diff --git a/apps/openmw_tests/mwscript/testscripts.cpp b/apps/openmw_tests/mwscript/testscripts.cpp
index 299d40b82c..95abeaf3c6 100644
--- a/apps/openmw_tests/mwscript/testscripts.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw_tests/mwscript/testscripts.cpp
@@ -518,6 +518,16 @@ MessageBox "use strings that start with numbers, - and ." 1 -2 3.14pi .todd "A"
 MessageBox "use keywords" messagebox set "messagebox2" "set2"
 MessageBox "don't use more than 10 buttons" "1" "2" "3" "4" "5" "6" "7" "8" "9" "10" "11"
 
+End)mwscript";
+
+    const std::string sIssue8990 = R"mwscript(Begin issue8990
+
+short a
+
+set a to 1
+MessageBox "%g" a
+player->setacrobatics 5000
+
 End)mwscript";
 
     TEST_F(MWScriptTest, mwscript_test_invalid)
@@ -1037,4 +1047,10 @@ End)mwscript";
             FAIL();
         }
     }
+
+    TEST_F(MWScriptTest, mwscript_test_8990)
+    {
+        registerExtensions();
+        EXPECT_FALSE(!compile(sIssue8990));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/components/compiler/scanner.cpp b/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
index 451dbe42ed..447fe20da5 100644
--- a/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
+++ b/components/compiler/scanner.cpp
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ namespace Compiler
                     mTolerantNames = tolerant;
                     return cont;
                 }
+                // These are reset when the newline is read, but they could have been re-enabled
+                if (mPutbackCode == S_newline)
+                {
+                    mTolerantNames = false;
+                    mExpectName = false;
+                }
                 return parser.parseSpecial(mPutbackCode, mPutbackLoc, *this);
             }