diff --git a/lib/cmock_header_parser.rb b/lib/cmock_header_parser.rb
index e212a49..36b7779 100644
--- a/lib/cmock_header_parser.rb
+++ b/lib/cmock_header_parser.rb
@@ -259,6 +259,17 @@ class CMockHeaderParser
     source.gsub!(/(\W)(?:static)(\W)/, '\1\2') unless cpp
 
     source.gsub!(/\s*=\s*['"a-zA-Z0-9_.]+\s*/, '') # remove default value statements from argument lists
+
+    # strip macro decorator patterns that cannot be C function prototypes.
+    # must run after default-value removal so "= \"str\"" doesn't trigger string detection.
+    # neutralize string literals (never valid in C prototype args), eliminating any parentheses
+    # inside string content (e.g. "msg()") that would fool subsequent brace-matching.
+    source.gsub!(/"[^"]*"/, '""')
+    # strip WORD("") -- any call with a string literal arg cannot be a C function prototype
+    source.gsub!(/\b\w+\s*\([^)]*""[^)]*\)/, '')
+    # strip WORD(N...) -- any call whose first arg starts with a digit cannot be a C prototype
+    source.gsub!(/\b\w+\s*\(\s*\d[^)]*\)/, '')
+
     source.gsub!(/^(?:[\w\s]*\W)?typedef\W[^;]*/m, '')                                     # remove typedef statements
     source.gsub!(/\)(\w)/, ') \1')                                                         # add space between parenthese and alphanumeric
     source.gsub!(/(^|\W+)(?:#{@c_strippables.join('|')})(?=$|\W+)/, '\1') unless @c_strippables.empty? # remove known attributes slated to be stripped
@@ -636,6 +647,7 @@ class CMockHeaderParser
 
     rettype = parsed[:type]
     rettype = 'void' if @local_as_void.include?(rettype.strip)
+    rettype = 'void' if rettype.empty? && !(@standards + @local_as_void).include?(parsed[:name]) # all return-type tokens were stripped (e.g. bare decorator macros)
     retstr = parsed[:const_ptr?] ? "#{rettype} const" : rettype
     decl[:return] = { :type       => rettype,
                       :name       => 'cmock_to_return',
diff --git a/test/system/test_compilation/config.yml b/test/system/test_compilation/config.yml
index b285415..00d93fe 100644
--- a/test/system/test_compilation/config.yml
+++ b/test/system/test_compilation/config.yml
@@ -15,3 +15,6 @@
   :treat_as_void:
   - OSEK_TASK
   - VOID_TYPE_CRAZINESS
+  :strippables:
+  - SAMPLE_EXTERN
+  - SAMPLE_MODE
diff --git a/test/system/test_compilation/parsing.h b/test/system/test_compilation/parsing.h
index 540ca53..8f1c0b0 100644
--- a/test/system/test_compilation/parsing.h
+++ b/test/system/test_compilation/parsing.h
@@ -116,3 +116,14 @@ inline int stuff(int num)
 #define FOO_TYPE(a) foo_##a
 struct FOO_TYPE(bar) { int baz; };
 char b(void);
+
+/* Here are more macros that sorta look like functions. Only sample_func is real */
+#define SAMPLE_EXTERN
+#define SAMPLE_MODE
+#define SAMPLE_DEPRECATED(a,b)
+struct struct_a;
+struct struct_b;
+SAMPLE_EXTERN SAMPLE_MODE SAMPLE_DEPRECATED(1.1.2, "It was bad. real bad()")
+void sample_func(struct struct_a **a,
+            struct struct_b **b,
+            ...);