diff --git a/src/libexpr-tests/primops.cc b/src/libexpr-tests/primops.cc
index 74d676844..2c2adf5d6 100644
--- a/src/libexpr-tests/primops.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr-tests/primops.cc
@@ -771,7 +771,7 @@ TEST_F(PrimOpTest, derivation)
     ASSERT_EQ(v.type(), nFunction);
     ASSERT_TRUE(v.isLambda());
     ASSERT_NE(v.lambda().fun, nullptr);
-    ASSERT_TRUE(v.lambda().fun->hasFormals());
+    ASSERT_TRUE(v.lambda().fun->hasFormals);
 }
 
 TEST_F(PrimOpTest, currentTime)
diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index 7f16ddf8f..ec203a0d9 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -1496,13 +1496,13 @@ void EvalState::callFunction(Value & fun, std::span<Value *> args, Value & vRes,
 
             ExprLambda & lambda(*vCur.lambda().fun);
 
-            auto size = (!lambda.arg ? 0 : 1) + lambda.nFormals;
+            auto size = (!lambda.arg ? 0 : 1) + (lambda.hasFormals ? lambda.getFormals().size() : 0);
             Env & env2(mem.allocEnv(size));
             env2.up = vCur.lambda().env;
 
             Displacement displ = 0;
 
-            if (!lambda.hasFormals())
+            if (!lambda.hasFormals)
                 env2.values[displ++] = args[0];
             else {
                 try {
@@ -1747,7 +1747,7 @@ void EvalState::autoCallFunction(const Bindings & args, Value & fun, Value & res
         }
     }
 
-    if (!fun.isLambda() || !fun.lambda().fun->hasFormals()) {
+    if (!fun.isLambda() || !fun.lambda().fun->hasFormals) {
         res = fun;
         return;
     }
diff --git a/src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/nixexpr.hh b/src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/nixexpr.hh
index 56c378660..fbe8747c8 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/nixexpr.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/include/nix/expr/nixexpr.hh
@@ -490,6 +490,7 @@ struct ExprLambda : Expr
     Symbol arg;
 
     bool ellipsis;
+    bool hasFormals;
     uint16_t nFormals;
     Formal * formalsStart;
 
@@ -501,6 +502,7 @@ struct ExprLambda : Expr
         : pos(pos)
         , arg(arg)
         , ellipsis(formals.ellipsis)
+        , hasFormals(true)
         , nFormals(formals.formals.size())
         , formalsStart(alloc.allocate_object<Formal>(nFormals))
         , body(body)
@@ -511,7 +513,7 @@ struct ExprLambda : Expr
     ExprLambda(std::pmr::polymorphic_allocator<char> & alloc, PosIdx pos, Symbol arg, Expr * body)
         : pos(pos)
         , arg(arg)
-        , nFormals(0)
+        , hasFormals(false)
         , formalsStart(nullptr)
         , body(body) {};
 
@@ -529,11 +531,6 @@ struct ExprLambda : Expr
     void setName(Symbol name) override;
     std::string showNamePos(const EvalState & state) const;
 
-    inline bool hasFormals() const
-    {
-        return nFormals > 0;
-    }
-
     std::vector<Formal> getFormalsLexicographic(const SymbolTable & symbols) const
     {
         std::vector<Formal> result(getFormals().begin(), getFormals().end());
@@ -551,6 +548,7 @@ struct ExprLambda : Expr
 
     std::span<Formal> getFormals() const
     {
+        assert(hasFormals);
         return {formalsStart, nFormals};
     }
 
diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
index 2fadc5e33..ce1ea19e1 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ void ExprList::show(const SymbolTable & symbols, std::ostream & str) const
 void ExprLambda::show(const SymbolTable & symbols, std::ostream & str) const
 {
     str << "(";
-    if (hasFormals()) {
+    if (hasFormals) {
         str << "{ ";
         bool first = true;
         // the natural Symbol ordering is by creation time, which can lead to the
@@ -451,14 +451,14 @@ void ExprLambda::bindVars(EvalState & es, const std::shared_ptr<const StaticEnv>
     if (es.debugRepl)
         es.exprEnvs.insert(std::make_pair(this, env));
 
-    auto newEnv = std::make_shared<StaticEnv>(nullptr, env, nFormals + (!arg ? 0 : 1));
+    auto newEnv = std::make_shared<StaticEnv>(nullptr, env, (hasFormals ? getFormals().size() : 0) + (!arg ? 0 : 1));
 
     Displacement displ = 0;
 
     if (arg)
         newEnv->vars.emplace_back(arg, displ++);
 
-    if (hasFormals()) {
+    if (hasFormals) {
         for (auto & i : getFormals())
             newEnv->vars.emplace_back(i.name, displ++);
 
diff --git a/src/libexpr/primops.cc b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
index 35670f451..d95c999ff 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/primops.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
@@ -3363,7 +3363,7 @@ static void prim_functionArgs(EvalState & state, const PosIdx pos, Value ** args
     if (!args[0]->isLambda())
         state.error<TypeError>("'functionArgs' requires a function").atPos(pos).debugThrow();
 
-    if (!args[0]->lambda().fun->hasFormals()) {
+    if (!args[0]->lambda().fun->hasFormals) {
         v.mkAttrs(&Bindings::emptyBindings);
         return;
     }
diff --git a/src/libexpr/value-to-xml.cc b/src/libexpr/value-to-xml.cc
index 7865e25dc..547597ca4 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/value-to-xml.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/value-to-xml.cc
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ static void printValueAsXML(
             posToXML(state, xmlAttrs, state.positions[v.lambda().fun->pos]);
         XMLOpenElement _(doc, "function", xmlAttrs);
 
-        if (v.lambda().fun->hasFormals()) {
+        if (v.lambda().fun->hasFormals) {
             XMLAttrs attrs;
             if (v.lambda().fun->arg)
                 attrs["name"] = state.symbols[v.lambda().fun->arg];
diff --git a/src/libflake/flake.cc b/src/libflake/flake.cc
index dec39f738..e2fe9805e 100644
--- a/src/libflake/flake.cc
+++ b/src/libflake/flake.cc
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ static Flake readFlake(
     if (auto outputs = vInfo.attrs()->get(sOutputs)) {
         expectType(state, nFunction, *outputs->value, outputs->pos);
 
-        if (outputs->value->isLambda() && outputs->value->lambda().fun->hasFormals()) {
+        if (outputs->value->isLambda() && outputs->value->lambda().fun->hasFormals) {
             for (auto & formal : outputs->value->lambda().fun->getFormals()) {
                 if (formal.name != state.s.self)
                     flake.inputs.emplace(
diff --git a/src/nix/flake.cc b/src/nix/flake.cc
index a7e7d0039..0e499fed4 100644
--- a/src/nix/flake.cc
+++ b/src/nix/flake.cc
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ struct CmdFlakeCheck : FlakeCommand
                 if (!v.isLambda()) {
                     throw Error("overlay is not a function, but %s instead", showType(v));
                 }
-                if (v.lambda().fun->hasFormals() || !argHasName(v.lambda().fun->arg, "final"))
+                if (v.lambda().fun->hasFormals || !argHasName(v.lambda().fun->arg, "final"))
                     throw Error("overlay does not take an argument named 'final'");
                 // FIXME: if we have a 'nixpkgs' input, use it to
                 // evaluate the overlay.
diff --git a/src/nix/nix-build/nix-build.cc b/src/nix/nix-build/nix-build.cc
index f5c7884a9..75bae5208 100644
--- a/src/nix/nix-build/nix-build.cc
+++ b/src/nix/nix-build/nix-build.cc
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ static void main_nix_build(int argc, char ** argv)
                 return false;
             }
             bool add = false;
-            if (v.type() == nFunction && v.lambda().fun->hasFormals()) {
+            if (v.type() == nFunction && v.lambda().fun->hasFormals) {
                 for (auto & i : v.lambda().fun->getFormals()) {
                     if (state->symbols[i.name] == "inNixShell") {
                         add = true;