diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go
index 262e2020c8..da5c1e910d 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go
@@ -442,8 +442,9 @@ func (pw *pkgWriter) pkgIdx(pkg *types2.Package) pkgbits.Index {
 // @@@ Types
 
 var (
-	anyTypeName  = types2.Universe.Lookup("any").(*types2.TypeName)
-	runeTypeName = types2.Universe.Lookup("rune").(*types2.TypeName)
+	anyTypeName        = types2.Universe.Lookup("any").(*types2.TypeName)
+	comparableTypeName = types2.Universe.Lookup("comparable").(*types2.TypeName)
+	runeTypeName       = types2.Universe.Lookup("rune").(*types2.TypeName)
 )
 
 // typ writes a use of the given type into the bitstream.
@@ -495,7 +496,7 @@ func (pw *pkgWriter) typIdx(typ types2.Type, dict *writerDict) typeInfo {
 			w.Len(int(kind))
 
 		default:
-			// Handle "byte" and "rune" as references to their TypeName.
+			// Handle "byte" and "rune" as references to their TypeNames.
 			obj := types2.Universe.Lookup(typ.Name())
 			assert(obj.Type() == typ)
 
@@ -553,6 +554,7 @@ func (pw *pkgWriter) typIdx(typ types2.Type, dict *writerDict) typeInfo {
 		w.structType(typ)
 
 	case *types2.Interface:
+		// Handle "any" as reference to its TypeName.
 		if typ == anyTypeName.Type() {
 			w.Code(pkgbits.TypeNamed)
 			w.obj(anyTypeName, nil)
@@ -600,6 +602,23 @@ func (w *writer) unionType(typ *types2.Union) {
 }
 
 func (w *writer) interfaceType(typ *types2.Interface) {
+	// If typ has no embedded types but it's not a basic interface, then
+	// the natural description we write out below will fail to
+	// reconstruct it.
+	if typ.NumEmbeddeds() == 0 && !typ.IsMethodSet() {
+		// Currently, this can only happen for the underlying Interface of
+		// "comparable", which is needed to handle type declarations like
+		// "type C comparable".
+		assert(typ == comparableTypeName.Type().(*types2.Named).Underlying())
+
+		// Export as "interface{ comparable }".
+		w.Len(0)                         // NumExplicitMethods
+		w.Len(1)                         // NumEmbeddeds
+		w.Bool(false)                    // IsImplicit
+		w.typ(comparableTypeName.Type()) // EmbeddedType(0)
+		return
+	}
+
 	w.Len(typ.NumExplicitMethods())
 	w.Len(typ.NumEmbeddeds())
 
@@ -785,9 +804,6 @@ func (w *writer) doObj(wext *writer, obj types2.Object) pkgbits.CodeObj {
 		return pkgbits.ObjFunc
 
 	case *types2.TypeName:
-		decl, ok := w.p.typDecls[obj]
-		assert(ok)
-
 		if obj.IsAlias() {
 			w.pos(obj)
 			w.typ(obj.Type())
@@ -800,7 +816,7 @@ func (w *writer) doObj(wext *writer, obj types2.Object) pkgbits.CodeObj {
 		w.pos(obj)
 		w.typeParamNames(named.TypeParams())
 		wext.typeExt(obj)
-		w.typExpr(decl.Type)
+		w.typ(named.Underlying())
 
 		w.Len(named.NumMethods())
 		for i := 0; i < named.NumMethods(); i++ {
@@ -817,15 +833,6 @@ func (w *writer) doObj(wext *writer, obj types2.Object) pkgbits.CodeObj {
 	}
 }
 
-// typExpr writes the type represented by the given expression.
-//
-// TODO(mdempsky): Document how this differs from exprType.
-func (w *writer) typExpr(expr syntax.Expr) {
-	tv := w.p.typeAndValue(expr)
-	assert(tv.IsType())
-	w.typ(tv.Type)
-}
-
 // objDict writes the dictionary needed for reading the given object.
 func (w *writer) objDict(obj types2.Object, dict *writerDict) {
 	// TODO(mdempsky): Split objDict into multiple entries? reader.go