diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/pgen.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/pgen.go
index 3d099ad6c0..cf99931bb5 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/pgen.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/pgen.go
@@ -322,7 +322,11 @@ func debuginfo(fnsym *obj.LSym, curfn interface{}) ([]dwarf.Scope, dwarf.InlCall
 		switch n.Class() {
 		case PAUTO:
 			if !n.Name.Used() {
-				Fatalf("debuginfo unused node (AllocFrame should truncate fn.Func.Dcl)")
+				// Text == nil -> generating abstract function
+				if fnsym.Func.Text != nil {
+					Fatalf("debuginfo unused node (AllocFrame should truncate fn.Func.Dcl)")
+				}
+				continue
 			}
 			name = obj.NAME_AUTO
 		case PPARAM, PPARAMOUT:
@@ -558,15 +562,14 @@ func createDwarfVars(fnsym *obj.LSym, debugInfo *ssa.FuncDebug, automDecls []*No
 			InlIndex:      int32(inlIndex),
 			ChildIndex:    -1,
 		})
-		// Note: the auto that we're appending here is simply to insure
-		// that the DWARF type in question is picked up by the linker --
-		// there isn't a real auto variable with this name. This is
-		// to fix issue 22941.
+		// Append a "deleted auto" entry to the autom list so as to
+		// insure that the type in question is picked up by the linker.
+		// See issue 22941.
 		gotype := ngotype(n).Linksym()
 		fnsym.Func.Autom = append(fnsym.Func.Autom, &obj.Auto{
 			Asym:    Ctxt.Lookup(n.Sym.Name),
 			Aoffset: int32(-1),
-			Name:    obj.NAME_AUTO,
+			Name:    obj.NAME_DELETED_AUTO,
 			Gotype:  gotype,
 		})
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/internal/obj/link.go b/src/cmd/internal/obj/link.go
index 090b1c604b..27c74f6a77 100644
--- a/src/cmd/internal/obj/link.go
+++ b/src/cmd/internal/obj/link.go
@@ -208,6 +208,9 @@ const (
 	// A reference to name@GOT(SB) is a reference to the entry in the global offset
 	// table for 'name'.
 	NAME_GOTREF
+	// Indicates auto that was optimized away, but whose type
+	// we want to preserve in the DWARF debug info.
+	NAME_DELETED_AUTO
 )
 
 type AddrType uint8
diff --git a/src/cmd/internal/obj/objfile.go b/src/cmd/internal/obj/objfile.go
index 1a21bcdeb3..2501bba663 100644
--- a/src/cmd/internal/obj/objfile.go
+++ b/src/cmd/internal/obj/objfile.go
@@ -351,6 +351,8 @@ func (w *objWriter) writeSym(s *LSym) {
 			w.writeInt(objabi.A_AUTO)
 		} else if a.Name == NAME_PARAM {
 			w.writeInt(objabi.A_PARAM)
+		} else if a.Name == NAME_DELETED_AUTO {
+			w.writeInt(objabi.A_DELETED_AUTO)
 		} else {
 			log.Fatalf("%s: invalid local variable type %d", s.Name, a.Name)
 		}
diff --git a/src/cmd/internal/objabi/autotype.go b/src/cmd/internal/objabi/autotype.go
index 17c4293131..1b46b0ffec 100644
--- a/src/cmd/internal/objabi/autotype.go
+++ b/src/cmd/internal/objabi/autotype.go
@@ -34,4 +34,5 @@ package objabi
 const (
 	A_AUTO = 1 + iota
 	A_PARAM
+	A_DELETED_AUTO
 )
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
index b2cd1f1b6a..4642bdbe7a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/dwarf.go
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ func defdwsymb(ctxt *Link, s *sym.Symbol, str string, t SymbolType, v int64, got
 		}
 		fallthrough
 
-	case AutoSym, ParamSym:
+	case AutoSym, ParamSym, DeletedAutoSym:
 		dt = defgotype(ctxt, gotype)
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
index cd8b45cd2e..6dcaf64122 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/lib.go
@@ -1964,6 +1964,7 @@ func doversion() {
 type SymbolType int8
 
 const (
+	// see also http://9p.io/magic/man2html/1/nm
 	TextSym      SymbolType = 'T'
 	DataSym                 = 'D'
 	BSSSym                  = 'B'
@@ -1972,6 +1973,9 @@ const (
 	FrameSym                = 'm'
 	ParamSym                = 'p'
 	AutoSym                 = 'a'
+
+	// Deleted auto (not a real sym, just placeholder for type)
+	DeletedAutoSym = 'x'
 )
 
 func genasmsym(ctxt *Link, put func(*Link, *sym.Symbol, string, SymbolType, int64, *sym.Symbol)) {
@@ -2096,6 +2100,11 @@ func genasmsym(ctxt *Link, put func(*Link, *sym.Symbol, string, SymbolType, int6
 			continue
 		}
 		for _, a := range s.FuncInfo.Autom {
+			if a.Name == objabi.A_DELETED_AUTO {
+				put(ctxt, nil, "", DeletedAutoSym, 0, a.Gotype)
+				continue
+			}
+
 			// Emit a or p according to actual offset, even if label is wrong.
 			// This avoids negative offsets, which cannot be encoded.
 			if a.Name != objabi.A_AUTO && a.Name != objabi.A_PARAM {
diff --git a/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/a.go b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/a.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7257d7dfab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/a.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// Copyright 2017 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package a
+
+func F() {
+	if x := 0; false {
+		_ = x
+	}
+}
diff --git a/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/b.go b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/b.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e1568c8fe9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.dir/b.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+// Copyright 2017 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package b
+
+import "a"
+
+var V = func() { a.F() }
diff --git a/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.go b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8000a5224f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixedbugs/issue22962.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// compiledir
+
+// Copyright 2017 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package ignored