diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iexport.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iexport.go
index c9f5d0c85c..f19acb8bc2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iexport.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iexport.go
@@ -1201,11 +1201,7 @@ func (w *exportWriter) expr(n ir.Node) {
 		if !n.Type().HasNil() {
 			base.Fatalf("unexpected type for nil: %v", n.Type())
 		}
-		if orig := ir.Orig(n); orig != nil && orig != n {
-			w.expr(orig)
-			break
-		}
-		w.op(ir.OLITERAL)
+		w.op(ir.ONIL)
 		w.pos(n.Pos())
 		w.typ(n.Type())
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
index c219b70e0f..57c5e62182 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
@@ -809,20 +809,19 @@ func (r *importReader) node() ir.Node {
 	// case OPAREN:
 	// 	unreachable - unpacked by exporter
 
-	// case ONIL:
-	//	unreachable - mapped to OLITERAL
+	case ir.ONIL:
+		pos := r.pos()
+		typ := r.typ()
+
+		n := npos(pos, nodnil())
+		n.SetType(typ)
+		return n
 
 	case ir.OLITERAL:
 		pos := r.pos()
 		typ := r.typ()
 
-		var n ir.Node
-		if typ.HasNil() {
-			n = nodnil()
-		} else {
-			n = ir.NewLiteral(r.value(typ))
-		}
-		n = npos(pos, n)
+		n := npos(pos, ir.NewLiteral(r.value(typ)))
 		n.SetType(typ)
 		return n