diff --git a/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml b/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
index c98b3ca259..7995edf2a9 100644
--- a/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
+++ b/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
@@ -3057,9 +3057,12 @@ sections:
           Note that `nth(n; expr)` doesn't support negative values of `n`.
 
         examples:
-          - program: '[first(range(.)), last(range(.)), nth(./2; range(.))]'
+          - program: '[first(range(.)), last(range(.)), nth(5; range(.))]'
             input: '10'
             output: ['[0,9,5]']
+          - program: '[first(empty), last(empty), nth(5; empty)]'
+            input: 'null'
+            output: ['[]']
 
       - title: "`first`, `last`, `nth(n)`"
         body: |
diff --git a/jq.1.prebuilt b/jq.1.prebuilt
index 1d1424f68d..a263a6eeab 100644
--- a/jq.1.prebuilt
+++ b/jq.1.prebuilt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 .
-.TH "JQ" "1" "August 2024" "" ""
+.TH "JQ" "1" "September 2024" "" ""
 .
 .SH "NAME"
 \fBjq\fR \- Command\-line JSON processor
@@ -3460,9 +3460,13 @@ The \fBnth(n; expr)\fR function extracts the nth value output by \fBexpr\fR\. No
 .
 .nf
 
-jq \'[first(range(\.)), last(range(\.)), nth(\./2; range(\.))]\'
+jq \'[first(range(\.)), last(range(\.)), nth(5; range(\.))]\'
    10
 => [0,9,5]
+
+jq \'[first(empty), last(empty), nth(5; empty)]\'
+   null
+=> []
 .
 .fi
 .
diff --git a/src/builtin.c b/src/builtin.c
index da4a770fac..c33dfe5bdd 100644
--- a/src/builtin.c
+++ b/src/builtin.c
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@ void *alloca (size_t);
 #include "locfile.h"
 #include "jv_unicode.h"
 #include "jv_alloc.h"
-#include "jv_dtoa.h"
-#include "jv_dtoa_tsd.h"
 #include "jv_private.h"
-#include "util.h"
 
 
 #define BINOP(name) \
@@ -1879,6 +1876,32 @@ BINOPS
 #undef LIBM_DD
 #undef LIBM_DA
 
+// This is a hack to make last(empty) yield no output values without using boxing.
+static block gen_last_1() {
+  block last_var = gen_op_var_fresh(STOREV, "last");
+  block is_empty_var = gen_op_var_fresh(STOREV, "is_empty");
+  block init = BLOCK(gen_op_simple(DUP),
+                     gen_const(jv_null()),
+                     last_var,
+                     gen_op_simple(DUP),
+                     gen_const(jv_true()),
+                     is_empty_var);
+  block call_arg = BLOCK(gen_call("arg", gen_noop()),
+                         gen_op_simple(DUP),
+                         gen_op_bound(STOREV, last_var),
+                         gen_const(jv_false()),
+                         gen_op_bound(STOREV, is_empty_var),
+                         gen_op_simple(BACKTRACK));
+  block if_empty = gen_op_simple(BACKTRACK);
+  return BLOCK(init,
+               gen_op_target(FORK, call_arg),
+               call_arg,
+               BLOCK(gen_op_bound(LOADVN, is_empty_var),
+                     gen_op_target(JUMP_F, if_empty),
+                     if_empty,
+                     gen_op_bound(LOADVN, last_var)));
+}
+
 struct bytecoded_builtin { const char* name; block code; };
 static block bind_bytecoded_builtins(block b) {
   block builtins = gen_noop();
@@ -1895,6 +1918,7 @@ static block bind_bytecoded_builtins(block b) {
   }
   {
     struct bytecoded_builtin builtin_def_1arg[] = {
+      {"last", gen_last_1()},
       {"path", BLOCK(gen_op_simple(PATH_BEGIN),
                      gen_call("arg", gen_noop()),
                      gen_op_simple(PATH_END))},
diff --git a/src/builtin.jq b/src/builtin.jq
index aa33cd4b75..385098f96d 100644
--- a/src/builtin.jq
+++ b/src/builtin.jq
@@ -166,7 +166,6 @@ def all(condition): all(.[]; condition);
 def any(condition): any(.[]; condition);
 def all: all(.[]; .);
 def any: any(.[]; .);
-def last(g): reduce g as $item (null; $item);
 def nth($n; g):
   if $n < 0 then error("nth doesn't support negative indices")
   else label $out | foreach g as $item ($n + 1; . - 1; if . <= 0 then $item, break $out else empty end) end;
diff --git a/tests/jq.test b/tests/jq.test
index 446ee36952..5542ba5aca 100644
--- a/tests/jq.test
+++ b/tests/jq.test
@@ -338,6 +338,10 @@ null
 10
 [0,9]
 
+[first(range(.)), last(range(.))]
+0
+[]
+
 [nth(0,5,9,10,15; range(.)), try nth(-1; range(.)) catch .]
 10
 [0,5,9,"nth doesn't support negative indices"]
diff --git a/tests/man.test b/tests/man.test
index 6c5eba390a..faae1861cc 100644
--- a/tests/man.test
+++ b/tests/man.test
@@ -877,10 +877,14 @@ false
 [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
 [0,1,2]
 
-[first(range(.)), last(range(.)), nth(./2; range(.))]
+[first(range(.)), last(range(.)), nth(5; range(.))]
 10
 [0,9,5]
 
+[first(empty), last(empty), nth(5; empty)]
+null
+[]
+
 [range(.)]|[first, last, nth(5)]
 10
 [0,9,5]