diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
index 4e923ac89..6f6acb074 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
@@ -367,15 +367,19 @@ struct StaticEnv
 
     void sort()
     {
-        std::sort(vars.begin(), vars.end(),
+        std::stable_sort(vars.begin(), vars.end(),
             [](const Vars::value_type & a, const Vars::value_type & b) { return a.first < b.first; });
     }
 
     void deduplicate()
     {
-        const auto last = std::unique(vars.begin(), vars.end(),
-            [] (const Vars::value_type & a, const Vars::value_type & b) { return a.first == b.first; });
-        vars.erase(last, vars.end());
+        auto it = vars.begin(), jt = it, end = vars.end();
+        while (jt != end) {
+            *it = *jt++;
+            while (jt != end && it->first == jt->first) *it = *jt++;
+            it++;
+        }
+        vars.erase(it, end);
     }
 
     Vars::const_iterator find(const Symbol & name) const
diff --git a/tests/repl.sh b/tests/repl.sh
index 0e23a98db..6505f1741 100644
--- a/tests/repl.sh
+++ b/tests/repl.sh
@@ -40,3 +40,26 @@ testRepl () {
 testRepl
 # Same thing (kind-of), but with a remote store.
 testRepl --store "$TEST_ROOT/store?real=$NIX_STORE_DIR"
+
+testReplResponse () {
+    local response="$(nix repl <<< "$1")"
+    echo "$response" | grep -qs "$2" \
+      || fail "repl command set:
+
+$1
+
+does not respond with:
+
+$2
+
+but with:
+
+$response"
+}
+
+# :a uses the newest version of a symbol
+testReplResponse '
+:a { a = "1"; }
+:a { a = "2"; }
+"result: ${a}"
+' "result: 2"