diff --git a/misc/cgo/testshared/shared_test.go b/misc/cgo/testshared/shared_test.go
index 86fb530167..30b00d5930 100644
--- a/misc/cgo/testshared/shared_test.go
+++ b/misc/cgo/testshared/shared_test.go
@@ -203,6 +203,26 @@ func TestNoTextrel(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// The shared library does not contain symbols called ".dup"
+func TestNoDupSymbols(t *testing.T) {
+	sopath := filepath.Join(gorootInstallDir, soname)
+	f, err := elf.Open(sopath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("elf.Open failed: ", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	syms, err := f.Symbols()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("error reading symbols %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	for _, s := range syms {
+		if s.Name == ".dup" {
+			t.Fatalf("%s contains symbol called .dup", sopath)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // The install command should have created a "shlibname" file for the
 // listed packages (and runtime/cgo, and math on arm) indicating the
 // name of the shared library containing it.
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/decodesym.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/decodesym.go
index 00e1a79a83..a7a62623d7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/decodesym.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/decodesym.go
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ func decodetype_methods(s *LSym) []methodsig {
 	numMethods := int(decode_inuxi(s.P[off+2*Thearch.Ptrsize:], Thearch.Intsize))
 	r := decode_reloc(s, int32(off+Thearch.Ptrsize))
 	if r.Sym != s {
-		panic(fmt.Sprintf("method slice pointer in %q leads to a different symbol", s.Name))
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("method slice pointer in %s leads to a different symbol %s", s, r.Sym))
 	}
 	off = int(r.Add)                    // array of reflect.method values
 	sizeofMethod := 5 * Thearch.Ptrsize // sizeof reflect.method in program
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
index 04ac8d827f..21b9d6e820 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
@@ -175,8 +175,6 @@ func ldobjfile(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	}
 }
 
-var readsym_ndup int
-
 func readsym(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, pkg string, pn string) {
 	if obj.Bgetc(f) != 0xfe {
 		log.Fatalf("readsym out of sync")
@@ -211,8 +209,7 @@ func readsym(ctxt *Link, f *obj.Biobuf, pkg string, pn string) {
 		}
 		if len(s.P) > 0 {
 			dup = s
-			s = linknewsym(ctxt, ".dup", readsym_ndup)
-			readsym_ndup++ // scratch
+			s = linknewsym(ctxt, ".dup", -1)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
index 05b3252add..e4fce6a5db 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/sym.go
@@ -173,7 +173,11 @@ func linknewsym(ctxt *Link, symb string, v int) *LSym {
 	s.Version = int16(v)
 	ctxt.Nsymbol++
 
-	ctxt.Allsym = append(ctxt.Allsym, s)
+	if v != -1 {
+		ctxt.Allsym = append(ctxt.Allsym, s)
+	} else if v < -1 {
+		ctxt.Diag("invalid version %d in linknewsym", v)
+	}
 	return s
 }