diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 2a61ac91ab9c..47f64e55e9c6 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ This documents significant changes in the dev branch of ksh 93u+m.
 For full details, see the git log at: https://github.com/ksh93/ksh
 Uppercase BUG_* IDs are shell bug IDs as used by the Modernish shell library.
 
+2024-12-22:
+
+- In the emacs/gmacs line editor, the ESC [ <letter> macro feature, which is
+  documented to input the value of the alias __<letter>, now actually works.
+  A decades-old bug in internal variable handling rendered it inoperative.
+
 2024-12-21:
 
 - Fixed a bug in the emacs/gmacs line editor where a command repeat count
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/completion.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/completion.c
index 487278b39e15..e1c57cc91aea 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/completion.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/completion.c
@@ -601,9 +601,9 @@ int ed_macro(Edit_t *ep, int i)
 	genchar buff[LOOKAHEAD+1];
 	if(i != '@')
 		ep->e_macro[1] = i;
-	/* undocumented feature, macros of the form <ESC>[c evoke alias __c */
+	/* macros of the form <ESC>[c evoke alias __c */
 	if(i=='_')
-		ep->e_macro[2] = ed_getchar(ep,1);
+		ep->e_macro[2] = i = ed_getchar(ep,1);
 	else
 		ep->e_macro[2] = 0;
 	if (isalnum(i)&&(np=nv_search(ep->e_macro,sh.alias_tree,0))&&(out=nv_getval(np)))
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
index 5297065544f1..9ab358a64860 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 #include <ast_release.h>
 #include "git.h"
 
-#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2024-12-21"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
+#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2024-12-22"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
 /*
  * This comment keeps SH_RELEASE_DATE a few lines away from SH_RELEASE_SVER to avoid
  * merge conflicts when cherry-picking dev branch commits onto a release branch.