issues/2494)
 
 ## 3.17.1
 `2026-01-20`
diff --git a/script/core/diagnostics/no-unknown.lua b/script/core/diagnostics/no-unknown.lua
index e706931ad..51f5858fa 100644
--- a/script/core/diagnostics/no-unknown.lua
+++ b/script/core/diagnostics/no-unknown.lua
@@ -26,11 +26,29 @@ return function (uri, callback)
     guide.eachSourceTypes(ast.ast, types, function (source)
         await.delay()
         if vm.getInfer(source):view(uri) == 'unknown' then
-            callback {
-                start   = source.start,
-                finish  = source.finish,
-                message = lang.script('DIAG_UNKNOWN'),
-            }
+            -- When a node only contains a 'variable' object whose base
+            -- declaration has a known type, this is a false positive caused
+            -- by circular dependency during compilation, not a true unknown.
+            local dominated = false
+            local node = vm.getNode(source)
+            if node then
+                for n in node:eachObject() do
+                    if n.type == 'variable' and n.base and n.base.value then
+                        local baseView = vm.getInfer(n.base):view(uri)
+                        if baseView ~= 'unknown' then
+                            dominated = true
+                            break
+                        end
+                    end
+                end
+            end
+            if not dominated then
+                callback {
+                    start   = source.start,
+                    finish  = source.finish,
+                    message = lang.script('DIAG_UNKNOWN'),
+                }
+            end
         end
     end)
 end
diff --git a/script/vm/tracer.lua b/script/vm/tracer.lua
index cc6d10e59..2a578aa8b 100644
--- a/script/vm/tracer.lua
+++ b/script/vm/tracer.lua
@@ -638,9 +638,22 @@ local lookIntoChild = util.switch()
             tracer:lookIntoChild(action[2], topNode)
             return topNode, outNode
         end
-        if     action.op.type == 'and' then
-            topNode = tracer:lookIntoChild(action[1], topNode, topNode:copy())
-            topNode = tracer:lookIntoChild(action[2], topNode, topNode:copy())
+        if action.op.type == 'and' then
+            local topNode1, outNode1 = tracer:lookIntoChild(action[1], topNode, topNode:copy())
+            topNode = tracer:lookIntoChild(action[2], topNode1, topNode1:copy())
+            -- When the right side of `and` is a truthy literal (string, number,
+            -- true, table, function), the `and` can only be false when the left
+            -- side is false. Propagate the narrowed outNode so that patterns
+            -- like `x == nil and "default" or x` correctly infer x as non-nil.
+            local tp2 = action[2].type
+            if  tp2 == 'string'
+            or  tp2 == 'number'
+            or  tp2 == 'integer'
+            or  tp2 == 'table'
+            or  tp2 == 'function'
+            or (tp2 == 'boolean' and action[2][1] == true) then
+                outNode = outNode1
+            end
         elseif action.op.type == 'or' then
             outNode = outNode or topNode:copy()
             local topNode1, outNode1 = tracer:lookIntoChild(action[1], topNode, outNode)
@@ -844,12 +857,40 @@ function mt:calcNode(source)
         return
     end
     if self.assignMap[source] then
+        -- Guard against circular dependency: when this setlocal is already
+        -- being compiled (e.g. if-handler's getNode triggers calcNode for
+        -- a setlocal whose value is currently being compiled), skip
+        -- lookIntoBlock to avoid propagating incomplete types and setting
+        -- marks that would prevent later correct processing.
+        if self._compilingAssigns and self._compilingAssigns[source] then
+            self.nodes[source] = vm.compileNode(source)
+            return
+        end
+        if not self._compilingAssigns then
+            self._compilingAssigns = {}
+        end
+        self._compilingAssigns[source] = true
         local node = vm.compileNode(source)
+        -- When the compiled node has no known type (only contains a 'variable'
+        -- due to circular dependency), fall back to the variable's base
+        -- declaration node. This prevents incomplete nodes from propagating
+        -- through control flow analysis (e.g. if-blocks inside for-loops),
+        -- which would otherwise cause the type to degrade to 'unknown'.
+        if  not node:hasKnownType()
+        and self.mode == 'local'
+        and self.source.type == 'variable'
+        and self.source.base then
+            local baseNode = vm.compileNode(self.source.base)
+            if baseNode:hasKnownType() then
+                node = baseNode
+            end
+        end
         self.nodes[source] = node
         local parentBlock = guide.getParentBlock(source)
         if parentBlock then
             self:lookIntoBlock(parentBlock, source.finish, node)
         end
+        self._compilingAssigns[source] = nil
         return
     end
 end