diff --git a/theories/proofmode/spec_patterns.v b/theories/proofmode/spec_patterns.v
index 16d5d6f05c69904d7df19e3b33c4dfd08b08a552..8c1d836d3d1d6892734aea8eba1b70faae9b057c 100644
--- a/theories/proofmode/spec_patterns.v
+++ b/theories/proofmode/spec_patterns.v
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ Inductive spec_pat :=
   | SGoal : spec_goal → spec_pat
   | SGoalPersistent : spec_pat
   | SGoalPure : spec_pat
-  | SName : string → spec_pat.
+  | SName : string → spec_pat
+  | SForall : spec_pat.
 
 Module spec_pat.
 Inductive token :=
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ Inductive token :=
   | TBracketR : token
   | TPersistent : token
   | TPure : token
+  | TForall : token
   | TModal : token
   | TFrame : token.
 
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ Fixpoint tokenize_go (s : string) (k : list token) (kn : string) : list token :=
   | String "]" s => tokenize_go s (TBracketR :: cons_name kn k) ""
   | String "#" s => tokenize_go s (TPersistent :: cons_name kn k) ""
   | String "%" s => tokenize_go s (TPure :: cons_name kn k) ""
+  | String "*" s => tokenize_go s (TForall :: cons_name kn k) ""
   | String ">" s => tokenize_go s (TModal :: cons_name kn k) ""
   | String "$" s => tokenize_go s (TFrame :: cons_name kn k) ""
   | String a s =>
@@ -57,6 +60,7 @@ Fixpoint parse_go (ts : list token) (k : list spec_pat) : option (list spec_pat)
   | TBracketL :: ts => parse_goal ts (SpecGoal false false [] []) k
   | TModal :: TBracketL :: ts => parse_goal ts (SpecGoal true false [] []) k
   | TModal :: ts => parse_go ts (SGoal (SpecGoal true true [] []) :: k)
+  | TForall :: ts => parse_go ts (SForall :: k)
   | _ => None
   end
 with parse_goal (ts : list token) (g : spec_goal)
diff --git a/theories/proofmode/tactics.v b/theories/proofmode/tactics.v
index e84c9e2f869f85b0b058aef16261078e72d36989..844c3d69a77a08bdefea0fcbc302c7679d29b624 100644
--- a/theories/proofmode/tactics.v
+++ b/theories/proofmode/tactics.v
@@ -285,6 +285,9 @@ Local Tactic Notation "iSpecializePat" constr(H) constr(pat) :=
   let rec go H1 pats :=
     lazymatch pats with
     | [] => idtac
+    | SForall :: ?pats =>
+       idtac "the * specialization pattern is deprecated because it is applied implicitly";
+       go H1 pats
     | SName ?H2 :: ?pats =>
        eapply tac_specialize with _ _ H2 _ H1 _ _ _ _; (* (j:=H1) (i:=H2) *)
          [env_cbv; reflexivity || fail "iSpecialize:" H2 "not found"