diff --git a/src/Token.cpp b/src/Token.cpp
index 586585b..c3a3524 100644
--- a/src/Token.cpp
+++ b/src/Token.cpp
@@ -330,6 +330,9 @@ bool Token::processOperand( const Operand* operand, bool newSyntax, Token::Argum
 							{
 								if( 1 != countFields( fields ) )
 									match = false;
+
+								if( hasModifier( WCOMP, modifiers ) && (W != fields) )
+									match = false;
 							}
 							else if( hasModifier( DEST, modifiers ) )
 							{
@@ -367,9 +370,12 @@ bool Token::processOperand( const Operand* operand, bool newSyntax, Token::Argum
 
 						(*i).setFields( fields );
 
-						// if flag hasn't been specified, fail
+						// if flag hasn't been specified, fail (a W component
+						// defaults to W instead)
 
-						if( hasModifier( FLAG, modifiers ) )
+						if( hasModifier( WCOMP, modifiers ) )
+							(*i).setFields( W );
+						else if( hasModifier( FLAG, modifiers ) )
 							match = false;
 
 						if( hasModifier( BROADCAST, modifiers ) && !activeBroadcast )
@@ -547,8 +553,9 @@ unsigned int Token::extractModifiers( const std::string& list )
 		else if( name == "bc" )
 			modifiers |= (1<<BROADCAST);
 		else if( name == "wcomp" )
-			// treat 'wcomp' like a single-component selector requirement
-			modifiers |= (1<<FLAG);
+			// a single-component selector that can only be W, and that
+			// defaults to W when the operand has no field (as SCE VCL does)
+			modifiers |= (1<<FLAG)|(1<<WCOMP);
 		else if( name == "noalias" )
 			modifiers |= (1<<NOALIAS);
 		else if( name == "write" )
diff --git a/src/Token.h b/src/Token.h
index ba4e871..1e8d1ba 100644
--- a/src/Token.h
+++ b/src/Token.h
@@ -156,7 +156,8 @@ class Token
 		EVALUATE,
 		ROTATE,
 		RAW,
-		RANGE     // operand template accepts a register-range (e.g. vf01-vf04)
+		RANGE,    // operand template accepts a register-range (e.g. vf01-vf04)
+		WCOMP     // operand is a W component (CLIPw's second operand): [w] or no field
 	};
 
 	enum
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 7e7b7b2..e1a162b 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ set(OPENVCL_TEST_SOURCES
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_cli.cpp
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_init_vf_range.cpp
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_clip_validation.cpp
+    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_clip_implicit_w.cpp
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_loi_hex.cpp
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_parser_families.cpp
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/integration/test_instruction_info_dump.cpp
diff --git a/test/integration/test_clip_implicit_w.cpp b/test/integration/test_clip_implicit_w.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e14707
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/test_clip_implicit_w.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// Regression tests: CLIPw's second operand is always the W component.
+//
+// SCE VCL accepts `clipw.xyz a, b` and reads b's W, the only component the
+// instruction can encode.  openvcl required an explicit `b[w]`, so sources
+// written for SCE VCL failed with "Invalid argument" (9 of the Tyra engine's
+// 15 microprograms do this).  The bare form must now compile to exactly the
+// same instruction as `b[w]`, and a field other than W, which dvp-as would
+// reject, is still an error.
+
+#include "test_harness.h"
+#include "openvcl_runner.h"
+
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace
+{
+    std::string program(const std::string& clip)
+    {
+        return
+            "\t.init_vf_all\n"
+            "\t.init_vi_all\n"
+            "\t.syntax new\n"
+            "\t.name vsmClipImplicitW\n"
+            "\t--enter\n"
+            "\t--endenter\n"
+            "\tlq fA, 1(vi00)\n"
+            "\t" + clip + "\n"
+            "\tfcand vi01, 0x3f\n"
+            "\tisw.x vi01, 2(vi00)\n"
+            "\t--exit\n"
+            "\t--endexit\n";
+    }
+
+    ::test::RunResult compile(const std::string& clip)
+    {
+        std::vector<std::string> args;
+        args.push_back("-o");
+        args.push_back("-");
+        return ::test::run_openvcl(args, program(clip));
+    }
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("openvcl: clipw without a field reads the W component")
+{
+    ::test::RunResult bare = compile("clipw.xyz fA, fA");
+    ::test::RunResult explicitW = compile("clipw.xyz fA, fA[w]");
+
+    CHECK(bare.exit_code == 0);
+    CHECK(explicitW.exit_code == 0);
+    CHECK(bare.stdout_data.find("clipw.xyz VF01, VF01w") != std::string::npos);
+    CHECK(bare.stdout_data == explicitW.stdout_data);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("openvcl: clipw without a dest field or a source field is .xyz and W")
+{
+    ::test::RunResult bare = compile("clipw fA, fA");
+
+    CHECK(bare.exit_code == 0);
+    CHECK(bare.stdout_data.find("clipw.xyz VF01, VF01w") != std::string::npos);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("openvcl: clipw rejects a source field other than W")
+{
+    ::test::RunResult r = compile("clipw.xyz fA, fA[x]");
+
+    CHECK(r.exit_code != 0);
+    CHECK(r.stderr_data.find("Invalid argument") != std::string::npos);
+}