diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
index ba0cff3ff6..c0893daece 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/loader.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ type Reloc2 struct {
 
 	// External reloc types may not fit into a uint8 which the Go object file uses.
 	// Store it here, instead of in the byte of goobj2.Reloc2.
-	// For Go symbols this will always be 0.
+	// For Go symbols this will always be zero.
 	// goobj2.Reloc2.Type() + typ is always the right type, for both Go and external
 	// symbols.
 	typ objabi.RelocType
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ func (rel Reloc2) SetType(t objabi.RelocType) {
 		panic("SetType: type doesn't fit into Reloc2")
 	}
 	rel.Reloc.SetType(uint8(t))
+	if rel.typ != 0 {
+		// should use SymbolBuilder.SetRelocType
+		panic("wrong method to set reloc type")
+	}
 }
 
 // Aux2 holds a "handle" to access an aux symbol record from an
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/symbolbuilder.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/symbolbuilder.go
index f5db69856b..21ed621f80 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/symbolbuilder.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/loader/symbolbuilder.go
@@ -143,6 +143,22 @@ func (sb *SymbolBuilder) SetRelocs(rslice []Reloc) {
 	}
 }
 
+// SetRelocType sets the type of the 'i'-th relocation on this sym to 't'
+func (sb *SymbolBuilder) SetRelocType(i int, t objabi.RelocType) {
+	sb.relocs[i].SetType(0)
+	sb.reltypes[i] = t
+}
+
+// SetRelocSym sets the target sym of the 'i'-th relocation on this sym to 's'
+func (sb *SymbolBuilder) SetRelocSym(i int, tgt Sym) {
+	sb.relocs[i].SetSym(goobj2.SymRef{PkgIdx: 0, SymIdx: uint32(tgt)})
+}
+
+// SetRelocAdd sets the addend of the 'i'-th relocation on this sym to 'a'
+func (sb *SymbolBuilder) SetRelocAdd(i int, a int64) {
+	sb.relocs[i].SetAdd(a)
+}
+
 // Add n relocations, return a handle to the relocations.
 func (sb *SymbolBuilder) AddRelocs(n int) Relocs {
 	sb.relocs = append(sb.relocs, make([]goobj2.Reloc, n)...)