diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/dcl.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/dcl.go
index 04e3506dba..09d2e7d8b7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/dcl.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/dcl.go
@@ -130,17 +130,16 @@ func declare(n *ir.Name, ctxt ir.Class) {
 
 // declare variables from grammar
 // new_name_list (type | [type] = expr_list)
-func variter(vl []ir.Node, t ir.Ntype, el []ir.Node) []ir.Node {
+func variter(vl []*ir.Name, t ir.Ntype, el []ir.Node) []ir.Node {
 	var init []ir.Node
 	doexpr := len(el) > 0
 
 	if len(el) == 1 && len(vl) > 1 {
 		e := el[0]
 		as2 := ir.Nod(ir.OAS2, nil, nil)
-		as2.PtrList().Set(vl)
 		as2.PtrRlist().Set1(e)
 		for _, v := range vl {
-			v := v.(*ir.Name)
+			as2.PtrList().Append(v)
 			declare(v, dclcontext)
 			v.Ntype = t
 			v.Defn = as2
@@ -152,17 +151,14 @@ func variter(vl []ir.Node, t ir.Ntype, el []ir.Node) []ir.Node {
 		return append(init, as2)
 	}
 
-	nel := len(el)
-	for _, v := range vl {
-		v := v.(*ir.Name)
+	for i, v := range vl {
 		var e ir.Node
 		if doexpr {
-			if len(el) == 0 {
-				base.Errorf("assignment mismatch: %d variables but %d values", len(vl), nel)
+			if i >= len(el) {
+				base.Errorf("assignment mismatch: %d variables but %d values", len(vl), len(el))
 				break
 			}
-			e = el[0]
-			el = el[1:]
+			e = el[i]
 		}
 
 		declare(v, dclcontext)
@@ -180,8 +176,8 @@ func variter(vl []ir.Node, t ir.Ntype, el []ir.Node) []ir.Node {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if len(el) != 0 {
-		base.Errorf("assignment mismatch: %d variables but %d values", len(vl), nel)
+	if len(el) > len(vl) {
+		base.Errorf("assignment mismatch: %d variables but %d values", len(vl), len(el))
 	}
 	return init
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/embed.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/embed.go
index 0d4ce83716..ea23e26069 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/embed.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/embed.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ const (
 	embedFiles
 )
 
-func varEmbed(p *noder, names []ir.Node, typ ir.Ntype, exprs []ir.Node, embeds []PragmaEmbed) (newExprs []ir.Node) {
+func varEmbed(p *noder, names []*ir.Name, typ ir.Ntype, exprs []ir.Node, embeds []PragmaEmbed) (newExprs []ir.Node) {
 	haveEmbed := false
 	for _, decl := range p.file.DeclList {
 		imp, ok := decl.(*syntax.ImportDecl)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func varEmbed(p *noder, names []ir.Node, typ ir.Ntype, exprs []ir.Node, embeds [
 		return exprs
 	}
 
-	v := names[0].(*ir.Name)
+	v := names[0]
 	Target.Embeds = append(Target.Embeds, v)
 	v.Embed = new([]ir.Embed)
 	for _, e := range embeds {
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
index 219ce4bdef..cd66d39b66 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/iimport.go
@@ -972,8 +972,14 @@ func (r *importReader) node() ir.Node {
 	case ir.ODCL:
 		pos := r.pos()
 		lhs := ir.NewDeclNameAt(pos, ir.ONAME, r.ident())
-		typ := ir.TypeNode(r.typ())
-		return npos(pos, liststmt(variter([]ir.Node{lhs}, typ, nil))) // TODO(gri) avoid list creation
+		lhs.SetType(r.typ())
+
+		declare(lhs, ir.PAUTO)
+
+		var stmts ir.Nodes
+		stmts.Append(ir.Nod(ir.ODCL, lhs, nil))
+		stmts.Append(ir.Nod(ir.OAS, lhs, nil))
+		return npos(pos, liststmt(stmts.Slice()))
 
 	// case OAS, OASWB:
 	// 	unreachable - mapped to OAS case below by exporter
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/noder.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/noder.go
index b61f19ae2e..97a9ac4396 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/noder.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/noder.go
@@ -441,7 +441,6 @@ func (p *noder) constDecl(decl *syntax.ConstDecl, cs *constState) []ir.Node {
 
 	nn := make([]ir.Node, 0, len(names))
 	for i, n := range names {
-		n := n.(*ir.Name)
 		if i >= len(values) {
 			base.Errorf("missing value in const declaration")
 			break
@@ -492,8 +491,8 @@ func (p *noder) typeDecl(decl *syntax.TypeDecl) ir.Node {
 	return nod
 }
 
-func (p *noder) declNames(op ir.Op, names []*syntax.Name) []ir.Node {
-	nodes := make([]ir.Node, 0, len(names))
+func (p *noder) declNames(op ir.Op, names []*syntax.Name) []*ir.Name {
+	nodes := make([]*ir.Name, 0, len(names))
 	for _, name := range names {
 		nodes = append(nodes, p.declName(op, name))
 	}