diff --git a/src/cmd/gc/pgen.c b/src/cmd/gc/pgen.c
index 7fcbf19b1e..4d3859d02d 100644
--- a/src/cmd/gc/pgen.c
+++ b/src/cmd/gc/pgen.c
@@ -296,21 +296,15 @@ pointermap(Node *fn)
 		walktype(inargtype, bv);
 	if(outargtype != nil)
 		walktype(outargtype, bv);
-	if(bvisempty(bv)) {
-		prog = gins(ANPTRS, N, N);
+	prog = gins(ANPTRS, N, N);
+	prog->to.type = D_CONST;
+	prog->to.offset = bv->n;
+	for(i = 0; i < bv->n; i += 32) {
+		prog = gins(APTRS, N, N);
+		prog->from.type = D_CONST;
+		prog->from.offset = i / 32;
 		prog->to.type = D_CONST;
-		prog->to.offset = 0;
-	} else {
-		prog = gins(ANPTRS, N, N);
-		prog->to.type = D_CONST;
-		prog->to.offset = bv->n;
-		for(i = 0; i < bv->n; i += 32) {
-			prog = gins(APTRS, N, N);
-			prog->from.type = D_CONST;
-			prog->from.offset = i / 32;
-			prog->to.type = D_CONST;
-			prog->to.offset = bv->b[i / 32];
-		}
+		prog->to.offset = bv->b[i / 32];
 	}
 	free(bv);
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/ld/lib.c b/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
index 42448fe09f..88c9f6a607 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
@@ -1914,7 +1914,11 @@ genasmsym(void (*put)(Sym*, char*, int, vlong, vlong, int, Sym*))
 		/* frame, locals, args, auto, param and pointers after */
 		put(nil, ".frame", 'm', (uint32)s->text->to.offset+PtrSize, 0, 0, 0);
 		put(nil, ".locals", 'm', s->locals, 0, 0, 0);
-		if(s->text->textflag & NOSPLIT)
+		if((s->text->textflag & NOSPLIT) && (s->args == 0) && (s->nptrs < 0))
+			// This might be a vararg function and have no
+			// predetermined argument size.  This check is
+			// approximate and will also match 0 argument
+			// nosplit functions compiled by 6c.
 			put(nil, ".args", 'm', ArgsSizeUnknown, 0, 0, 0);
 		else
 			put(nil, ".args", 'm', s->args, 0, 0, 0);
diff --git a/src/pkg/runtime/symtab.c b/src/pkg/runtime/symtab.c
index be06d578d4..ffcb8826e6 100644
--- a/src/pkg/runtime/symtab.c
+++ b/src/pkg/runtime/symtab.c
@@ -234,8 +234,8 @@ dofunc(Sym *sym)
 			func[nfunc-1].args = sym->value;
 		else if(runtime·strcmp(sym->name, (byte*)".nptrs") == 0) {
 			// TODO(cshapiro): use a dense representation for gc information
-			if(sym->value > func[nfunc-1].args/sizeof(uintptr)) {
-				runtime·printf("more pointer map entries than argument words\n");
+			if(sym->value != func[nfunc-1].args/sizeof(uintptr)) {
+				runtime·printf("pointer map size and argument size disagree\n");
 				runtime·throw("mangled symbol table");
 			}
 			cap = ROUND(sym->value, 32) / 32;