diff --git a/ark/docs/content/docs/scopes/index.mdx b/ark/docs/content/docs/scopes/index.mdx
index 398f5d1d6..e43f004a6 100644
--- a/ark/docs/content/docs/scopes/index.mdx
+++ b/ark/docs/content/docs/scopes/index.mdx
@@ -199,7 +199,62 @@ Luckily, despite its appearance, the type otherwise behaves as you'd expect- Typ
 
 ### visibility
 
-🚧 Coming soon ™️🚧
+Intermediate aliases can be useful for composing Scoped definitions from aliases. Sometimes, you may not want to expose those aliases externally as `Type`s when your `Scope` is `export`ed.
+
+This can be done using _private_ aliases:
+
+```ts
+const shapeScope = scope({
+	// aliases with a "#" prefix are treated as private
+	"#baseShapeProps": {
+		perimeter: "number",
+		area: "number"
+	},
+	ellipse: {
+		// when referencing a private alias, the "#" should not be included
+		"...": "baseShapeProps",
+		radii: ["number", "number"]
+	},
+	rectangle: {
+		"...": "baseShapeProps",
+		width: "number",
+		height: "number"
+	}
+})
+
+// private aliases can be referenced from any scoped definition,
+// even outside the original scope
+const partialShape = shapeScope.type("Partial<baseShapeProps>")
+
+// when the scope is exported to a Module, they will not be included
+// hover to see the Scope's exports
+const shapeModule = shapeScope.export()
+```
+
+#### `import()`
+
+Private aliases are especially useful for building scopes without polluting them with every alias you might want to reference internally. To facilitate this, Scopes have an `import()` method that behaves identically to `export()` but converts all exported aliases to `private`.
+
+```ts
+const utilityScope = scope({
+	"withId<o extends object>": {
+		"...": "o",
+		id: "string"
+	}
+})
+
+const userModule = type.module({
+	// because we use `import()` here, we can reference our utilities
+	// internally, but they will not be included in `userModule`.
+	// if we used `export()` instead, `withId` could be accessed on `userModule`.
+	...utilityScope.import(),
+	payload: {
+		name: "string",
+		age: "number"
+	},
+	db: "withId<payload>"
+})
+```
 
 ### submodules
 
diff --git a/ark/type/__tests__/imports.test.ts b/ark/type/__tests__/imports.test.ts
index 5692cc5bc..95d45d63f 100644
--- a/ark/type/__tests__/imports.test.ts
+++ b/ark/type/__tests__/imports.test.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ contextualize(() => {
 
 				const exports = imported.export()
 
+				attest(Object.keys(exports)).equals(["a"])
+				attest(exports.a.expression).snap('"no" | "yes" | 3 | 60 | true')
+
 				attest<Module<{ a: 3 | 60 | "no" | "yes" | true }>>(exports)
 			})
 
@@ -83,6 +86,71 @@ contextualize(() => {
 		}
 	)
 
+	it("docs example", () => {
+		const shapeScope = scope({
+			// aliases with a "#" prefix are treated as private
+			"#baseShapeProps": {
+				perimeter: "number",
+				area: "number"
+			},
+			ellipse: {
+				// when referencing a private alias, the "#" should not be included
+				"...": "baseShapeProps",
+				radii: ["number", "number"]
+			},
+			rectangle: {
+				"...": "baseShapeProps",
+				width: "number",
+				height: "number"
+			}
+		})
+
+		// private aliases can be referenced from any scoped definition,
+		// even outside the original scope
+		const partialShape = shapeScope.type("Partial<baseShapeProps>")
+
+		attest<{
+			perimeter?: number
+			area?: number
+		}>(partialShape.t)
+		attest<typeof shapeScope>(partialShape.$)
+
+		attest(partialShape.expression).snap(
+			"{ area?: number, perimeter?: number }"
+		)
+
+		// when the scope is exported to a Module, they will not be included
+		// hover to see the Scope's exports
+		const shapeModule = shapeScope.export()
+
+		attest(Object.keys(shapeModule)).equals(["ellipse", "rectangle"])
+		attest(shapeModule).type.toString.snap()
+	})
+
+	it("docs import example", () => {
+		const utilityScope = scope({
+			"withId<o extends object>": {
+				"...": "o",
+				id: "string"
+			}
+		})
+
+		const userModule = type.module({
+			// because we use `import()` here, we can reference our utilities
+			// internally, but they will not be included in `userModule`.
+			// if we used `export()` instead, `withId` could be accessed on `userModule`.
+			...utilityScope.import(),
+			payload: {
+				name: "string",
+				age: "number"
+			},
+			db: "withId<payload>"
+		})
+
+		attest(Object.keys(userModule)).equals(["payload", "db"])
+		attest(userModule).type.toString.snap()
+	})
+
 	it("binds destructured exports", () => {
 		const types = scope({
 			foo: "1",
diff --git a/ark/type/__tests__/objects/merge.test.ts b/ark/type/__tests__/objects/merge.test.ts
index bfdf1bcbd..906536a42 100644
--- a/ark/type/__tests__/objects/merge.test.ts
+++ b/ark/type/__tests__/objects/merge.test.ts
@@ -96,4 +96,37 @@ contextualize(() => {
 			]
 		})
 	})
+
+	it("object keyword treated as empty", () => {
+		const t = type({
+			"...": "object",
+			foo: "string"
+		})
+
+		attest<{
+			foo: string
+		}>(t.t)
+		attest(t.expression).snap()
+	})
+
+	it("narrowed object keyword treated as empty", () => {
+		const t = type({
+			"...": type.object.narrow(() => true),
+			foo: "string"
+		})
+
+		attest<{
+			foo: string
+		}>(t.t)
+		attest(t.expression).snap("{ foo: string }")
+	})
+
+	it("errors on proto node", () => {
+		attest(() =>
+			type({
+				"...": "Date",
+				foo: "string"
+			})
+		).throws(writeInvalidSpreadTypeMessage("Date"))
+	})
 })
diff --git a/ark/type/parser/objectLiteral.ts b/ark/type/parser/objectLiteral.ts
index fd82f59fa..d23ed7ec6 100644
--- a/ark/type/parser/objectLiteral.ts
+++ b/ark/type/parser/objectLiteral.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {
+	intrinsic,
 	normalizeIndex,
 	type BaseParseContext,
 	type BaseRoot,
@@ -57,7 +58,13 @@ export const parseObjectLiteral = (
 			if (!isEmptyObject(structure))
 				return throwParseError(nonLeadingSpreadError)
 			const operand = ctx.$.parseOwnDefinitionFormat(v, ctx)
-			if (!operand.hasKind("intersection") || !operand.structure) {
+			// treat object domain as empty for spreading (useful for generic constraints)
+			if (operand.equals(intrinsic.object)) continue
+			if (
+				!operand.hasKind("intersection") ||
+				// still error on attempts to spread proto nodes like ...Date
+				!operand.basis?.equals(intrinsic.object)
+			) {
 				return throwParseError(
 					writeInvalidSpreadTypeMessage(operand.expression)
 				)