diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/sinit.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/sinit.go
index e30663cfbb..fca81763c0 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/sinit.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/sinit.go
@@ -959,6 +959,9 @@ func anylit(n ir.Node, var_ ir.Node, init *ir.Nodes) {
 	}
 }
 
+// oaslit handles special composite literal assignments.
+// It returns true if n's effects have been added to init,
+// in which case n should be dropped from the program by the caller.
 func oaslit(n ir.Node, init *ir.Nodes) bool {
 	if n.Left() == nil || n.Right() == nil {
 		// not a special composite literal assignment
@@ -990,8 +993,6 @@ func oaslit(n ir.Node, init *ir.Nodes) bool {
 		anylit(n.Right(), n.Left(), init)
 	}
 
-	n.SetOp(ir.OEMPTY)
-	n.SetRight(nil)
 	return true
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
index 7037eddff0..0c4a3ad833 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
@@ -1985,8 +1985,7 @@ func typecheck1(n ir.Node, top int) (res ir.Node) {
 			// Empty identifier is valid but useless.
 			// Eliminate now to simplify life later.
 			// See issues 7538, 11589, 11593.
-			n.SetOp(ir.OEMPTY)
-			n.SetLeft(nil)
+			n = ir.NodAt(n.Pos(), ir.OEMPTY, nil, nil)
 		}
 
 	case ir.ODEFER:
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
index db8791ee05..87fe36b08a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
@@ -152,10 +152,12 @@ func walkstmt(n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 		init := n.Init()
 		n.PtrInit().Set(nil)
 		n = walkexpr(n, &init)
-		n = addinit(n, init.Slice())
-		if wascopy && n.Op() == ir.OCONVNOP {
-			n.SetOp(ir.OEMPTY) // don't leave plain values as statements.
+		if wascopy && n.Op() == ir.ONAME {
+			// copy rewrote to a statement list and a temp for the length.
+			// Throw away the temp to avoid plain values as statements.
+			n = ir.NodAt(n.Pos(), ir.OEMPTY, nil, nil)
 		}
+		n = addinit(n, init.Slice())
 
 	// special case for a receive where we throw away
 	// the value received.
@@ -609,6 +611,7 @@ opswitch:
 		}
 
 		if oaslit(n, init) {
+			n = ir.NodAt(n.Pos(), ir.OEMPTY, nil, nil)
 			break
 		}