diff --git a/lib/tokenize.cpp b/lib/tokenize.cpp
index 825752e1e..021240b35 100644
--- a/lib/tokenize.cpp
+++ b/lib/tokenize.cpp
@@ -2804,10 +2804,12 @@ std::string Tokenizer::getNameForFunctionParams(const Token *start)
 }
 
 
-static bool setVarIdParseDeclaration(const Token **tok, const std::map<std::string,unsigned int> &variableId)
+static bool setVarIdParseDeclaration(const Token **tok, const std::map<std::string,unsigned int> &variableId, bool executableScope)
 {
     const Token *tok2 = *tok;
 
+    bool ref = false;
+
     if (!tok2->isName())
         return false;
 
@@ -2840,15 +2842,22 @@ static bool setVarIdParseDeclaration(const Token **tok, const std::map<std::stri
             }
             if (bad || !tok2)
                 break;
-        } else if (tok2->str() != "*" && tok2->str() != "&" && tok2->str() != "::") {
+        } else if (tok2->str() == "&") {
+            ref = true;
+        } else if (tok2->str() != "*" && tok2->str() != "::") {
             break;
         }
         tok2 = tok2->next();
     }
 
-    if (tok2)
+    if (tok2) {
         *tok = tok2;
 
+        // In executable scopes, references must be assigned
+        if (executableScope && ref && tok2->str() != "=")
+            return false;
+    }
+
     return bool(typeCount >= 2 && tok2 && Token::Match(tok2->tokAt(-2), "!!:: %type%"));
 }
 
@@ -2902,7 +2911,7 @@ void Tokenizer::setVarIdNew()
             if (tok2->str() == "return")
                 continue;
 
-            const bool decl = setVarIdParseDeclaration(&tok2, variableId);
+            const bool decl = setVarIdParseDeclaration(&tok2, variableId, executableScope.top());
 
             if (decl && Token::Match(tok2->previous(), "%type% [;[=,)]")) {
                 variableId[tok2->previous()->str()] = ++_varId;
@@ -2911,7 +2920,7 @@ void Tokenizer::setVarIdNew()
 
             else if (decl && Token::Match(tok2->previous(), "%type% ( !!)")) {
                 const Token *tok3 = tok2->next();
-                if (!setVarIdParseDeclaration(&tok3,variableId)) {
+                if (!setVarIdParseDeclaration(&tok3,variableId,executableScope.top())) {
                     variableId[tok2->previous()->str()] = ++_varId;
                     tok = tok2->previous();
                 }
diff --git a/test/testtokenize.cpp b/test/testtokenize.cpp
index 43ac86217..077c3baa3 100644
--- a/test/testtokenize.cpp
+++ b/test/testtokenize.cpp
@@ -3213,7 +3213,7 @@ private:
             const std::string code = "static int const SZ = 22;\n";
             ASSERT_EQUALS("\n\n##file 0\n"
                           "1: static int const SZ@1 = 22 ;\n",
-                          tokenizeDebugListing(code));
+                          tokenizeDebugListing(code, false, "test.c"));
         }
     }
 
@@ -3255,7 +3255,7 @@ private:
         const std::string code("int main(int flag) { if(a & flag) { return 1; } }");
         ASSERT_EQUALS("\n\n##file 0\n"
                       "1: int main ( int flag@1 ) { if ( a & flag@1 ) { return 1 ; } }\n",
-                      tokenizeDebugListing(code));
+                      tokenizeDebugListing(code, false, "test.c"));
     }
 
     void varid44() {
@@ -3275,7 +3275,7 @@ private:
                                    "2: int x@1 ;\n"
                                    "3: x@1 = a ( y * x@1 , 10 ) ;\n"
                                    "4: }\n");
-        ASSERT_EQUALS(expected, tokenizeDebugListing(code));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(expected, tokenizeDebugListing(code, false, "test.c"));
     }
 
     void varidFunctionCall2() {