diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/test.go b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
index 3bbeb76e4d..3cf88eb0c6 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
@@ -578,7 +578,12 @@ func (t *tester) registerTests() {
 	if t.hasBash() && t.cgoEnabled && goos != "android" && goos != "darwin" {
 		t.registerTest("testgodefs", "../misc/cgo/testgodefs", "./test.bash")
 	}
-	if t.cgoEnabled {
+
+	// Don't run these tests with $GO_GCFLAGS because most of them
+	// assume that they can run "go install" with no -gcflags and not
+	// recompile the entire standard library. If make.bash ran with
+	// special -gcflags, that's not true.
+	if t.cgoEnabled && gogcflags == "" {
 		if t.cgoTestSOSupported() {
 			t.tests = append(t.tests, distTest{
 				name:    "testso",
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
index a51d58a968..14ee51c906 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
@@ -86,6 +86,13 @@ var testCC string
 // The TestMain function creates a go command for testing purposes and
 // deletes it after the tests have been run.
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
+	if os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS") != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "testing: warning: no tests to run\n") // magic string for cmd/go
+		fmt.Printf("cmd/go test is not compatible with $GO_GCFLAGS being set\n")
+		fmt.Printf("SKIP\n")
+		return
+	}
+
 	if canRun {
 		args := []string{"build", "-tags", "testgo", "-o", "testgo" + exeSuffix}
 		if race.Enabled {
diff --git a/src/cmd/internal/goobj/goobj_test.go b/src/cmd/internal/goobj/goobj_test.go
index e5f4dd9385..92c2bf9819 100644
--- a/src/cmd/internal/goobj/goobj_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/internal/goobj/goobj_test.go
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ func buildGoobj() error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		cmd := exec.Command(gotool, "install", "mycgo")
+		cmd := exec.Command(gotool, "install", "-gcflags="+os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS"), "mycgo")
 		cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "GOPATH="+gopath)
 		out, err = cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/src/internal/testenv/testenv.go b/src/internal/testenv/testenv.go
index 88c93bfe70..83f0e8347a 100644
--- a/src/internal/testenv/testenv.go
+++ b/src/internal/testenv/testenv.go
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ func Builder() string {
 // HasGoBuild reports whether the current system can build programs with ``go build''
 // and then run them with os.StartProcess or exec.Command.
 func HasGoBuild() bool {
+	if os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS") != "" {
+		// It's too much work to require every caller of the go command
+		// to pass along "-gcflags="+os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS").
+		// For now, if $GO_GCFLAGS is set, report that we simply can't
+		// run go build.
+		return false
+	}
 	switch runtime.GOOS {
 	case "android", "nacl":
 		return false
@@ -48,6 +55,9 @@ func HasGoBuild() bool {
 // and then run them with os.StartProcess or exec.Command.
 // If not, MustHaveGoBuild calls t.Skip with an explanation.
 func MustHaveGoBuild(t testing.TB) {
+	if os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS") != "" {
+		t.Skipf("skipping test: 'go build' not compatible with setting $GO_GCFLAGS")
+	}
 	if !HasGoBuild() {
 		t.Skipf("skipping test: 'go build' not available on %s/%s", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH)
 	}
diff --git a/src/runtime/crash_test.go b/src/runtime/crash_test.go
index 0f11150f18..80ae4fa63e 100644
--- a/src/runtime/crash_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/crash_test.go
@@ -140,14 +140,14 @@ var (
 func checkStaleRuntime(t *testing.T) {
 	staleRuntimeOnce.Do(func() {
 		// 'go run' uses the installed copy of runtime.a, which may be out of date.
-		out, err := testenv.CleanCmdEnv(exec.Command(testenv.GoToolPath(t), "list", "-f", "{{.Stale}}", "runtime")).CombinedOutput()
+		out, err := testenv.CleanCmdEnv(exec.Command(testenv.GoToolPath(t), "list", "-gcflags="+os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS"), "-f", "{{.Stale}}", "runtime")).CombinedOutput()
 		if err != nil {
 			staleRuntimeErr = fmt.Errorf("failed to execute 'go list': %v\n%v", err, string(out))
 			return
 		}
 		if string(out) != "false\n" {
 			t.Logf("go list -f {{.Stale}} runtime:\n%s", out)
-			out, err := testenv.CleanCmdEnv(exec.Command(testenv.GoToolPath(t), "list", "-f", "{{.StaleReason}}", "runtime")).CombinedOutput()
+			out, err := testenv.CleanCmdEnv(exec.Command(testenv.GoToolPath(t), "list", "-gcflags="+os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS"), "-f", "{{.StaleReason}}", "runtime")).CombinedOutput()
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Logf("go list -f {{.StaleReason}} failed: %v", err)
 			}
diff --git a/test/run.go b/test/run.go
index 2fa206746b..921a8ee332 100644
--- a/test/run.go
+++ b/test/run.go
@@ -417,6 +417,14 @@ func (ctxt *context) match(name string) bool {
 
 func init() { checkShouldTest() }
 
+// goGcflags returns the -gcflags argument to use with go build / go run.
+// This must match the flags used for building the standard libary,
+// or else the commands will rebuild any needed packages (like runtime)
+// over and over.
+func goGcflags() string {
+	return "-gcflags=" + os.Getenv("GO_GCFLAGS")
+}
+
 // run runs a test.
 func (t *test) run() {
 	start := time.Now()
@@ -701,7 +709,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 		}
 
 	case "build":
-		_, err := runcmd("go", "build", "-o", "a.exe", long)
+		_, err := runcmd("go", "build", goGcflags(), "-o", "a.exe", long)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.err = err
 		}
@@ -766,7 +774,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 	case "buildrun": // build binary, then run binary, instead of go run. Useful for timeout tests where failure mode is infinite loop.
 		// TODO: not supported on NaCl
 		useTmp = true
-		cmd := []string{"go", "build", "-o", "a.exe"}
+		cmd := []string{"go", "build", goGcflags(), "-o", "a.exe"}
 		if *linkshared {
 			cmd = append(cmd, "-linkshared")
 		}
@@ -791,7 +799,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 
 	case "run":
 		useTmp = false
-		cmd := []string{"go", "run"}
+		cmd := []string{"go", "run", goGcflags()}
 		if *linkshared {
 			cmd = append(cmd, "-linkshared")
 		}
@@ -812,7 +820,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 			<-rungatec
 		}()
 		useTmp = false
-		cmd := []string{"go", "run"}
+		cmd := []string{"go", "run", goGcflags()}
 		if *linkshared {
 			cmd = append(cmd, "-linkshared")
 		}
@@ -827,7 +835,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 			t.err = fmt.Errorf("write tempfile:%s", err)
 			return
 		}
-		cmd = []string{"go", "run"}
+		cmd = []string{"go", "run", goGcflags()}
 		if *linkshared {
 			cmd = append(cmd, "-linkshared")
 		}
@@ -843,7 +851,7 @@ func (t *test) run() {
 
 	case "errorcheckoutput":
 		useTmp = false
-		cmd := []string{"go", "run"}
+		cmd := []string{"go", "run", goGcflags()}
 		if *linkshared {
 			cmd = append(cmd, "-linkshared")
 		}