diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
index 04fe3cb3b5..7f4fe71cb4 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
@@ -2385,6 +2385,12 @@ func compressSyms(ctxt *Link, syms []*sym.Symbol) []byte {
 		log.Fatalf("NewWriterLevel failed: %s", err)
 	}
 	for _, sym := range syms {
+		// sym.P may be read-only. Apply relocations in a
+		// temporary buffer, and immediately write it out.
+		oldP := sym.P
+		ctxt.relocbuf = append(ctxt.relocbuf[:0], sym.P...)
+		sym.P = ctxt.relocbuf
+		relocsym(ctxt, sym)
 		if _, err := z.Write(sym.P); err != nil {
 			log.Fatalf("compression failed: %s", err)
 		}
@@ -2399,6 +2405,14 @@ func compressSyms(ctxt *Link, syms []*sym.Symbol) []byte {
 			}
 			i -= int64(n)
 		}
+		// Restore sym.P, for 1. not holding temp buffer live
+		// unnecessarily, 2. if compression is not beneficial,
+		// we'll go back to use the uncompressed contents, in
+		// which case we still need sym.P.
+		sym.P = oldP
+		for i := range sym.R {
+			sym.R[i].Done = false
+		}
 	}
 	if err := z.Close(); err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("compression failed: %s", err)
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
index 9e7fea0101..974c7ed329 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
@@ -2125,9 +2125,9 @@ func dwarfaddelfsectionsyms(ctxt *Link) {
 	}
 }
 
-// dwarfcompress compresses the DWARF sections. This must happen after
-// relocations are applied. After this, dwarfp will contain a
-// different (new) set of symbols, and sections may have been replaced.
+// dwarfcompress compresses the DWARF sections. Relocations are applied
+// on the fly. After this, dwarfp will contain a different (new) set of
+// symbols, and sections may have been replaced.
 func dwarfcompress(ctxt *Link) {
 	supported := ctxt.IsELF || ctxt.HeadType == objabi.Hwindows || ctxt.HeadType == objabi.Hdarwin
 	if !ctxt.compressDWARF || !supported || ctxt.LinkMode != LinkInternal {
@@ -2161,6 +2161,7 @@ func dwarfcompress(ctxt *Link) {
 		}
 	}
 	dwarfp = newDwarfp
+	ctxt.relocbuf = nil // no longer needed, don't hold it live
 
 	// Re-compute the locations of the compressed DWARF symbols
 	// and sections, since the layout of these within the file is
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/link.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/link.go
index a7609b9c7c..d3ffacf54e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/link.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/link.go
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ type Link struct {
 
 	compUnits         []*compilationUnit // DWARF compilation units
 	compUnitByPackage map[*sym.Library]*compilationUnit
+
+	relocbuf []byte // temporary buffer for applying relocations
 }
 
 type unresolvedSymKey struct {
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/main.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/main.go
index 1b2d376fd4..aac37883e1 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/main.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/main.go
@@ -239,8 +239,8 @@ func Main(arch *sys.Arch, theArch Arch) {
 	ctxt.symtab()
 	ctxt.dodata()
 	order := ctxt.address()
-	ctxt.reloc()
 	dwarfcompress(ctxt)
+	ctxt.reloc()
 	filesize := ctxt.layout(order)
 
 	// Write out the output file.