diff --git a/changes/unreleased/chain-declarations-memo.changed.md b/changes/unreleased/chain-declarations-memo.changed.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..43d8ca0b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/unreleased/chain-declarations-memo.changed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- The runtime resolves the declarations a feature chain's segments name once per model and base feature instead of on every evaluation, and noting them for a chain no longer allocates a restore closure. A calc whose loop assigns four attributes from a calc usage's outputs allocates 800 fewer times per hundred steps (8 556 vs 9 356; 8 541 before feature values were held by feature rather than by name), 971 987 bytes instead of 1 000 812 (922 360 before).
diff --git a/internal/exec/runtime/chain_declarations_memo_test.go b/internal/exec/runtime/chain_declarations_memo_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c5bd9d9f0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/exec/runtime/chain_declarations_memo_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package runtime
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/Open-MBEE/OpenSysML/internal/syntax/ast"
+)
+
+const chainDeclarationsModel = `package test {
+	part def Panel { attribute area : ScalarValues::Real; }
+	part def Rig { part panel : Panel; }
+	part rig : Rig;
+}`
+
+// chainNoteAllocs is what noting the declarations of one nested chain n times
+// allocates beyond flattening it, as a loop re-evaluating the chain does both.
+func chainNoteAllocs(t *testing.T, n int) (float64, int) {
+	t.Helper()
+	ctx, idx := libraryShapeContext(t, chainDeclarationsModel)
+	ec := newEvalContext(ctx, lookupOne(t, idx, "test").Scope)
+	chain, ok := parseExpr(t, "rig.panel.area").(*ast.FeatureChainExpr)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("rig.panel.area did not parse as a feature chain")
+	}
+	if _, nested := chain.Operand.(*ast.FeatureChainExpr); !nested {
+		t.Fatal("rig.panel.area did not parse as a nested chain")
+	}
+	base, parts := ast.FeatureChainBase(chain)
+	if decls := ec.chainDeclarations(chain, base, parts); len(decls) != 2 || decls[0] != lookupOne(t, idx, "test::Rig::panel") || decls[1] != lookupOne(t, idx, "test::Panel::area") {
+		t.Fatalf("chainDeclarations(rig, panel.area) = %v, want Rig::panel and Panel::area", decls)
+	}
+	flatten := testing.AllocsPerRun(20, func() {
+		for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+			ast.FeatureChainBase(chain)
+		}
+	})
+	note := testing.AllocsPerRun(20, func() {
+		for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+			base, parts := ast.FeatureChainBase(chain)
+			ec.restoreChain(ec.noteChainMembers(chain, base, parts))
+		}
+	})
+	return note - flatten, len(ctx.model.chainDeclarations)
+}
+
+// The declarations a chain's segments name are resolved once per model and chain
+// expression, however often the nested chain is flattened afresh: noting them for
+// twice the evaluations allocates no more, and the memo holds one entry.
+func TestChainDeclarationsAreResolvedOncePerModel(t *testing.T) {
+	small, _ := chainNoteAllocs(t, 50)
+	large, entries := chainNoteAllocs(t, 100)
+	t.Logf("50 notes allocate %.0f objects beyond flattening, 100 notes %.0f; %d memo entries", small, large, entries)
+	if large > small {
+		t.Errorf("100 chain evaluations allocate %.0f objects beyond flattening, 50 allocate %.0f: the segments are re-resolved per evaluation", large, small)
+	}
+	if entries != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("memo holds %d entries for one chain expression, want 1", entries)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/exec/runtime/chain_member_slot.go b/internal/exec/runtime/chain_member_slot.go
index 8f66649d55..c005c1df79 100644
--- a/internal/exec/runtime/chain_member_slot.go
+++ b/internal/exec/runtime/chain_member_slot.go
@@ -24,20 +24,43 @@ type chainStatic struct {
 }
 
 // noteChainMembers records the declarations a chain's segments name for the
-// reads of its parts, and returns the restore of what was recorded before.
-func (ec *EvalContext) noteChainMembers(base ast.Node, parts []ast.NameSegment) func() {
+// reads of its parts, and returns what was recorded before for restoreChain.
+func (ec *EvalContext) noteChainMembers(chain *ast.FeatureChainExpr, base ast.Node, parts []ast.NameSegment) chainStatic {
 	previous := ec.chain
-	ec.chain = chainStatic{parts: parts, decls: ec.chainDeclarations(base, parts)}
-	return func() { ec.chain = previous }
+	ec.chain = chainStatic{parts: parts, decls: ec.chainDeclarations(chain, base, parts)}
+	return previous
+}
+
+// restoreChain records previous again once the chain it was noted for is evaluated.
+func (ec *EvalContext) restoreChain(previous chainStatic) {
+	ec.chain = previous
+}
+
+// chainDeclarationsKey identifies the declarations one chain expression's
+// segments name from one base feature or type; the chain node is immutable AST.
+type chainDeclarationsKey struct {
+	base  *symbols.Symbol
+	chain *ast.FeatureChainExpr
 }
 
 // chainDeclarations resolves each segment in the namespace of the one before
 // it, from the feature or cast type the base names; nil when the base names none.
-func (ec *EvalContext) chainDeclarations(base ast.Node, parts []ast.NameSegment) []*symbols.Symbol {
+// The resolution is memoized per model, so a chain a loop re-evaluates reads it.
+func (ec *EvalContext) chainDeclarations(chain *ast.FeatureChainExpr, base ast.Node, parts []ast.NameSegment) []*symbols.Symbol {
 	cur, ok := ec.chainBaseSymbol(base)
-	if !ok {
+	if !ok || len(parts) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
+	key := chainDeclarationsKey{base: cur, chain: chain}
+	if decls, ok := ec.ctx.model.chainDeclarations[key]; ok {
+		return decls
+	}
+	decls := ec.resolveChainDeclarations(cur, parts)
+	ec.ctx.model.chainDeclarations[key] = decls
+	return decls
+}
+
+func (ec *EvalContext) resolveChainDeclarations(cur *symbols.Symbol, parts []ast.NameSegment) []*symbols.Symbol {
 	decls := make([]*symbols.Symbol, len(parts))
 	for i := range parts {
 		decl, found := ec.ctx.declaredMember(cur, parts[i].Text)
diff --git a/internal/exec/runtime/eval.go b/internal/exec/runtime/eval.go
index 036f40ff5e..1ccf9a68c9 100644
--- a/internal/exec/runtime/eval.go
+++ b/internal/exec/runtime/eval.go
@@ -1574,7 +1574,7 @@ func (ec *EvalContext) evalFeatureChain(n *ast.FeatureChainExpr) (Value, error)
 		return Value{}, fmt.Errorf("empty member chain")
 	}
 	base, parts := ast.FeatureChainBase(n)
-	defer ec.noteChainMembers(base, parts)()
+	defer ec.restoreChain(ec.noteChainMembers(n, base, parts))
 
 	// A chain's members resolve in the namespace of the feature before them, where
 	// a redefined feature is not inherited under its name (KerML §7.3.4.5).
diff --git a/internal/exec/runtime/model.go b/internal/exec/runtime/model.go
index beceae7220..8025790026 100644
--- a/internal/exec/runtime/model.go
+++ b/internal/exec/runtime/model.go
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ type Model struct {
 	// redefined memoizes, per feature of a type, the features it redefines
 	// transitively; callers read the shared slice and never append to it.
 	redefined map[featureOfType][]*symbols.Symbol
+	// chainDeclarations memoizes the declarations a chain expression's segments name per base.
+	chainDeclarations map[chainDeclarationsKey][]*symbols.Symbol
 
 	// writeTargets memoizes the declaration an assignment's target names, per
 	// scope the statement was written in: what a value written must conform to.
@@ -248,6 +250,7 @@ func NewModel(sem *semantics.Model, resolver *resolve.Resolver) *Model {
 		holders:             make(map[*symbols.Symbol]map[string][]string),
 		returnedParams:      make(map[*calcShape]*returnedAnalysis),
 		redefined:           make(map[featureOfType][]*symbols.Symbol),
+		chainDeclarations:   make(map[chainDeclarationsKey][]*symbols.Symbol),
 		writeTargets:        make(map[writeTargetKey]*writeTarget),
 		calcShapes:          make(map[*symbols.Symbol]*calcShape),
 		predicateShapes:     make(map[*symbols.Symbol]*calcShape),