diff --git a/toolchain/check/testdata/where_expr/designator.carbon b/toolchain/check/testdata/where_expr/designator.carbon
index 79db1d8f6199..6738ec521a9f 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/testdata/where_expr/designator.carbon
+++ b/toolchain/check/testdata/where_expr/designator.carbon
@@ -427,15 +427,7 @@ class C(T: type);
 // CHECK:STDERR:
 alias A(U: type) = C(U);
 
-// CHECK:STDERR: fail_todo_generic_alias_preserves_self.carbon:[[@LINE+8]]:15: error: expected expression [ExpectedExpr]
-// CHECK:STDERR: fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
-// CHECK:STDERR:               ^
-// CHECK:STDERR:
-// CHECK:STDERR: fail_todo_generic_alias_preserves_self.carbon:[[@LINE+4]]:15: error: semantics TODO: `handle invalid parse trees in `check`` [SemanticsTodo]
-// CHECK:STDERR: fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
-// CHECK:STDERR:               ^
-// CHECK:STDERR:
-fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
+fn F(unused T: I where C == A(.Self)) {}
 
 // --- fail_generic_alias_without_self.carbon
 library "[[@TEST_NAME]]";
@@ -453,15 +445,7 @@ alias A(U: type) = C;
 
 // TODO: Once we can write a generic alias, this should become an error because
 // there is no constraint against `.Self`.
-// CHECK:STDERR: fail_generic_alias_without_self.carbon:[[@LINE+8]]:15: error: expected expression [ExpectedExpr]
-// CHECK:STDERR: fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
-// CHECK:STDERR:               ^
-// CHECK:STDERR:
-// CHECK:STDERR: fail_generic_alias_without_self.carbon:[[@LINE+4]]:15: error: semantics TODO: `handle invalid parse trees in `check`` [SemanticsTodo]
-// CHECK:STDERR: fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
-// CHECK:STDERR:               ^
-// CHECK:STDERR:
-fn F(unused T:! I where C == A(.Self)) {}
+fn F(unused T: I where C == A(.Self)) {}
 
 // CHECK:STDOUT: --- success.carbon
 // CHECK:STDOUT:
diff --git a/toolchain/docs/check/README.md b/toolchain/docs/check/README.md
index 959a6eef6bad..57c576ad65d2 100644
--- a/toolchain/docs/check/README.md
+++ b/toolchain/docs/check/README.md
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ you would look for a `struct` definition that uses `"assoc_const_decl"` as its
 `ir_name`. In this case, this is the `AssociatedConstantDecl` instruction:
 
 ```cpp
-// An associated constant declaration in an interface, such as `let T:! type;`.
+// An associated constant declaration in an interface, such as `let T: type;`.
 struct AssociatedConstantDecl {
   static constexpr auto Kind =
       InstKind::AssociatedConstantDecl.Define<Parse::NodeId>(
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ corresponds to the type written between the `:` and the `=`. In the example
 above, that type is `i32`. The other arguments to the instruction are written
 after the `ir_name` -- in this example the `name_id` is `N`. From this we find
 that the instruction corresponds to an associated constant declaration in an
-interface like `let N:! i32;`.
+interface like `let N: i32;`.
 
 In fact, the notation after the `:` records not just the instruction's type, but
 also some information about its category, and the storage argument if it's an
diff --git a/toolchain/docs/check/pattern_matching.md b/toolchain/docs/check/pattern_matching.md
index 9a321ad9411a..4d5863b144dd 100644
--- a/toolchain/docs/check/pattern_matching.md
+++ b/toolchain/docs/check/pattern_matching.md
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ enum by having separate node kinds `IdentifierNameMaybeBeforeSignature` and
 `IdentifierNameNotBeforeSignature`.
 
 If the parameterized name is a name qualifier (such as the first part of
-`Foo(X:! i32).Bar(y: i32)`), the node immediately after it will be the qualifier
+`Foo(X: i32).Bar(y: i32)`), the node immediately after it will be the qualifier
 node. As of this writing, we bifurcate qualifier nodes into
 `NameQualifierWithParams` and `NameQualifierWithoutParams`, much like we do with
 identifier names, but we don't actually use that information, and instead use
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ arguments and parameters).
 For example, consider this function:
 
 ```carbon
-fn F(T:! type, U:! type) -> Core.String;
+fn F(T: type, U: type) -> Core.String;
 ```
 
 The `Call` instruction is a runtime-phase operation, so it notionally runs after
diff --git a/toolchain/lex/testdata/fail_mismatched_brackets.carbon b/toolchain/lex/testdata/fail_mismatched_brackets.carbon
index 80674022ef5a..f5a93f61bb16 100644
--- a/toolchain/lex/testdata/fail_mismatched_brackets.carbon
+++ b/toolchain/lex/testdata/fail_mismatched_brackets.carbon
@@ -402,28 +402,27 @@ fn F() {
 
 // As above for `forall`, which wants a `[` rather than a `(`.
 
-// CHECK:STDERR: fail_missing_open_square_after_forall.carbon:[[@LINE+7]]:21: error: closing symbol without a corresponding opening symbol [UnmatchedClosing]
-// CHECK:STDERR: impl forall T:! type] X as Y {
-// CHECK:STDERR:                     ^
+// CHECK:STDERR: fail_missing_open_square_after_forall.carbon:[[@LINE+7]]:20: error: closing symbol without a corresponding opening symbol [UnmatchedClosing]
+// CHECK:STDERR: impl forall T: type] X as Y {
+// CHECK:STDERR:                    ^
 // CHECK:STDERR: fail_missing_open_square_after_forall.carbon:[[@LINE+4]]:13: note: possibly missing `[` here [PossiblyMissingBracketHere]
-// CHECK:STDERR: impl forall T:! type] X as Y {
+// CHECK:STDERR: impl forall T: type] X as Y {
 // CHECK:STDERR:             ^
 // CHECK:STDERR:
-impl forall T:! type] X as Y {
+impl forall T: type] X as Y {
 // CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  1, kind:               "Impl", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-1]], column:  1, indent: 1, spelling: "impl", has_leading_space: true }
 // CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  2, kind:             "Forall", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-2]], column:  6, indent: 1, spelling: "forall", has_leading_space: true }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  3, kind:  "OpenSquareBracket", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-3]], column: 12, indent: 1, spelling: "[", closing_token: 8, has_leading_space: true, recovery: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  3, kind:  "OpenSquareBracket", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-3]], column: 12, indent: 1, spelling: "[", closing_token: 7, has_leading_space: true, recovery: true }
 // CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  4, kind:         "Identifier", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-4]], column: 13, indent: 1, spelling: "T", identifier: 0 }
 // CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  5, kind:              "Colon", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-5]], column: 14, indent: 1, spelling: ":" }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  6, kind:            "Exclaim", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-6]], column: 15, indent: 1, spelling: "!" }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  7, kind:               "Type", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-7]], column: 17, indent: 1, spelling: "type", has_leading_space: true }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  8, kind: "CloseSquareBracket", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-8]], column: 21, indent: 1, spelling: "]", opening_token: 3 }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  9, kind:         "Identifier", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-9]], column: 23, indent: 1, spelling: "X", identifier: 1, has_leading_space: true }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 10, kind:                 "As", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-10]], column: 25, indent: 1, spelling: "as", has_leading_space: true }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 11, kind:         "Identifier", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-11]], column: 28, indent: 1, spelling: "Y", identifier: 2, has_leading_space: true }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 12, kind:     "OpenCurlyBrace", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-12]], column: 30, indent: 1, spelling: "{", closing_token: 13, has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  6, kind:               "Type", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-6]], column: 16, indent: 1, spelling: "type", has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  7, kind: "CloseSquareBracket", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-7]], column: 20, indent: 1, spelling: "]", opening_token: 3 }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  8, kind:         "Identifier", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-8]], column: 22, indent: 1, spelling: "X", identifier: 1, has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index:  9, kind:                 "As", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-9]], column: 24, indent: 1, spelling: "as", has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 10, kind:         "Identifier", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-10]], column: 27, indent: 1, spelling: "Y", identifier: 2, has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 11, kind:     "OpenCurlyBrace", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-11]], column: 29, indent: 1, spelling: "{", closing_token: 12, has_leading_space: true }
 }
-// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 13, kind:    "CloseCurlyBrace", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-1]], column:  1, indent: 1, spelling: "}", opening_token: 12, has_leading_space: true }
+// CHECK:STDOUT:   - { index: 12, kind:    "CloseCurlyBrace", line: {{ *}}[[@LINE-1]], column:  1, indent: 1, spelling: "}", opening_token: 11, has_leading_space: true }
 
 // --- fail_missing_brace_after_if.carbon
 // CHECK:STDOUT: - filename: fail_missing_brace_after_if.carbon
diff --git a/toolchain/parse/handle_binding_pattern.cpp b/toolchain/parse/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
index a5ef270811ed..73c9cd14a2f3 100644
--- a/toolchain/parse/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/parse/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
@@ -196,6 +196,9 @@ auto HandleBindingPattern(Context& context) -> void {
   // the default would otherwise be generic) is reported by `check` as a
   // misplaced `self` — the relevant error — rather than also producing a
   // `ref`-on-generic error from that default.
+  //
+  // TODO: This is wrong: it rejects `fn F(template self: Self)` and treats
+  // `fn F(generic self: Self)` as being non-generic.
   if (self_token) {
     resolved_generic = false;
   }
diff --git a/toolchain/parse/state.def b/toolchain/parse/state.def
index 31d49121b33c..85d8a67374c0 100644
--- a/toolchain/parse/state.def
+++ b/toolchain/parse/state.def
@@ -1323,7 +1323,7 @@ CARBON_PARSE_STATE(ParenExprFinish)
 // ^
 //   1. UnusedPattern
 //
-//  [identifier|self] [:|:!|:?]
+//  [identifier|self] [:|:?]
 // ^
 //  template <...>
 // ^
@@ -1350,21 +1350,31 @@ CARBON_PARSE_STATE(ExprPattern)
 // TODO: treat `ref` as a unary pattern operator in order to avoid ambiguity
 // with `ref` in expression patterns. See issue #6342.
 //
-// [ref] name: <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~~~~
-// [ref] self: <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~~~~
-// [ref] _: <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~
+// name: <...>        (not contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~~~~
+// _: <...>           (not contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~
+// ref name: <...>    (not contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~~~~~~~~
+// ref _: <...>       (not contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~~~~~
+// runtime [ref] name: <...>
+// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+// runtime [ref] _: <...>
+// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+// [runtime] [ref] self: <...>
+// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 //   1. Expr
 //   2. BindingPatternFinishAsRegular
 //
-// [template] name:! <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-// [template] self:! <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-// [template] _:! <...>
-// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+// name: <...>        (contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~~~~
+// _: <...>           (contextually a generic parameter)
+// ^~
+// template/generic name: <...>
+// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+// template/generic _: <...>
+// ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 //   1. Expr
 //   2. BindingPatternFinishAsGeneric
 //
@@ -1377,6 +1387,10 @@ CARBON_PARSE_STATE(ExprPattern)
 //   1. Expr
 //   2. BindingPatternFinishAsForm
 //
+// [ref] self         (not followed by `:` or `:?`)
+// ^~~~~~~~~~
+//   1. (state done)
+//
 //  <???>
 // ^
 //   1. BindingPatternFinishAsRegular