diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/swt.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/swt.go
index a736208340..f34b1c614c 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/swt.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/swt.go
@@ -652,6 +652,9 @@ func (s *typeSwitch) typeone(t *Node) *Node {
 	} else {
 		name = t.Rlist.N
 		init = list1(Nod(ODCL, name, nil))
+		a := Nod(OAS, name, nil)
+		typecheck(&a, Etop)
+		init = list(init, a)
 	}
 
 	a := Nod(OAS2, nil, nil)
diff --git a/src/runtime/export_test.go b/src/runtime/export_test.go
index 3fddcc868f..16d54765b7 100644
--- a/src/runtime/export_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/export_test.go
@@ -152,3 +152,5 @@ func BenchSetType(n int, x interface{}) {
 }
 
 const PtrSize = ptrSize
+
+var TestingAssertE2I2GC = &testingAssertE2I2GC
diff --git a/src/runtime/gc_test.go b/src/runtime/gc_test.go
index e3e0c3a583..636e5248c8 100644
--- a/src/runtime/gc_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/gc_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package runtime_test
 
 import (
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"reflect"
 	"runtime"
@@ -412,3 +413,59 @@ func TestPrintGC(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	close(done)
 }
+
+// The implicit y, ok := x.(error) for the case error
+// in testTypeSwitch used to not initialize the result y
+// before passing &y to assertE2I2GC.
+// Catch this by making assertE2I2 call runtime.GC,
+// which will force a stack scan and failure if there are
+// bad pointers, and then fill the stack with bad pointers
+// and run the type switch.
+func TestAssertE2I2Liveness(t *testing.T) {
+	// Note that this flag is defined in export_test.go
+	// and is not available to ordinary imports of runtime.
+	*runtime.TestingAssertE2I2GC = true
+	defer func() {
+		*runtime.TestingAssertE2I2GC = false
+	}()
+
+	poisonStack()
+	testTypeSwitch(io.EOF)
+	poisonStack()
+	testAssert(io.EOF)
+	poisonStack()
+	testAssertVar(io.EOF)
+}
+
+func poisonStack() uintptr {
+	var x [1000]uintptr
+	for i := range x {
+		x[i] = 0xff
+	}
+	return x[123]
+}
+
+func testTypeSwitch(x interface{}) error {
+	switch y := x.(type) {
+	case nil:
+		// ok
+	case error:
+		return y
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func testAssert(x interface{}) error {
+	if y, ok := x.(error); ok {
+		return y
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func testAssertVar(x interface{}) error {
+	var y, ok = x.(error)
+	if ok {
+		return y
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/src/runtime/iface.go b/src/runtime/iface.go
index 656bb4b8e5..abd7068ed1 100644
--- a/src/runtime/iface.go
+++ b/src/runtime/iface.go
@@ -4,9 +4,7 @@
 
 package runtime
 
-import (
-	"unsafe"
-)
+import "unsafe"
 
 const (
 	hashSize = 1009
@@ -356,7 +354,12 @@ func assertE2I(inter *interfacetype, e interface{}, r *fInterface) {
 	rp.data = ep.data
 }
 
+var testingAssertE2I2GC bool
+
 func assertE2I2(inter *interfacetype, e interface{}, r *fInterface) bool {
+	if testingAssertE2I2GC {
+		GC()
+	}
 	ep := (*eface)(unsafe.Pointer(&e))
 	t := ep._type
 	if t == nil {