diff --git a/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Syntax.lean b/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Syntax.lean
index 1efea57623..45f5c1abaf 100644
--- a/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Syntax.lean
+++ b/src/Init/Lean/Elab/Syntax.lean
@@ -180,26 +180,54 @@ fun stx => do
   trace `Elab stx $ fun _ => d;
   withMacroExpansion stx d $ elabCommand d
 
-def getMacroRulesAltKind (alt : Syntax) : CommandElabM SyntaxNodeKind :=
+def elabMacroRulesAux (k : SyntaxNodeKind) (alts : Array Syntax) : CommandElabM Syntax := do
+alts ← alts.mapSepElemsM $ fun alt => do {
+  let lhs := alt.getArg 0;
+  let pat := lhs.getArg 0;
+  match_syntax pat with
+  | `(`($quot)) =>
+     let k' := quot.getKind;
+     if k' == k then
+       pure alt
+     else if k' == choiceKind then do
+        match quot.getArgs.find? $ fun quotAlt => if quotAlt.getKind == k then some quotAlt else none with
+        | none      => throwError alt ("invalid macro_rules alternative, expected syntax node kind '" ++ k ++ "'")
+        | some quot => do
+          pat ← `(`($quot));
+          let lhs := lhs.setArg 0 pat;
+          pure $ alt.setArg 0 lhs
+     else
+       throwError alt ("invalid macro_rules alternative, unexpected syntax node kind '" ++ k' ++ "'")
+  | stx => throwUnsupportedSyntax
+};
+`(@[macro $(Lean.mkIdent k)] def myMacro : Macro := fun stx => match_syntax stx with $alts:matchAlt* | _ => throw Lean.Macro.Exception.unsupportedSyntax)
+
+def inferMacroRulesAltKind (alt : Syntax) : CommandElabM SyntaxNodeKind :=
 match_syntax (alt.getArg 0).getArg 0 with
 | `(`($quot)) => pure quot.getKind
 | stx         => throwUnsupportedSyntax
 
-def elabMacroRulesAux (alts : Array Syntax) : CommandElabM Syntax := do
-k ← getMacroRulesAltKind (alts.get! 0);
-altsK    ← alts.filterSepElemsM (fun alt => do k' ← getMacroRulesAltKind alt; pure $ k == k');
-altsNotK ← alts.filterSepElemsM (fun alt => do k' ← getMacroRulesAltKind alt; pure $ k != k');
-altsKDef ← `(@[macro $(Lean.mkIdent k)] def myMacro : Macro := fun stx => match_syntax stx with $altsK:matchAlt* | _ => throw Lean.Macro.Exception.unsupportedSyntax);
-if altsNotK.isEmpty then
-  pure altsKDef
-else
-  `($altsKDef:command macro_rules $altsNotK:matchAlt*)
+def elabNoKindMacroRulesAux (alts : Array Syntax) : CommandElabM Syntax := do
+k ← inferMacroRulesAltKind (alts.get! 0);
+if k == choiceKind then
+  throwError (alts.get! 0)
+    "invalid macro_rules alternative, multiple interpretations for first element (solution: specify node kind using `macro_rules [<kind>] ...`)"
+else do
+  altsK    ← alts.filterSepElemsM (fun alt => do k' ← inferMacroRulesAltKind alt; pure $ k == k');
+  altsNotK ← alts.filterSepElemsM (fun alt => do k' ← inferMacroRulesAltKind alt; pure $ k != k');
+  defCmd   ← elabMacroRulesAux k altsK;
+  if altsNotK.isEmpty then
+    pure defCmd
+  else
+    `($defCmd:command macro_rules $altsNotK:matchAlt*)
 
 @[builtinCommandElab «macro_rules»] def elabMacroRules : CommandElab :=
 adaptExpander $ fun stx => match_syntax stx with
-| `(macro_rules $alts:matchAlt*)   => elabMacroRulesAux alts
-| `(macro_rules | $alts:matchAlt*) => elabMacroRulesAux alts
-| _                                => throwUnsupportedSyntax
+| `(macro_rules $alts:matchAlt*)           => elabNoKindMacroRulesAux alts
+| `(macro_rules | $alts:matchAlt*)         => elabNoKindMacroRulesAux alts
+| `(macro_rules [$kind] $alts:matchAlt*)   => elabMacroRulesAux kind.getId alts
+| `(macro_rules [$kind] | $alts:matchAlt*) => elabMacroRulesAux kind.getId alts
+| _                                        => throwUnsupportedSyntax
 
 /- We just ignore Lean3 notation declaration commands. -/
 @[builtinCommandElab «mixfix»] def elabMixfix : CommandElab := fun _ => pure ()
diff --git a/src/Init/LeanInit.lean b/src/Init/LeanInit.lean
index e3f0ce566c..0498c22e75 100644
--- a/src/Init/LeanInit.lean
+++ b/src/Init/LeanInit.lean
@@ -782,4 +782,22 @@ filterSepElemsMAux a p 0 #[]
 def filterSepElems (a : Array Syntax) (p : Syntax → Bool) : Array Syntax :=
 Id.run $ a.filterSepElemsM p
 
+private partial def mapSepElemsMAux {m : Type → Type} [Monad m] (a : Array Syntax) (f : Syntax → m Syntax) : Nat → Array Syntax → m (Array Syntax)
+| i, acc =>
+  if h : i < a.size then do
+    let stx := a.get ⟨i, h⟩;
+    if i % 2 == 0 then do
+      stx ← f stx;
+      mapSepElemsMAux (i+1) (acc.push stx)
+    else
+      mapSepElemsMAux (i+1) (acc.push stx)
+  else
+    pure acc
+
+def mapSepElemsM {m : Type → Type} [Monad m] (a : Array Syntax) (f : Syntax → m Syntax) : m (Array Syntax) :=
+mapSepElemsMAux a f 0 #[]
+
+def mapSepElems (a : Array Syntax) (f : Syntax → Syntax) : Array Syntax :=
+Id.run $ a.mapSepElemsM f
+
 end Array