diff --git a/Source/DelphiAST.pas b/Source/DelphiAST.pas
index a451163..4f8bd86 100644
--- a/Source/DelphiAST.pas
+++ b/Source/DelphiAST.pas
@@ -63,8 +63,12 @@   TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder = class(TmwSimplePasParEx)
     procedure DoOnComment(Sender: TObject; const Text: string);
     function DequoteString(const S: string): string;
     function GetMainSection(Node: TSyntaxNode): TSyntaxNode;
+    procedure PushRootNode(Typ: TSyntaxNodeType);
   protected
     FStack: TNodeStack;
+    //Compiler directives that come before the `unit`/`program`/`library`/`package` keyword,
+    //when there is no root node yet to put them under. PushRootNode adopts them.
+    FLeadingDirectives: TList<TSyntaxNode>;
     FComments: TObjectList<TCommentNode>;
     procedure AccessSpecifier; override;
     procedure AdditiveOperator; override;
@@ -1148,6 +1152,18 @@ function TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.GetMainSection(Node: TSyntaxNode): TSyntaxNode;
   Result:= Node;
 end;
 
+procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.PushRootNode(Typ: TSyntaxNodeType);
+var
+  Node: TSyntaxNode;
+begin
+  FStack.Push(TSyntaxNode.Create(Typ));
+  AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, FStack.Peek);
+  //A directive before the keyword goes where one right after it would: under the root.
+  for Node in FLeadingDirectives do
+    FStack.Peek.AddChild(Node);
+  FLeadingDirectives.Clear;
+end;
+
 procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.CompilerDirective;
 var
   Directive: string;
@@ -1158,11 +1174,19 @@ procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.CompilerDirective;
   Directive:= Uppercase(Lexer.Token);
   //Always place the compiler directive directly under the `ntInterface` or `ntImplementation` node
   //or in the main section in a library, program or package.
-  Root:= GetMainSection(FStack.Peek);
+  //A directive before the `unit` keyword comes before any node exists; hold on to it until
+  //PushRootNode creates the root.
+  if FStack.Count = 0 then
+    Root:= nil
+  else
+    Root:= GetMainSection(FStack.Peek);
   Node:= TValuedSyntaxNode.Create(ntCompilerDirective);
   AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, Node);
   Node.Value:= Directive;
-  Root.AddChild(Node);
+  if Assigned(Root) then
+    Root.AddChild(Node)
+  else
+    FLeadingDirectives.Add(Node);
   //Parse the directive
   if (Directive.StartsWith('(*$')) then begin
     Delete(Directive, 1, 3);
@@ -1367,6 +1391,7 @@ constructor TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.Create;
 begin
   inherited;
   FStack := TNodeStack.Create(Lexer);
+  FLeadingDirectives := TList<TSyntaxNode>.Create;
   FComments := TObjectList<TCommentNode>.Create(True);
   OnComment := DoOnComment;
 end;
@@ -1392,8 +1417,13 @@ function TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.DequoteString(const S: string): string;
 end;
 
 destructor TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.Destroy;
+var
+  Node: TSyntaxNode;
 begin
   FStack.Free;
+  for Node in FLeadingDirectives do
+    Node.Free;
+  FLeadingDirectives.Free;
   FComments.Free;
   inherited;
 end;
@@ -2158,8 +2188,7 @@ procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.LabelId;
 procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.LibraryFile;
 begin
   //Assert(FStack.Peek.ParentNode = nil);
-  FStack.Push(TSyntaxNode.Create(ntLibrary));
-  AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, FStack.Peek);
+  PushRootNode(ntLibrary);
   inherited;
   //Stack.pop is done in `Run`
 end;
@@ -2355,8 +2384,7 @@ procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.OutParameter;
 procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.PackageFile;
 begin
   //Assert(FStack.Peek.ParentNode = nil);
-  FStack.Push(TSyntaxNode.Create(ntPackage));
-  AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, FStack.Peek);
+  PushRootNode(ntPackage);
   inherited;
   //Stack.pop is done in `Run`
 end;
@@ -2451,8 +2479,7 @@ procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.ProcedureProcedureName;
 procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.ProgramFile;
 begin
   //Assert(FStack.Peek.ParentNode = nil);
-  FStack.Push(TSyntaxNode.Create(ntProgram));
-  AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, FStack.Peek);
+  PushRootNode(ntProgram);
   inherited;
   //Stack.pop is done in `Run`
 end;
@@ -2657,10 +2684,15 @@ class function TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.Run(const FileName: string;
 end;
 
 function TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.Run(SourceStream: TStream): TSyntaxNode;
+var
+  Node: TSyntaxNode;
 begin
   Result:= nil;
   try
     FStack.Clear;
+    for Node in FLeadingDirectives do
+      Node.Free;
+    FLeadingDirectives.Clear;
     try
       self.OnMessage := ParserMessage;
       inherited Run('', SourceStream);
@@ -3117,8 +3149,7 @@ procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.UnaryMinus;
 procedure TPasSyntaxTreeBuilder.UnitFile;
 begin
   //Assert(FStack.Peek.ParentNode = nil);
-  FStack.Push(TSyntaxNode.Create(ntUnit));
-  AssignLexerPositionToNode(Lexer, FStack.Peek);
+  PushRootNode(ntUnit);
   inherited;
   //Stack.pop is done in `Run`
 end;
diff --git a/Test/UnitTests/DelphiAST.Tests.pas b/Test/UnitTests/DelphiAST.Tests.pas
index b69a872..910fb4f 100644
--- a/Test/UnitTests/DelphiAST.Tests.pas
+++ b/Test/UnitTests/DelphiAST.Tests.pas
@@ -317,6 +317,26 @@ procedure TestUnicodeStringTypecast;
   end;
 end;
 
+procedure TestDirectiveBeforeUnit;
+var
+  Root: TSyntaxNode;
+begin
+  Root := ParseSource('{$WARN UNIT_PLATFORM OFF}' + sLineBreak + '{$D+}' + sLineBreak +
+    'unit Example; interface implementation end.');
+  try
+    AssertNotNil(Root, 'Missing root');
+    AssertTrue(Root.Typ = ntUnit, 'The root is the unit.');
+    AssertTrue(Root.ChildNodes[0].Typ = ntCompilerDirective, 'First directive under the root.');
+    AssertEquals('WARN', Root.ChildNodes[0].GetAttribute(anType), 'First directive, in source order.');
+    AssertEquals(1, Root.ChildNodes[0].Line, 'First directive line.');
+    AssertTrue(Root.ChildNodes[1].Typ = ntCompilerDirective, 'Second directive under the root.');
+    AssertEquals('D', Root.ChildNodes[1].GetAttribute(anType), 'Second directive, in source order.');
+    AssertNotNil(FindDescendant(Root, ntImplementation), 'The rest of the unit still parses.');
+  finally
+    Root.Free;
+  end;
+end;
+
 procedure TestInvalidSyntax;
 var
   Root: TSyntaxNode;
@@ -397,6 +417,7 @@ procedure RunAllTests;
   RunTest('Node.AttributeRemove', TestAttributeRemove);
   RunTest('AST.RepeatedCallingConvention', TestRepeatedCallingConvention);
   RunTest('AST.UnicodeStringTypecast', TestUnicodeStringTypecast);
+  RunTest('AST.DirectiveBeforeUnit', TestDirectiveBeforeUnit);
   RunTest('Parser.InvalidSyntax', TestInvalidSyntax);
   RunTest('Parser.UnexpectedEndOfFilePosition', TestUnexpectedEndOfFilePosition);
   {$IFNDEF FPC}