diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index d11f38eb4..397ff6c43 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -194,9 +194,11 @@ See "Syntax Transformer Helpers" in the manual.
 ** Fix srfi-69 merge-hash
 ** Fix suspendable-ports implementation of get-bytevector-some!
 ** Fix overread in string-locale<?, string-locale-ci<?, and friends
+** Fix handling of parameter lists to elisp defun to allow nil
 
-Thanks to Andrey Ivanov, Rob Browning, Erik Dominikus, Göran Weinholt,
-Michael Gran, Andrew Whatson, and Ricardo G. Herdt.
+Thanks to Vasilij Schneidermann, Andrey Ivanov, Rob Browning, Erik
+Dominikus, Göran Weinholt, Michael Gran, Andrew Whatson, and Ricardo
+G. Herdt.
 
 * New deprecations
 
diff --git a/module/language/elisp/compile-tree-il.scm b/module/language/elisp/compile-tree-il.scm
index 0334e6f33..adbeb2005 100644
--- a/module/language/elisp/compile-tree-il.scm
+++ b/module/language/elisp/compile-tree-il.scm
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@
   (define (%match lst null optional rest symbol)
     (pmatch lst
       (() (null))
+      (nil (null))
       ((&optional . ,tail) (optional tail))
       ((&rest . ,tail) (rest tail))
       ((,arg . ,tail) (guard (symbol? arg)) (symbol arg tail))