diff --git a/capa/features/extractors/viv/function.py b/capa/features/extractors/viv/function.py
index ab35fa7b..a75f9311 100644
--- a/capa/features/extractors/viv/function.py
+++ b/capa/features/extractors/viv/function.py
@@ -34,17 +34,18 @@ def extract_function_symtab_names(fh: FunctionHandle) -> Iterator[Tuple[Feature,
     if fh.inner.vw.metadata["Format"] == "Elf":
         # the file's symbol table gets added to the metadata of the vivisect workspace.
         # this is in order to eliminate the computational overhead of refetching symtab each time.
-        fh.ctx["cache"]["symtab"] = SymTab.from_Elf(fh.inner.vw.parsedbin)
+        if "symtab" not in fh.ctx["cache"]:
+            fh.ctx["cache"]["symtab"] = SymTab.from_Elf(fh.inner.vw.parsedbin)
 
-    symtab = fh.ctx["cache"]["symtab"]
-    for symbol in symtab.get_symbols():
-        sym_name = symtab.get_name(symbol)
-        sym_value = symbol.value
-        sym_info = symbol.info
+        symtab = fh.ctx["cache"]["symtab"]
+        for symbol in symtab.get_symbols():
+            sym_name = symtab.get_name(symbol)
+            sym_value = symbol.value
+            sym_info = symbol.info
 
-        STT_FUNC = 0x2
-        if sym_value == fh.address and sym_info & STT_FUNC != 0:
-            yield FunctionName(sym_name), fh.address
+            STT_FUNC = 0x2
+            if sym_value == fh.address and sym_info & STT_FUNC != 0:
+                yield FunctionName(sym_name), fh.address
 
 
 def extract_function_calls_to(fhandle: FunctionHandle) -> Iterator[Tuple[Feature, Address]]: