diff --git a/src/cmd/addr2line/addr2line_test.go b/src/cmd/addr2line/addr2line_test.go
index 22bf1379bb..e12f0ae814 100644
--- a/src/cmd/addr2line/addr2line_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/addr2line/addr2line_test.go
@@ -74,18 +74,26 @@ func testAddr2Line(t *testing.T, exepath, addr string) {
 		t.Fatalf("Stat failed: %v", err)
 	}
 	fi2, err := os.Stat(srcPath)
+	if gorootFinal := os.Getenv("GOROOT_FINAL"); gorootFinal != "" && strings.HasPrefix(srcPath, gorootFinal) {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) || (err == nil && !os.SameFile(fi1, fi2)) {
+			// srcPath has had GOROOT_FINAL substituted for GOROOT, and it doesn't
+			// match the actual file. GOROOT probably hasn't been moved to its final
+			// location yet, so try the original location instead.
+			fi2, err = os.Stat(runtime.GOROOT() + strings.TrimPrefix(srcPath, gorootFinal))
+		}
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Stat failed: %v", err)
 	}
 	if !os.SameFile(fi1, fi2) {
 		t.Fatalf("addr2line_test.go and %s are not same file", srcPath)
 	}
-	if srcLineNo != "89" {
-		t.Fatalf("line number = %v; want 89", srcLineNo)
+	if srcLineNo != "97" {
+		t.Fatalf("line number = %v; want 97", srcLineNo)
 	}
 }
 
-// This is line 88. The test depends on that.
+// This is line 96. The test depends on that.
 func TestAddr2Line(t *testing.T) {
 	testenv.MustHaveGoBuild(t)
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/test.go b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
index 08ef056164..e1cd4965c3 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
@@ -178,15 +178,6 @@ func (t *tester) run() {
 		return
 	}
 
-	// We must unset GOROOT_FINAL before tests, because runtime/debug requires
-	// correct access to source code, so if we have GOROOT_FINAL in effect,
-	// at least runtime/debug test will fail.
-	// If GOROOT_FINAL was set before, then now all the commands will appear stale.
-	// Nothing we can do about that other than not checking them below.
-	// (We call checkNotStale but only with "std" not "cmd".)
-	os.Setenv("GOROOT_FINAL_OLD", os.Getenv("GOROOT_FINAL")) // for cmd/link test
-	os.Unsetenv("GOROOT_FINAL")
-
 	for _, name := range t.runNames {
 		if !t.isRegisteredTestName(name) {
 			fatalf("unknown test %q", name)
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
index 4c30de4781..021930a8a8 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/go_test.go
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 		fmt.Printf("SKIP\n")
 		return
 	}
-	os.Unsetenv("GOROOT_FINAL")
 
 	flag.Parse()
 
@@ -180,6 +179,11 @@ func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 		}
 		testGOROOT = goEnv("GOROOT")
 		os.Setenv("TESTGO_GOROOT", testGOROOT)
+		// Ensure that GOROOT is set explicitly.
+		// Otherwise, if the toolchain was built with GOROOT_FINAL set but has not
+		// yet been moved to its final location, programs that invoke runtime.GOROOT
+		// may accidentally use the wrong path.
+		os.Setenv("GOROOT", testGOROOT)
 
 		// The whole GOROOT/pkg tree was installed using the GOHOSTOS/GOHOSTARCH
 		// toolchain (installed in GOROOT/pkg/tool/GOHOSTOS_GOHOSTARCH).
@@ -216,8 +220,10 @@ func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 		}
 		testCC = strings.TrimSpace(string(out))
 
-		if out, err := exec.Command(testGo, "env", "CGO_ENABLED").Output(); err != nil {
-			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "running testgo failed: %v\n", err)
+		cmd := exec.Command(testGo, "env", "CGO_ENABLED")
+		cmd.Stderr = new(strings.Builder)
+		if out, err := cmd.Output(); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "running testgo failed: %v\n%s", err, cmd.Stderr)
 			canRun = false
 		} else {
 			canCgo, err = strconv.ParseBool(strings.TrimSpace(string(out)))
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/script_test.go b/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
index a49a705fa6..2e8f18a897 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/script_test.go
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@ func (ts *testScript) setup() {
 		"GOPROXY=" + proxyURL,
 		"GOPRIVATE=",
 		"GOROOT=" + testGOROOT,
+		"GOROOT_FINAL=" + os.Getenv("GOROOT_FINAL"), // causes spurious rebuilds and breaks the "stale" built-in if not propagated
 		"TESTGO_GOROOT=" + testGOROOT,
 		"GOSUMDB=" + testSumDBVerifierKey,
 		"GONOPROXY=",
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/README b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/README
index c7fa7cfef5..76d6651718 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/README
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/README
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Scripts also have access to these other environment variables:
 	GOPATH=$WORK/gopath
 	GOPROXY=<local module proxy serving from cmd/go/testdata/mod>
 	GOROOT=<actual GOROOT>
+	GOROOT_FINAL=<actual GOROOT_FINAL>
 	TESTGO_GOROOT=<GOROOT used to build cmd/go, for use in tests that may change GOROOT>
 	HOME=/no-home
 	PATH=<actual PATH>
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_trimpath.txt b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_trimpath.txt
index cfab80743e..ad78bcf2b2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_trimpath.txt
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_trimpath.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 [short] skip
 
+# If GOROOT_FINAL is set, 'go build -trimpath' bakes that into the resulting
+# binary instead of GOROOT. Explicitly unset it here.
+env GOROOT_FINAL=
+
 # Set up two identical directories that can be used as GOPATH.
 env GO111MODULE=on
 mkdir $WORK/a/src/paths $WORK/b/src/paths
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/goroot_executable.txt b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/goroot_executable.txt
index 4e04bad69b..fdbcde06cb 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/goroot_executable.txt
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/goroot_executable.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@
 
 mkdir $WORK/new/bin
 
+# In this test, we are specifically checking the logic for deriving
+# the value of GOROOT from runtime.GOROOT.
+# GOROOT_FINAL changes the default behavior of runtime.GOROOT,
+# and will thus cause the test to fail if it is set when our
+# new cmd/go is built.
+env GOROOT_FINAL=
+
 go build -o $WORK/new/bin/go$GOEXE cmd/go &
 go build -o $WORK/bin/check$GOEXE check.go &
 wait
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/dwarf_test.go b/src/cmd/link/dwarf_test.go
index 5926f09e4a..a9f58db230 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/dwarf_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/dwarf_test.go
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ func testDWARF(t *testing.T, buildmode string, expectDWARF bool, env ...string)
 		t.Fatalf("go list: %v\n%s", err, out)
 	}
 	if string(out) != "false\n" {
-		if os.Getenv("GOROOT_FINAL_OLD") != "" {
-			t.Skip("cmd/link is stale, but $GOROOT_FINAL_OLD is set")
+		if strings.HasPrefix(testenv.Builder(), "darwin-") {
+			t.Skipf("cmd/link is spuriously stale on Darwin builders - see #33598")
 		}
 		t.Fatalf("cmd/link is stale - run go install cmd/link")
 	}
diff --git a/src/cmd/objdump/objdump_test.go b/src/cmd/objdump/objdump_test.go
index c974d6707b..a9dc7d1a5e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/objdump/objdump_test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/objdump/objdump_test.go
@@ -138,7 +138,11 @@ func testDisasm(t *testing.T, printCode bool, printGnuAsm bool, flags ...string)
 	args = append(args, flags...)
 	args = append(args, "fmthello.go")
 	cmd := exec.Command(testenv.GoToolPath(t), args...)
-	cmd.Dir = "testdata" // "Bad line" bug #36683 is sensitive to being run in the source directory
+	// "Bad line" bug #36683 is sensitive to being run in the source directory.
+	cmd.Dir = "testdata"
+	// Ensure that the source file location embedded in the binary matches our
+	// actual current GOROOT, instead of GOROOT_FINAL if set.
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "GOROOT_FINAL=")
 	t.Logf("Running %v", cmd.Args)
 	out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {