diff --git a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/context/VerifyFreeVariables.scala b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/context/VerifyFreeVariables.scala
index dd5db73c14..1d4034ba16 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/context/VerifyFreeVariables.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/context/VerifyFreeVariables.scala
@@ -2,14 +2,28 @@ package io.getquill.context
 
 import scala.reflect.macros.whitebox.{Context => MacroContext}
 import io.getquill.quotation.FreeVariables
-import io.getquill.ast.Ast
+import io.getquill.ast.{Ast, Ident, Pos}
 import io.getquill.util.MacroContextExt._
 
 object VerifyFreeVariables {
 
-  def apply(c: MacroContext)(ast: Ast): Ast =
+  def apply(c: MacroContext)(ast: Ast): Ast = {
+    import c.universe.{Ident => _, _}
+
     FreeVariables.verify(ast) match {
       case Right(ast) => ast
-      case Left(msg)  => c.fail(msg)
+      case Left(err) =>
+        err.freeVars match {
+          // we we have a single position from the encosing context in the same file we can actually fail
+          // at the right position and point the compiler to that location since we can modify the position
+          // by the `point` info that we have from our position
+          case List(Ident.WithPos(_, Pos.Real(fileName, _, _, point, _))) if (c.enclosingPosition.source.path == fileName) =>
+            c.failAtPoint(err.msgNoPos, point)
+
+          case _ =>
+            c.fail(err.msg)
+        }
+
     }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Liftables.scala b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Liftables.scala
index 7aae532825..c4e39d64ed 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Liftables.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Liftables.scala
@@ -124,6 +124,11 @@ trait Liftables extends QuatLiftable {
     case Visibility.Hidden  => q"$pack.Visibility.Hidden"
   }
 
+  implicit val positionLiftable: Liftable[Pos] = Liftable[Pos] {
+    case Pos.Real(a, b, c, d, e) => q"$pack.Pos.Real($a, $b, $c, $d, $e)"
+    case Pos.Synthetic           => q"$pack.Pos.Synthetic"
+  }
+
   implicit val queryLiftable: Liftable[Query] = Liftable[Query] {
     case Entity.Opinionated(a, b, quat, renameable) => q"$pack.Entity.Opinionated($a, $b, $quat, $renameable)"
     case Filter(a, b, c)                            => q"$pack.Filter($a, $b, $c)"
@@ -206,8 +211,8 @@ trait Liftables extends QuatLiftable {
     case CaseClass(n, a)   => q"$pack.CaseClass($n, $a)"
   }
 
-  implicit val identLiftable: Liftable[Ident] = Liftable[Ident] { case Ident(a, quat) =>
-    q"$pack.Ident($a, $quat)"
+  implicit val identLiftable: Liftable[Ident] = Liftable[Ident] { case Ident.Opinionated(a, quat, vis, pos) =>
+    q"$pack.Ident.Opinionated($a, $quat, $vis, $pos)"
   }
   implicit val externalIdentLiftable: Liftable[ExternalIdent] = Liftable[ExternalIdent] { case ExternalIdent(a, quat) =>
     q"$pack.ExternalIdent($a, $quat)"
diff --git a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Parsing.scala b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Parsing.scala
index d8b8d822c3..872c236297 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Parsing.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Parsing.scala
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ trait Parsing extends ValueComputation with QuatMaking with MacroUtilBase {
 
   // Variables that need to be sanitized out in various places due to internal conflicts with the way
   // macros hard handled in MetaDsl
-  private[getquill] val dangerousVariables: Set[IdentName] = Set(IdentName("v"))
+  private[getquill] val dangerousVariables: Set[Ident] = Set(Ident.trivial("v"))
 
   case class Parser[T](p: PartialFunction[Tree, T])(implicit ct: ClassTag[T]) {
 
@@ -81,14 +81,14 @@ trait Parsing extends ValueComputation with QuatMaking with MacroUtilBase {
     case q"{..$exprs}" if exprs.size > 1 => Block(exprs.map(astParser(_)))
   }
 
-  val valParser: Parser[Val] = Parser[Val] { case q"val $name: $typ = $body" =>
+  val valParser: Parser[Val] = Parser[Val] { case wholeExpr @ q"val $name: $typ = $body" =>
     // for some reason inferQuat(typ.tpe) causes a compile hang in scala.reflect.internal
     val bodyAst = astParser(body)
-    Val(ident(name, bodyAst.quat), bodyAst)
+    Val(ident(name, bodyAst.quat, wholeExpr.pos), bodyAst)
   }
 
-  val patMatchValParser: Parser[Val] = Parser[Val] { case q"$mods val $name: $typ = ${patMatchParser(value)}" =>
-    Val(ident(name, inferQuat(q"$typ".tpe)), value)
+  val patMatchValParser: Parser[Val] = Parser[Val] { case wholeExpr @ q"$mods val $name: $typ = ${patMatchParser(value)}" =>
+    Val(ident(name, inferQuat(q"$typ".tpe), wholeExpr.pos), value)
   }
 
   val patMatchParser: Parser[Ast] = Parser[Ast] { case q"$expr match { case ($fields) => $body }" =>
@@ -462,16 +462,28 @@ trait Parsing extends ValueComputation with QuatMaking with MacroUtilBase {
   val identParser: Parser[Ident] = Parser[Ident] {
     // TODO Check to see that all these conditions work
     case t: ValDef =>
-      identClean(Ident(t.name.decodedName.toString, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature)))
-    case id @ c.universe.Ident(TermName(name)) => identClean(Ident(name, inferQuat(id.symbol.typeSignature)))
-    case t @ q"$cls.this.$i"                   => identClean(Ident(i.decodedName.toString, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature)))
+      identClean(t.name.decodedName.toString, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature), t.pos)
+    case id @ c.universe.Ident(TermName(name)) =>
+      identClean(name, inferQuat(id.symbol.typeSignature), id.pos)
+    case t @ q"$cls.this.$i" =>
+      identClean(i.decodedName.toString, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature), t.pos)
     case t @ c.universe.Bind(TermName(name), c.universe.Ident(termNames.WILDCARD)) =>
-      identClean(
-        Ident(name, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature))
-      ) // TODO Verify Quat what is the type of this thing? In what cases does it happen? Do we need to do something more clever with the tree and get a TypeRef?
+      // TODO Verify Quat what is the type of this thing? In what cases does it happen? Do we need to do something more clever with the tree and get a TypeRef?
+      identClean(name, inferQuat(t.symbol.typeSignature), t.pos)
   }
-  private def identClean(x: Ident): Ident           = x.copy(name = x.name.replace("$", ""))
-  private def ident(x: TermName, quat: Quat): Ident = identClean(Ident(x.decodedName.toString, quat))
+  private def identClean(name: String, quat: Quat, pos: Position): Ident =
+    Ident.Opinionated(
+      name.replace("$", ""),
+      quat,
+      Visibility.Visible,
+      if (pos != NoPosition)
+        Pos.Real(pos.source.path, pos.line, pos.column, pos.point, 0)
+      else
+        Pos.Synthetic
+    )
+
+  private def ident(x: TermName, quat: Quat, pos: Position): Ident =
+    identClean(x.decodedName.toString, quat, pos)
 
   /**
    * In order to guarantee consistent behavior across multiple databases, we
diff --git a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Unliftables.scala b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Unliftables.scala
index d194f69f40..6df314cb45 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Unliftables.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/Unliftables.scala
@@ -155,6 +155,11 @@ trait Unliftables extends QuatUnliftable {
     case q"$pack.Visibility.Hidden"  => Visibility.Hidden
   }
 
+  implicit val positionUnliftable: Unliftable[Pos] = Unliftable[Pos] {
+    case q"$pack.Pos.Real.apply(${file: String}, ${row: Int}, ${column: Int}, ${point: Int}, ${width: Int})" => Pos.Real(file, row, column, point, width)
+    case q"$pack.Pos.Synthetic"                                                                              => Pos.Synthetic
+  }
+
   implicit val propertyUnliftable: Unliftable[Property] = Unliftable[Property] {
     case q"$pack.Property.apply(${a: Ast}, ${b: String})" => Property(a, b)
     case q"$pack.Property.Opinionated.apply(${a: Ast}, ${b: String}, ${renameable: Renameable}, ${visibility: Visibility})" =>
@@ -209,7 +214,8 @@ trait Unliftables extends QuatUnliftable {
   }
 
   implicit val identUnliftable: Unliftable[Ident] = Unliftable[Ident] {
-    case q"$pack.Ident.apply(${a: String}, ${quat: Quat})" => Ident(a, quat)
+    case q"$pack.Ident.Opinionated.apply(${a: String}, ${quat: Quat}, ${vis: Visibility}, ${pos: Pos})" =>
+      Ident.Opinionated(a, quat, vis, pos)
   }
   implicit val externalIdentUnliftable: Unliftable[ExternalIdent] = Unliftable[ExternalIdent] {
     case q"$pack.ExternalIdent.apply(${a: String}, ${quat: Quat})" => ExternalIdent(a, quat)
diff --git a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/MacroContextExt.scala b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/MacroContextExt.scala
index a5b2bb4ee1..2d7d1a8292 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/MacroContextExt.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/MacroContextExt.scala
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import io.getquill.util.IndentUtil._
 import io.getquill.util.Messages.{debugEnabled, errorPrefix, prettyPrint}
 import io.getquill.quat.VerifyNoBranches
 
+import scala.reflect.api.Position
 import scala.reflect.macros.blackbox.{Context => MacroContext}
 
 object MacroContextExt {
@@ -16,6 +17,11 @@ object MacroContextExt {
     def error(msg: String): Unit =
       c.error(c.enclosingPosition, if (errorPrefix) s"[quill] $msg" else msg)
 
+    def failAtPoint(msg: String, point: Int): Nothing = {
+      val errorPos = c.enclosingPosition.withPoint(point)
+      c.abort(errorPos, if (errorPrefix) s"[quill] $msg" else msg)
+    }
+
     def fail(msg: String): Nothing =
       c.abort(c.enclosingPosition, if (errorPrefix) s"[quill] $msg" else msg)
 
diff --git a/quill-core/src/test/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariablesSpec.scala b/quill-core/src/test/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariablesSpec.scala
index 546000ef78..9f6200f935 100644
--- a/quill-core/src/test/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariablesSpec.scala
+++ b/quill-core/src/test/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariablesSpec.scala
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 package io.getquill.quotation
 
-import io.getquill.ast.IdentName
 import io.getquill.base.Spec
 import io.getquill.MirrorContexts.testContext.implicitOrd
 import io.getquill.MirrorContexts.testContext.qr1
 import io.getquill.MirrorContexts.testContext.qr2
 import io.getquill.MirrorContexts.testContext.quote
 import io.getquill.MirrorContexts.testContext.unquote
+import io.getquill.ast.Ident
 
 class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
 
@@ -16,35 +16,35 @@ class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
   "detects references to values outside of the quotation (free variables)" - {
     "ident" in {
       val q = quote(s)
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "function" in {
       val q =
         quote { (a: String) =>
           s
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "filter" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.filter(_.s == s)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "map" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.map(_ => s)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "flatMap" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.map(_ => s).flatMap(_ => qr2)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "concatMap" in {
       val a = Seq(1, 2)
@@ -52,41 +52,41 @@ class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
         quote {
           qr1.concatMap(_ => a).flatMap(_ => qr2)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("a"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("a"))
     }
     "sortBy" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.sortBy(_ => s)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "groupBy" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.groupBy(_ => s)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "take" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.take(i)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
     }
     "conditional outer join" in {
       val q =
         quote {
           qr1.leftJoin(qr2).on((a, b) => a.s == s)
         }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("s"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("s"))
     }
     "assignment" in {
       val q = quote {
         qr1.insert(_.i -> i)
       }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
     }
     "join" in {
       val i = 1
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
           .join(qr2.filter(_.i == i))
           .on((t1, t2) => t1.i == t2.i)
       }
-      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+      FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
     }
     "option operators" - {
       "map" in {
@@ -103,14 +103,14 @@ class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
         val q = quote {
           qr1.map(_.o.map(_ == i))
         }
-        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
       }
       "forall" in {
         val i = 1
         val q = quote {
           qr1.filter(_.o.forall(_ == i))
         }
-        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
 
       }
       "exists" in {
@@ -118,14 +118,14 @@ class FreeVariablesSpec extends Spec {
         val q = quote {
           qr1.filter(_.o.exists(_ == i))
         }
-        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
       }
       "contains" in {
         val i = 1
         val q = quote {
           qr1.filter(_.o.contains(i))
         }
-        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(IdentName("i"))
+        FreeVariables(q.ast) mustEqual Set(Ident.trivial("i"))
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorIdiom.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorIdiom.scala
index 4535f007a2..b5a15cdc5f 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorIdiom.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorIdiom.scala
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ trait MirrorIdiomBase extends Idiom {
   }
 
   implicit final val identTokenizer: Tokenizer[Ident] = Tokenizer[Ident] {
-    case Ident.Opinionated(name, _, visibility) =>
+    case Ident.Opinionated(name, _, visibility, _) =>
       stmt"${bracketIfHidden(name, visibility).token}"
   }
 
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorSqlDialect.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorSqlDialect.scala
index aadf948409..96647e0b67 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorSqlDialect.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/MirrorSqlDialect.scala
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package io.getquill
 
+import io.getquill.ast.Ident
 import io.getquill.context.sql.idiom.{ConcatSupport, QuestionMarkBindVariables, SqlIdiom}
 import io.getquill.context._
 import io.getquill.norm.ProductAggregationToken
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ object MirrorSqlDialect extends MirrorSqlDialect {
   trait StrategizeElements extends SqlIdiom with QuestionMarkBindVariables with ConcatSupport with CanReturnField {
 
     override def tokenizeIdentName(strategy: NamingStrategy, name: String): String     = strategy.default(name)
-    override def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, table: String): String   = strategy.default(table)
+    override def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, table: Ident): String    = strategy.default(table.name)
     override def tokenizeColumnAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, column: String): String = strategy.default(column)
     override def tokenizeFixedColumn(strategy: NamingStrategy, column: String): String = strategy.default(column)
     override def prepareForProbing(string: String)                                     = string
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/OracleDialect.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/OracleDialect.scala
index b957110c6f..f670bfd5a4 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/OracleDialect.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/OracleDialect.scala
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ trait OracleDialect
   override protected def tokenizeColumnAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, column: String): String =
     tokenizeEscapeUnderscores(strategy, column, None)
 
-  override protected def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, column: String): String =
-    tokenizeEscapeUnderscores(strategy, column, None)
+  override protected def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, tableName: Ident): String =
+    tokenizeEscapeUnderscores(strategy, tableName.name, None)
 
   private def tokenizeEscapeUnderscores(
     strategy: NamingStrategy,
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/Ast.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/Ast.scala
index f47ec6a82c..a0b1b98efd 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/Ast.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/Ast.scala
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ final case class Function(params: List[Ident], body: Ast) extends Ast {
   override def bestQuat: Quat = body.bestQuat
 }
 
-final class Ident private (val name: String)(theQuat: => Quat)(val visibility: Visibility) extends Terminal with Ast {
+final class Ident private (val name: String)(theQuat: => Quat)(val visibility: Visibility, val pos: Pos) extends Terminal with Ast {
   override lazy val quat: Quat = theQuat
   override def bestQuat: Quat  = quat
 
@@ -333,11 +333,11 @@ final class Ident private (val name: String)(theQuat: => Quat)(val visibility: V
   override def hashCode: Int = id.hashCode()
 
   override def withQuat(quat: => Quat): Ident =
-    Ident.Opinionated(this.name, quat, this.visibility)
+    Ident.Opinionated(this.name, quat, this.visibility, this.pos)
 
   // need to define a copy which will propagate current value of visibility into the copy
   def copy(name: String = this.name, quat: => Quat = this.quat): Ident =
-    Ident.Opinionated(name, quat, this.visibility)
+    Ident.Opinionated(name, quat, this.visibility, this.pos)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -356,14 +356,23 @@ final class Ident private (val name: String)(theQuat: => Quat)(val visibility: V
  */
 object Ident {
   private final case class Id(name: String)
-  def apply(name: String, quat: => Quat = Quat.Value) = new Ident(name)(quat)(Visibility.Visible)
+  def apply(name: String, quat: => Quat = Quat.Value) = new Ident(name)(quat)(Visibility.Visible, Pos.Synthetic)
   def unapply(p: Ident): Option[(String, Quat)]       = Some((p.name, p.quat))
 
+  // Represents an identifier used for temporary purposes (e.g. comparison to symbols) and or for various
+  // operational reasons. For example VerifySqlQuery needs Ident.trivial("*") to check if there are any
+  // star-operators that have been created within the query.
+  def trivial(name: String) = Ident(name, Quat.Unknown)
+
+  object WithPos {
+    def unapply(id: Ident): Option[(String, Pos)] = Some((id.name, id.pos))
+  }
+
   object Opinionated {
-    def apply(name: String, quatNew: => Quat, visibilityNew: Visibility) =
-      new Ident(name)(quatNew)(visibilityNew)
-    def unapply(p: Ident): Option[(String, Quat, Visibility)] =
-      Some((p.name, p.quat, p.visibility))
+    def apply(name: String, quatNew: => Quat, visibilityNew: Visibility, posNew: Pos) =
+      new Ident(name)(quatNew)(visibilityNew, posNew)
+    def unapply(p: Ident): Option[(String, Quat, Visibility, Pos)] =
+      Some((p.name, p.quat, p.visibility, p.pos))
   }
 }
 
@@ -416,6 +425,26 @@ sealed trait OpinionValues[T <: Opinion[T]] {
   def neutral: T
 }
 
+sealed trait Pos extends Opinion[Pos] {
+  def print: String
+}
+object Pos extends OpinionValues[Pos] {
+  // Identifier was introduced by the Quill compilation phases
+  // Notably, the 'point' field is used specifically so that we can offset the scala-compiler to the right Position
+  // in the VerifyFreeVariables functionality. Scala derives line/column from the SourceFile and `point` data
+  // so for the sake of scala macros, only `point` is needed. The files `line` and `column` are used if when we build
+  // up error messages with variable positions and do not have the compiler to help us (e.g. if there are multiple
+  // places with error locations (e.g. multiple free variables have been found or the error is being thrown at runtime).
+  case class Real(fileName: String, line: Int, column: Int, point: Int, width: Int = 0) extends Pos {
+    override def print: String = s"${fileName}:${line}:${column}"
+  }
+  case object Synthetic extends Pos {
+    override def print: String = "<Position-Unknown>"
+  }
+
+  override def neutral: Pos = Synthetic
+}
+
 sealed trait Visibility extends Opinion[Visibility]
 object Visibility extends OpinionValues[Visibility] {
   case object Visible extends Visibility with Opinion[Visibility]
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/AstOps.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/AstOps.scala
index 39b5df4c15..dfd505d872 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/AstOps.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/ast/AstOps.scala
@@ -1,13 +1,6 @@
 package io.getquill.ast
 
-// Represents an Ident without a Quat
-case class IdentName(name: String)
-
 object Implicits {
-  implicit final class IdentOps(private val id: Ident) extends AnyVal {
-    def idName: IdentName = IdentName(id.name)
-  }
-
   implicit final class AstOpsExt(private val body: Ast) extends AnyVal {
     def +||+(other: Ast): BinaryOperation = BinaryOperation(body, BooleanOperator.`||`, other)
     def +&&+(other: Ast): BinaryOperation = BinaryOperation(body, BooleanOperator.`&&`, other)
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/NormalizeReturning.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/NormalizeReturning.scala
index e35f5fa50b..2edc6673a9 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/NormalizeReturning.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/NormalizeReturning.scala
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class NormalizeReturning(normalize: Normalize) {
    */
   private def dealiasBody(body: Ast, alias: Ident): Ast =
     Transform(body) { case q: Query =>
-      AvoidAliasConflict.sanitizeQuery(q, Set(alias.idName), normalize)
+      AvoidAliasConflict.sanitizeQuery(q, Set(alias), normalize)
     }
 
   private def apply(e: Action, body: Ast, returningIdent: Ident): Action = e match {
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/capture/AvoidAliasConflict.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/capture/AvoidAliasConflict.scala
index 0ce9cee323..8b1a0607d8 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/capture/AvoidAliasConflict.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/norm/capture/AvoidAliasConflict.scala
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ import scala.collection.immutable.Set
  * called once from the top-level inside `SqlNormalize` at the very end of the
  * transformation pipeline.
  */
-private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: Boolean, traceConfig: TraceConfig)
-    extends StatefulTransformer[Set[IdentName]] {
+private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[Ident], detemp: Boolean, traceConfig: TraceConfig)
+    extends StatefulTransformer[Set[Ident]] {
 
   val interp = new Interpolator(TraceType.AvoidAliasConflict, traceConfig, 3)
   import interp._
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
 
   private def recurseAndApply[T <: Query](
     elem: T
-  )(ext: T => (Ast, Ident, Ast))(f: (Ast, Ident, Ast) => T): (T, StatefulTransformer[Set[IdentName]]) =
+  )(ext: T => (Ast, Ident, Ast))(f: (Ast, Ident, Ast) => T): (T, StatefulTransformer[Set[Ident]]) =
     trace"Uncapture RecurseAndApply $elem ".andReturnIf {
       val (newElem, newTrans) = super.apply(elem)
       val ((query, alias, body), state) =
@@ -94,10 +94,10 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
           BetaReduction(body, alias -> fresh)
         }(pr => pr != body)
 
-      (f(query, fresh, pr), AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh.idName, detemp, traceConfig))
+      (f(query, fresh, pr), AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh, detemp, traceConfig))
     }(_._1 != elem)
 
-  private def applyBodies[T <: Query](pairs: List[(Ident, Ast)]): (List[(Ident, Ast)], List[IdentName]) =
+  private def applyBodies[T <: Query](pairs: List[(Ident, Ast)]): (List[(Ident, Ast)], List[Ident]) =
     trace"Uncapture ApplyBodies $pairs ".andReturnIf {
       val newPairs =
         pairs.map { case (alias, body) =>
@@ -109,11 +109,11 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
           (fresh, newBody)
         }
 
-      val newIdNames = newPairs.map(_._1.idName)
+      val newIdNames = newPairs.map(_._1)
       (newPairs, newIdNames)
     }(_._1 != pairs)
 
-  override def apply(qq: Query): (Query, StatefulTransformer[Set[IdentName]]) =
+  override def apply(qq: Query): (Query, StatefulTransformer[Set[Ident]]) =
     trace"Uncapture $qq ".andReturnIf {
       qq match {
 
@@ -181,14 +181,14 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
             val (ar, art) = apply(a)
             val (br, brt) = art.apply(b)
             val freshA    = freshIdent(iA, brt.state)
-            val freshB    = freshIdent(iB, brt.state + freshA.idName)
+            val freshB    = freshIdent(iB, brt.state + freshA)
             val or =
               trace"Uncapturing Join: Replace $iA -> $freshA, $iB -> $freshB".andReturnIf {
                 BetaReduction(o, iA -> freshA, iB -> freshB)
               }(_ != o)
             val (orr, orrt) =
               trace"Uncapturing Join: Recurse with state: ${brt.state} + $freshA + $freshB".andReturnIf {
-                AvoidAliasConflict(brt.state + freshA.idName + freshB.idName, detemp, traceConfig)(or)
+                AvoidAliasConflict(brt.state + freshA + freshB, detemp, traceConfig)(or)
               }(_._1 != or)
 
             (Join(t, ar, br, freshA, freshB, orr), orrt)
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
               }(_ != o)
             val (orr, orrt) =
               trace"Uncapturing FlatJoin: Recurse with state: ${art.state} + $freshA".andReturnIf {
-                AvoidAliasConflict(art.state + freshA.idName, detemp, traceConfig)(or)
+                AvoidAliasConflict(art.state + freshA, detemp, traceConfig)(or)
               }(_._1 != or)
 
             (FlatJoin(t, ar, freshA, orr), orrt)
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
       }
     }(_._1 != qq)
 
-  private def apply[Q](x: Ident, p: Ast)(f: (Ident, Ast) => Q): (Q, StatefulTransformer[Set[IdentName]]) =
+  private def apply[Q](x: Ident, p: Ast)(f: (Ident, Ast) => Q): (Q, StatefulTransformer[Set[Ident]]) =
     trace"Uncapture Apply ($x, $p)".andReturnIf {
       val fresh = freshIdent(x)
       val pr =
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
         }(_ != p)
       val (prr, t) =
         trace"Uncapture Apply Recurse".andReturnIf {
-          AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh.idName, detemp, traceConfig)(pr)
+          AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh, detemp, traceConfig)(pr)
         }(_._1 != pr)
 
       (f(fresh, prr), t)
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
    * variable and the make sure it does not conflict with any other variables of
    * outer clauses in the AST (freshIdent does that part).
    */
-  private def freshIdent(x: Ident, state: Set[IdentName] = state): Ident =
+  private def freshIdent(x: Ident, state: Set[Ident] = state): Ident =
     x match {
       case TemporaryIdent(tid) if (detemp) =>
         dedupeIdent(Ident("x", tid.quat), state)
@@ -244,15 +244,15 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
         dedupeIdent(x, state)
     }
 
-  private def dedupeIdent(x: Ident, state: Set[IdentName] = state): Ident = {
+  private def dedupeIdent(x: Ident, state: Set[Ident] = state): Ident = {
     def loop(x: Ident, n: Int): Ident = {
       val fresh = Ident(s"${x.name}$n", x.quat)
-      if (!state.contains(fresh.idName))
+      if (!state.contains(fresh))
         fresh
       else
         loop(x, n + 1)
     }
-    if (!state.contains(x.idName))
+    if (!state.contains(x))
       x
     else
       loop(x, 1)
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
         case ((body, state, newParams), param) => {
           val fresh    = freshIdent(param)
           val pr       = BetaReduction(body, param -> fresh)
-          val (prr, t) = AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh.idName, false, traceConfig)(pr)
+          val (prr, t) = AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh, false, traceConfig)(pr)
           (prr, t.state, newParams :+ fresh)
         }
       }
@@ -285,14 +285,14 @@ private[getquill] case class AvoidAliasConflict(state: Set[IdentName], detemp: B
   private def applyForeach(f: Foreach): Foreach = {
     val fresh    = freshIdent(f.alias)
     val pr       = BetaReduction(f.body, f.alias -> fresh)
-    val (prr, _) = AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh.idName, false, traceConfig)(pr)
+    val (prr, _) = AvoidAliasConflict(state + fresh, false, traceConfig)(pr)
     Foreach(f.query, fresh, prr)
   }
 }
 
 private[getquill] class AvoidAliasConflictApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
   def apply(q: Query, detemp: Boolean = false): Query =
-    AvoidAliasConflict(Set[IdentName](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
+    AvoidAliasConflict(Set[Ident](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
       case (q, _) => q
     }
 }
@@ -300,12 +300,12 @@ private[getquill] class AvoidAliasConflictApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
 private[getquill] object AvoidAliasConflict {
 
   def Ast(q: Ast, detemp: Boolean = false, traceConfig: TraceConfig): Ast =
-    new AvoidAliasConflict(Set[IdentName](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
+    new AvoidAliasConflict(Set[Ident](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
       case (q, _) => q
     }
 
   def apply(q: Query, detemp: Boolean = false, traceConfig: TraceConfig): Query =
-    AvoidAliasConflict(Set[IdentName](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
+    AvoidAliasConflict(Set[Ident](), detemp, traceConfig)(q) match {
       case (q, _) => q
     }
 
@@ -314,14 +314,14 @@ private[getquill] object AvoidAliasConflict {
    * function. Do this by walking through the function's subtree and
    * transforming and queries encountered.
    */
-  def sanitizeVariables(f: Function, dangerousVariables: Set[IdentName], traceConfig: TraceConfig): Function =
+  def sanitizeVariables(f: Function, dangerousVariables: Set[Ident], traceConfig: TraceConfig): Function =
     AvoidAliasConflict(dangerousVariables, false, traceConfig).applyFunction(f)
 
   /** Same is `sanitizeVariables` but for Foreach * */
-  def sanitizeVariables(f: Foreach, dangerousVariables: Set[IdentName], traceConfig: TraceConfig): Foreach =
+  def sanitizeVariables(f: Foreach, dangerousVariables: Set[Ident], traceConfig: TraceConfig): Foreach =
     AvoidAliasConflict(dangerousVariables, false, traceConfig).applyForeach(f)
 
-  def sanitizeQuery(q: Query, dangerousVariables: Set[IdentName], normalize: Normalize): Query =
+  def sanitizeQuery(q: Query, dangerousVariables: Set[Ident], normalize: Normalize): Query =
     AvoidAliasConflict(dangerousVariables, false, normalize.traceConf).apply(q) match {
       // Propagate aliasing changes to the rest of the query
       case (q, _) => normalize(q)
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariables.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariables.scala
index 4d640d6de2..781e95f141 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariables.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/quotation/FreeVariables.scala
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
 package io.getquill.quotation
 
 import io.getquill.ast._
-import io.getquill.ast.Implicits._
+import io.getquill.util.Text
+
 import collection.immutable.Set
 
-case class State(seen: Set[IdentName], free: Set[IdentName])
+case class State(seen: Set[Ident], free: Set[Ident])
 
 case class FreeVariables(state: State) extends StatefulTransformer[State] {
 
   override def apply(ast: Ast): (Ast, StatefulTransformer[State]) =
     ast match {
-      case ident: Ident if (!state.seen.contains(ident.idName)) =>
-        (ident, FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free + ident.idName)))
+      case ident: Ident if (!state.seen.contains(ident)) =>
+        (ident, FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free + ident)))
       case f @ Function(params, body) =>
-        val (_, t) = FreeVariables(State(state.seen ++ params.map(_.idName), state.free))(body)
+        val (_, t) = FreeVariables(State(state.seen ++ params, state.free))(body)
         (f, FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free ++ t.state.free)))
       case q @ Foreach(a, b, c) =>
         (q, free(a, b, c))
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ case class FreeVariables(state: State) extends StatefulTransformer[State] {
   override def apply(e: Assignment): (Assignment, StatefulTransformer[State]) =
     e match {
       case Assignment(a, b, c) =>
-        val t         = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + a.idName, state.free))
+        val t         = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + a, state.free))
         val (bt, btt) = t(b)
         val (ct, ctt) = t(c)
         (Assignment(a, bt, ct), FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free ++ btt.state.free ++ ctt.state.free)))
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ case class FreeVariables(state: State) extends StatefulTransformer[State] {
   override def apply(e: AssignmentDual): (AssignmentDual, StatefulTransformer[State]) =
     e match {
       case AssignmentDual(a1, a2, b, c) =>
-        val t         = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + a1.idName + a2.idName, state.free))
+        val t         = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + a1 + a2, state.free))
         val (bt, btt) = t(b)
         val (ct, ctt) = t(c)
         (
@@ -97,44 +98,41 @@ case class FreeVariables(state: State) extends StatefulTransformer[State] {
       case q @ Join(t, a, b, iA, iB, on) =>
         val (_, freeA)  = apply(a)
         val (_, freeB)  = apply(b)
-        val (_, freeOn) = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + iA.idName + iB.idName, Set.empty))(on)
+        val (_, freeOn) = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + iA + iB, Set.empty))(on)
         (q, FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free ++ freeA.state.free ++ freeB.state.free ++ freeOn.state.free)))
       case _: Entity | _: Take | _: Drop | _: Union | _: UnionAll | _: Aggregation | _: Distinct | _: Nested =>
         super.apply(query)
     }
 
-  private def free(a: Ast, ident: Ident, c: Ast): FreeVariables =
-    free(a, ident.idName, c)
-
-  private def free(a: Ast, ident: IdentName, c: Ast) = {
+  private def free(a: Ast, ident: Ident, c: Ast) = {
     val (_, ta) = apply(a)
     val (_, tc) = FreeVariables(State(state.seen + ident, state.free))(c)
     FreeVariables(State(state.seen, state.free ++ ta.state.free ++ tc.state.free))
   }
 }
 
+case class FreeVariableError(freeVars: List[Ident]) extends Exception {
+  lazy val msg = Text.FreeVariablesExitError(freeVars, true)
+  // For compile-time flows where the position is already passed down the the compiler do
+  // showing it again would just cause confusion
+  lazy val msgNoPos = Text.FreeVariablesExitError(freeVars, false)
+
+  override def getMessage: String = msg
+}
+
 object FreeVariables {
-  def apply(ast: Ast): Set[IdentName] =
+  def apply(ast: Ast): Set[Ident] =
     new FreeVariables(State(Set.empty, Set.empty))(ast) match {
       case (_, transformer) =>
         transformer.state.free
     }
 
-  def verify(ast: Ast): Either[String, Ast] =
+  def verify(ast: Ast): Either[FreeVariableError, Ast] =
     apply(ast) match {
       case free if free.isEmpty => Right(ast)
       case free =>
-        val firstVar = free.headOption.map(_.name).getOrElse("someVar")
-        Left(
-          s"""
-             |Found the following variables: ${free.map(_.name).toList} that seem to originate outside of a `quote {...}` or `run {...}` block.
-             |Quotes and run blocks cannot use values outside their scope directly (with the exception of inline expressions in Scala 3).
-             |In order to use runtime values in a quotation, you need to lift them, so instead
-             |of this `$firstVar` do this: `lift($firstVar)`.
-             |Here is a more complete example:
-             |Instead of this: `def byName(n: String) = quote(query[Person].filter(_.name == n))`
-             |        Do this: `def byName(n: String) = quote(query[Person].filter(_.name == lift(n)))`
-        """.stripMargin
-        )
+        val error =
+          FreeVariableError(free.toList)
+        Left(error)
     }
 }
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/SqlQuery.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/SqlQuery.scala
index 61cfc9b85c..1970ae57b4 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/SqlQuery.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/SqlQuery.scala
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ import io.getquill.sql.Common.ContainsImpurities
 final case class OrderByCriteria(ast: Ast, ordering: PropertyOrdering)
 
 sealed trait FromContext { def quat: Quat }
-final case class TableContext(entity: Entity, alias: String) extends FromContext {
+final case class TableContext(entity: Entity, alias: Ident) extends FromContext {
   override def quat: Quat = entity.quat
 }
-final case class QueryContext(query: SqlQuery, alias: String) extends FromContext {
+final case class QueryContext(query: SqlQuery, alias: Ident) extends FromContext {
   override def quat: Quat = query.quat
 }
-final case class InfixContext(infix: Infix, alias: String) extends FromContext { override def quat: Quat = infix.quat }
+final case class InfixContext(infix: Infix, alias: Ident) extends FromContext { override def quat: Quat = infix.quat }
 final case class JoinContext(t: JoinType, a: FromContext, b: FromContext, on: Ast) extends FromContext {
   override def quat: Quat = Quat.Tuple(a.quat, b.quat)
 }
@@ -133,15 +133,15 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
         }
       case TakeDropFlatten(q, limit, offset) =>
         trace"Construct SqlQuery from: TakeDropFlatten" andReturn {
-          flatten(q, "x").copy(limit = limit, offset = offset)(q.quat)
+          flatten(q, Ident("x", q.quat)).copy(limit = limit, offset = offset)(q.quat)
         }
       case q: Query =>
         trace"Construct SqlQuery from: Query" andReturn {
-          flatten(q, "x")
+          flatten(q, Ident("x", q.quat))
         }
       case infix: Infix =>
         trace"Construct SqlQuery from: Infix" andReturn {
-          flatten(infix, "x")
+          flatten(infix, Ident("x", infix.quat))
         }
       case other =>
         trace"Construct SqlQuery from: other" andReturn {
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
         }
     }
 
-  private def flatten(query: Ast, alias: String): FlattenSqlQuery =
+  private def flatten(query: Ast, alias: Ident): FlattenSqlQuery =
     trace"Flattening: ${query}" andReturn {
       val (sources, finalFlatMapBody) = flattenContexts(query)
       flatten(sources, finalFlatMapBody, alias, nestNextMap = false)
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
           val cc = CaseClassMake.fromQuat(flatJoin.quat)(name)
           flattenContexts(FlatMap(q, id, Map(flatJoin, alias, cc)))
         }
-      case FlatMap(q @ (_: Query | _: Infix), Ident(alias, _), p: Query) =>
+      case FlatMap(q @ (_: Query | _: Infix), alias: Ident, p: Query) =>
         trace"Flattening Flatmap with Query" andReturn {
           val source                             = this.source(q, alias)
           val (nestedContexts, finalFlatMapBody) = flattenContexts(p)
@@ -182,13 +182,13 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
   private def flatten(
     sources: List[FromContext],
     finalFlatMapBody: Ast,
-    alias: String,
+    alias: Ident,
     nestNextMap: Boolean
   ): FlattenSqlQuery = {
 
-    def select(alias: String, quat: Quat): List[SelectValue] = SelectValue(Ident(alias, quat), None) :: Nil
+    def select(alias: Ident, quat: Quat): List[SelectValue] = SelectValue(alias, None) :: Nil
 
-    def base(q: Ast, alias: String, nestNextMap: Boolean): FlattenSqlQuery =
+    def base(q: Ast, alias: Ident, nestNextMap: Boolean): FlattenSqlQuery =
       trace"Computing Base (nestingMaps=${nestNextMap}) for Query: $q" andReturn {
         def nest(ctx: FromContext): FlattenSqlQuery = trace"Computing FlattenSqlQuery for: $ctx" andReturn {
           FlattenSqlQuery(from = sources :+ ctx, select = select(alias, q.quat))(q.quat)
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
           case Join(tpe, a, b, iA, iB, on) =>
             trace"base| Collecting join aliases $q" andReturn {
               val ctx = source(q, alias)
-              def aliases(ctx: FromContext): List[(String, Quat)] =
+              def aliases(ctx: FromContext): List[(Ident, Quat)] =
                 ctx match {
                   case TableContext(_, alias)   => (alias, ctx.quat) :: Nil
                   case QueryContext(_, alias)   => (alias, ctx.quat) :: Nil
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
                   case JoinContext(_, a, b, _)  => aliases(a) ::: aliases(b)
                   case FlatJoinContext(_, a, _) => aliases(a)
                 }
-              val collectedAliases = aliases(ctx).map { case (a, quat) => Ident(a, quat) }
+              val collectedAliases = aliases(ctx).map { case (a, quat) => a }
               val select           = Tuple(collectedAliases)
               FlattenSqlQuery(
                 from = ctx :: Nil,
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
     trace"Flattening (alias = $alias) sources $sources from $finalFlatMapBody" andReturn {
       finalFlatMapBody match {
 
-        case ConcatMap(q, Ident(alias, _), p) =>
+        case ConcatMap(q, alias: Ident, p) =>
           trace"Flattening| ConcatMap" andReturn {
             FlattenSqlQuery(
               from = source(q, alias) :: Nil,
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
         // Map(GroupBy(people,p=>p.name),a:(_1:name,_2:people)          => p:(_1,MAX(_2.map(_.age)))
         // more concretely:
         // Map(GroupBy(q:people,x:p,g:p.name),a:(_1:name,_2:people), p:(_1,MAX(_2.map(_.age)))
-        case Map(GroupBy(q, x @ Ident(alias, _), g), a, p) =>
+        case Map(GroupBy(q, x: Ident, g), a, p) =>
           trace"Flattening| Map(GroupBy)" andReturn {
 
             // In the case that we have a map-to a Product before a GroupBy, we need to have a sub-nesting first.
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
             // We fixed this particular case by the `case Map(_, _, ContainsImpurities()) =>` clause which will nest the map clause first leading to the correct query
             // but there are other potential cases that are not covered by that. As a fallback we need to forcibly nest the inner clause of this groupBy
             // if it is a map. That is what the `nestNextMap=true` argument does to `base` does
-            val b = base(q, alias, nestNextMap = true)
+            val b = base(q, x, nestNextMap = true)
 
             // use ExpandSelection logic to break down OrderBy clause
             // In the case that GroupBy(people,p=>p) make it into: GroupBy(people,p=> List(p.name,p.age) /*return this*/ )
@@ -324,9 +324,9 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
         // GroupByMap(people,p=>p.name)(a:Person => p:(a.name,MAX(a.age)))
         // more concretely:
         // GroupBy(q:people,x:p,g:p.name)(a:Person, p:(a.name,MAX(a.age)))
-        case GroupByMap(q, x @ Ident(alias, _), g, a, p) =>
+        case GroupByMap(q, x: Ident, g, a, p) =>
           trace"Flattening| GroupByMap" andReturn {
-            val b = base(q, alias, nestNextMap = true)
+            val b = base(q, x, nestNextMap = true)
             // Same as ExpandSelection in Map(GroupBy)
             val flatGroupByAsts = new ExpandSelection(b.from).ofSubselect(List(SelectValue(g))).map(_.ast)
             val groupByClause =
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
             b.copy(groupBy = Some(groupByClause), select = this.selectValues(realiasedSelect))(quat)
           }
 
-        case Map(q, Ident(alias, _), p) =>
+        case Map(q, alias: Ident, p) =>
           val b = base(q, alias, nestNextMap = false)
           val agg = b.select.collect { case s @ SelectValue(_: Aggregation, _, _) =>
             s
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
                 select = selectValues(p)
               )(quat)
 
-        case Filter(q, Ident(alias, _), p) =>
+        case Filter(q, alias: Ident, p) =>
           // If it's a filter, pass on the value of nestNextMap in case there is a future map we need to nest
           val b = base(q, alias, nestNextMap)
           // If the filter body uses the filter alias, make sure it matches one of the aliases in the fromContexts
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
                 select = select(alias, quat)
               )(quat)
 
-        case SortBy(q, Ident(alias, _), p, o) =>
+        case SortBy(q, alias: Ident, p, o) =>
           val b        = base(q, alias, nestNextMap = false)
           val criteria = orderByCriteria(p, o, b.from)
           // If the sortBy body uses the filter alias, make sure it matches one of the aliases in the fromContexts
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
           trace"Flattening| Distinct" andReturn
             b.copy(distinct = DistinctKind.Distinct)(quat)
 
-        case DistinctOn(q, Ident(alias, _), fields) =>
+        case DistinctOn(q, alias: Ident, fields) =>
           val distinctList =
             fields match {
               case Tuple(values) => values
@@ -496,12 +496,12 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
       case _ => SelectValue(ast) :: Nil
     }
 
-  private def source(ast: Ast, alias: String): FromContext =
+  private def source(ast: Ast, alias: Ident): FromContext =
     ast match {
       case entity: Entity            => TableContext(entity, alias)
       case infix: Infix              => InfixContext(infix, alias)
-      case Join(t, a, b, ia, ib, on) => JoinContext(t, source(a, ia.name), source(b, ib.name), on)
-      case FlatJoin(t, a, ia, on)    => FlatJoinContext(t, source(a, ia.name), on)
+      case Join(t, a, b, ia, ib, on) => JoinContext(t, source(a, ia), source(b, ib), on)
+      case FlatJoin(t, a, ia, on)    => FlatJoinContext(t, source(a, ia), on)
       case Nested(q)                 => QueryContext(apply(q), alias)
       case other                     => QueryContext(apply(other), alias)
     }
@@ -518,7 +518,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
       case _                        => fail(s"Invalid order by criteria $ast")
     }
 
-  private def collectAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): List[String] =
+  private def collectAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): List[Ident] =
     contexts.flatMap {
       case c: TableContext             => List(c.alias)
       case c: QueryContext             => List(c.alias)
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ class SqlQueryApply(traceConfig: TraceConfig) {
       case FlatJoinContext(_, from, _) => collectAliases(List(from))
     }
 
-  private def collectTableAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): List[String] =
+  private def collectTableAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): List[Ident] =
     contexts.flatMap {
       case c: TableContext             => List(c.alias)
       case _: QueryContext             => List.empty
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/SqlIdiom.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/SqlIdiom.scala
index 9f6d4af794..da8afd94c6 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/SqlIdiom.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/SqlIdiom.scala
@@ -277,8 +277,8 @@ trait SqlIdiom extends Idiom {
   protected def tokenizeFixedColumn(strategy: NamingStrategy, column: String): String =
     column
 
-  protected def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, table: String): String =
-    table
+  protected def tokenizeTableAlias(strategy: NamingStrategy, table: Ident): String =
+    table.name
 
   protected def tokenizeIdentName(strategy: NamingStrategy, name: String): String =
     name
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ trait SqlIdiom extends Idiom {
             stmt"${actionAlias.map(alias => stmt"${scopedTokenizer(alias)}.").getOrElse(emptyStatement)}${TokenizeProperty(name, prefix, strategy, renameable)}"
 
           // In the rare case that the Ident is invisible, do not show it. See the Ident documentation for more info.
-          case (Ident.Opinionated(_, _, Hidden), prefix) =>
+          case (Ident.Opinionated(_, _, Hidden, _), prefix) =>
             stmt"${TokenizeProperty(name, prefix, strategy, renameable)}"
 
           // The normal case where `Property(Property(Ident("realTable"), embeddedTableAlias), realPropertyAlias)`
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/VerifySqlQuery.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/VerifySqlQuery.scala
index 3c33064475..bb138d0628 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/VerifySqlQuery.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/idiom/VerifySqlQuery.scala
@@ -4,22 +4,11 @@ import io.getquill.ast._
 import io.getquill.context.sql._
 import io.getquill.quotation.FreeVariables
 import io.getquill.quat.Quat
+import io.getquill.util.Text
 
 case class Error(free: List[Ident], ast: Ast)
 case class InvalidSqlQuery(errors: List[Error]) {
-  override def toString = {
-    val allVars  = errors.flatMap(_.free).distinct
-    val firstVar = errors.headOption.flatMap(_.free.headOption).getOrElse("someVar")
-    s"""
-       |When synthesizing Joins, Quill found some variables that could not be traced back to their
-       |origin: ${allVars.map(_.name)}. Typically this happens when there are some flatMapped
-       |clauses that are missing data once they are flattened.
-       |Sometimes this is the result of a internal error in Quill. If that is the case, please
-       |reach out on our discord channel https://discord.gg/2ccFBr4 and/or file an issue
-       |on https://github.com/zio/zio-quill.
-       |""".stripMargin +
-      errors.map(error => s"Faulty expression: '${error.ast}'. Free variables: '${error.free}'.").mkString(",\n")
-  }
+  override def toString = Text.JoinSynthesisError(errors)
 }
 
 object VerifySqlQuery {
@@ -36,7 +25,7 @@ object VerifySqlQuery {
 
   private def verifyFlatJoins(q: FlattenSqlQuery) = {
 
-    def loop(l: List[FromContext], available: Set[String]): Set[String] =
+    def loop(l: List[FromContext], available: Set[Ident]): Set[Ident] =
       l.foldLeft(available) {
         case (av, TableContext(_, alias)) => Set(alias)
         case (av, InfixContext(_, alias)) => Set(alias)
@@ -45,7 +34,7 @@ object VerifySqlQuery {
           av ++ loop(a :: Nil, av) ++ loop(b :: Nil, av)
         case (av, FlatJoinContext(_, a, on)) =>
           val nav     = av ++ loop(a :: Nil, av)
-          val free    = FreeVariables(on).map(_.name)
+          val free    = FreeVariables(on)
           val invalid = free -- nav
           require(
             invalid.isEmpty,
@@ -61,7 +50,7 @@ object VerifySqlQuery {
 
     verifyFlatJoins(query)
 
-    val aliases = query.from.flatMap(this.aliases).map(IdentName(_)) :+ IdentName("*") :+ IdentName("?")
+    val aliases = query.from.flatMap(this.aliases) :+ Ident.trivial("*") :+ Ident.trivial("?")
 
     def verifyAst(ast: Ast) = {
       val freeVariables =
@@ -111,7 +100,7 @@ object VerifySqlQuery {
     }
   }
 
-  private def aliases(s: FromContext): List[String] =
+  private def aliases(s: FromContext): List[Ident] =
     s match {
       case s: TableContext    => List(s.alias)
       case s: QueryContext    => List(s.alias)
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/HideTopLevelFilterAlias.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/HideTopLevelFilterAlias.scala
index 5c1c02387c..3ce0e0af16 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/HideTopLevelFilterAlias.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/HideTopLevelFilterAlias.scala
@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ import io.getquill.norm.BetaReduction
 // but with output causes the alias becomes OUTPUT so it can be different in those cases.
 object HideTopLevelFilterAlias extends StatelessTransformer {
   def hideAlias(alias: Ident, in: Ast) = {
-    val newAlias = Ident.Opinionated(alias.name, alias.quat, Visibility.Hidden)
+    val newAlias = Ident.Opinionated(alias.name, alias.quat, Visibility.Hidden, alias.pos)
     (newAlias, BetaReduction(in, alias -> newAlias))
   }
 
   def hideAssignmentAlias(assignment: Assignment) = {
     val alias         = assignment.alias
-    val newAlias      = Ident.Opinionated(alias.name, alias.quat, Visibility.Hidden)
+    val newAlias      = Ident.Opinionated(alias.name, alias.quat, Visibility.Hidden, alias.pos)
     val newValue      = BetaReduction(assignment.value, alias -> newAlias)
     val newProperty   = BetaReduction(assignment.property, alias -> newAlias)
     val newAssignment = Assignment(newAlias, newProperty, newValue)
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/RemoveUnusedSelects.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/RemoveUnusedSelects.scala
index dcdb7adc25..a78335e8a5 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/RemoveUnusedSelects.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/RemoveUnusedSelects.scala
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ object RemoveUnusedSelects {
       case _: TableContext | _: InfixContext => (s, new mutable.LinkedHashSet[Property]())
     }
 
-  private def references(alias: String, asts: List[Ast]) =
-    LinkedHashSet.empty ++ (References(State(Ident(alias, Quat.Value), Nil))(asts)(_.apply)._2.state.references)
+  private def references(alias: Ident, asts: List[Ast]) =
+    LinkedHashSet.empty ++ (References(State(alias, Nil))(asts)(_.apply)._2.state.references)
 }
 
 case class State(ident: Ident, references: List[Property])
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/SelectPropertyProtractor.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/SelectPropertyProtractor.scala
index 7439d9d4dd..434df3dfd4 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/SelectPropertyProtractor.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/sql/norm/SelectPropertyProtractor.scala
@@ -52,20 +52,20 @@ case class InContext(from: List[FromContext]) {
   def contextReferenceType(ast: Ast) = {
     val references = collectTableAliases(from)
     ast match {
-      case Ident(v, _)                           => references.get(v)
-      case PropertyMatryoshka(Ident(v, _), _, _) => references.get(v)
-      case _                                     => None
+      case id: Ident                           => references.get(id)
+      case PropertyMatryoshka(id: Ident, _, _) => references.get(id)
+      case _                                   => None
     }
   }
 
-  private def collectTableAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): Map[String, InContextType] =
+  private def collectTableAliases(contexts: List[FromContext]): Map[Ident, InContextType] =
     contexts.map {
       case c: TableContext             => Map(c.alias -> InTableContext)
       case c: QueryContext             => Map(c.alias -> InQueryContext)
       case c: InfixContext             => Map(c.alias -> InInfixContext)
       case JoinContext(_, a, b, _)     => collectTableAliases(List(a)) ++ collectTableAliases(List(b))
       case FlatJoinContext(_, from, _) => collectTableAliases(List(from))
-    }.foldLeft(Map[String, InContextType]())(_ ++ _)
+    }.foldLeft(Map[Ident, InContextType]())(_ ++ _)
 }
 object InContext {
   sealed trait InContextType
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Messages.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Messages.scala
index 32b7098bba..5b112c10c3 100644
--- a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Messages.scala
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Messages.scala
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ object Messages {
     //       implicit val t = new EnableTrace {  override type Trace = TraceType.Normalizations :: HNil }
     //       Otherwise it would have to be override type Trace = TraceType.Normalizations.type
 
-    // Specifically for situations where what needs to be printed is a type of warning to the user as opposed to an expansion
+    // Specifically for situations where what needs to be printed is a type of warning to the user as opposOed to an expansion
     // This kind of trace is always on by default and does not need to be enabled by the user.
     sealed trait Warning                extends TraceType { val value = "warning"     }
     sealed trait SqlNormalizations      extends TraceType { val value = "sql"         }
diff --git a/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Text.scala b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Text.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d5f325f65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/quill-engine/src/main/scala/io/getquill/util/Text.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+package io.getquill.util
+
+import io.getquill.ast.{Ast, Ident, Pos}
+import io.getquill.context.sql.idiom.Error
+
+// Intentionally put all comments in 1st line. Want this to be a place
+// where example code can be put
+// format: off
+
+object Text {
+
+implicit class StringExt(str: String) {
+  def trimLeft = str.dropWhile(_.isWhitespace)
+}
+
+implicit class SeqExt[T](seq: Seq[T]) {
+  def sortByVariant[R](pf: PartialFunction[T, R])(implicit ord: Ordering[R]) = {
+    seq.filter(v => pf.isDefinedAt(v)).sortBy(v => pf(v))
+  }
+}
+
+
+def JoinSynthesisError(errors: List[Error]) =
+  errors match {
+    case List(Error(List(id), ast)) => joinSynthesisErrorSingle(id, ast)
+    case _ => joinSynthesisErrorMulti(errors)
+  }
+
+
+// make a special printout case for a single error since this is what happens 95% of the time
+private def joinSynthesisErrorSingle(id: Ident, ast: Ast) =
+s"""
+When synthesizing Joins, Quill found a variable that could not be traced back to its origin: ${id.name}
+originally at: ${id.pos}
+
+with the following faulty expression:
+${ast}
+
+${joinSynthesisExplanation}
+""".trimLeft
+
+
+private def joinSynthesisErrorMulti(errors: List[Error]) = {
+val allVars  = errors.flatMap(_.free).distinct
+val firstVar = errors.headOption.flatMap(_.free.headOption).getOrElse("someVar")
+
+def printError(error: Error) =
+s"""
+====== Faulty Expression ======
+${error.ast}
+Variables:
+${error.free.map(id => s"${id.name} - ${id.pos.print}").mkString("\n")}
+""".trimLeft
+
+s"""
+When synthesizing Joins, Quill found some variables that could not be traced back to their
+origin: ${allVars.map(_.name)}.
+
+${joinSynthesisExplanation}
+""".trimLeft +
+errors.map(printError(_)).mkString(",\n")
+}
+
+
+private lazy val joinSynthesisExplanation =
+s"""
+Typically this happens when there are some flatMapped
+clauses that are missing data once they are flattened.
+Sometimes this is the result of a internal error in Quill. If that is the case, please
+reach out on our discord channel https://discord.gg/2ccFBr4 and/or file an issue
+on https://github.com/zio/zio-quill.
+""".trimLeft
+
+// ========================================= FreeVariablesExitError =========================================
+
+def FreeVariablesExitError(freeVars: Seq[Ident], showPos: Boolean = true): String =
+  if (freeVars.size == 1)
+    freeVariablesSingle(freeVars.head, showPos)
+  else
+    freeVariablesMulti(freeVars)
+
+// Most of the time there are free varaibles it's just one so make a specific message optimizing for that
+// if we're in a compile-time flow we don't need to show the position because it will be conveyed directly to the compiler.
+private def freeVariablesSingle(freeVar: Ident, showPos: Boolean) =
+s"""
+Found the following variable: ${freeVar} that originates outside of a `quote {...}` or `run {...}` block.
+${if (showPos) s"Here: ${freeVar.pos.print}\n" else ""}
+${freeVariablesExplanation(freeVar.name)}
+""".trimLeft
+
+private def freeVariablesMulti(freeVarsUnordered: Seq[Ident]) = {
+  val knowPosVars =
+    freeVarsUnordered.sortByVariant {
+      case value @ Ident.WithPos(_, Pos.Real(file, line, col, _, _)) => (file, line, col)
+    }
+  val unknownPosVars =
+    freeVarsUnordered.sortByVariant {
+      case Ident.WithPos(name, Pos.Synthetic) => name
+    }
+  val allVars = knowPosVars ++ unknownPosVars
+  val free = allVars.map(_.name)
+  val firstVar = free.headOption.getOrElse("x")
+  val locations =
+    if (knowPosVars.nonEmpty) {
+      knowPosVars.map(v => s"  ${v.name} - ${v.pos.print}").mkString("\n") + "\n"
+    } else
+    ""
+
+s"""
+Found the following variables: ${free} that seem to originate outside of a `quote {...}` or `run {...}` block.
+${locations}
+${freeVariablesExplanation(firstVar)}
+""".trimLeft
+
+
+}
+
+private def freeVariablesExplanation(varExample: String) =
+s"""
+Quotes and run blocks cannot use values outside their scope directly (with the exception of inline expressions in Scala 3).
+In order to use runtime values in a quotation, you need to lift them, so instead
+of this `$varExample` do this: `lift($varExample)`.
+Here is a more complete example:
+Instead of this: `def byName(n: String) = quote(query[Person].filter(_.name == n))`
+        Do this: `def byName(n: String) = quote(query[Person].filter(_.name == lift(n)))`
+}
+""".trimLeft
+
+
+}
+// format: on
diff --git a/quill-orientdb/src/test/scala/io/getquill/context/orientdb/OrientDBQuerySpec.scala b/quill-orientdb/src/test/scala/io/getquill/context/orientdb/OrientDBQuerySpec.scala
index 731e5b56b3..b36237d318 100644
--- a/quill-orientdb/src/test/scala/io/getquill/context/orientdb/OrientDBQuerySpec.scala
+++ b/quill-orientdb/src/test/scala/io/getquill/context/orientdb/OrientDBQuerySpec.scala
@@ -215,10 +215,10 @@ class OrientDBQuerySpec extends Spec {
         t.token(e.copy(select = List(x, x), distinct = DistinctKind.Distinct)(Quat.Value))
       ).getMessage mustBe "OrientDB DISTINCT with multiple columns is not supported"
 
-      val tb = TableContext(Entity("tb", Nil, QEP), "x1")
+      val tb = TableContext(Entity("tb", Nil, QEP), Ident.trivial("x1"))
       t.token(e.copy(from = List(tb, tb))(Quat.Value)) mustBe stmt"SELECT * FROM tb"
 
-      val jn = FlatJoinContext(InnerJoin, tb.copy(alias = "x2"), Ident("x"))
+      val jn = FlatJoinContext(InnerJoin, tb.copy(alias = Ident.trivial("x2")), Ident("x"))
       intercept[IllegalStateException](t.token(e.copy(from = List(tb, jn))(Quat.Value)))
 
       t.token(