diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/crawler.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/crawler.go
index 5a9649e7a1..cdb1c46509 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/crawler.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/typecheck/crawler.go
@@ -11,11 +11,22 @@ import (
 )
 
 // crawlExports crawls the type/object graph rooted at the given list of exported
-// objects. It descends through all parts of types and follows any methods on defined
-// types. Any functions that are found to be potentially callable by importers are
-// marked with ExportInline, so that iexport.go knows to re-export their inline body.
-// Also, any function or global referenced by a function marked by ExportInline() is
-// marked for export (whether its name is exported or not).
+// objects (which are variables, functions, and types). It descends through all parts
+// of types and follows methods on defined types. Any functions that are found to be
+// potentially callable by importers directly or after inlining are marked with
+// ExportInline, so that iexport.go knows to export their inline body.
+//
+// The overall purpose of crawlExports is to AVOID exporting inlineable methods
+// that cannot actually be referenced, thereby reducing the size of the exports
+// significantly.
+//
+// For non-generic defined types reachable from global variables, we only set
+// ExportInline for exported methods. For defined types that are directly named or are
+// embedded recursively in such a type, we set ExportInline for all methods, since
+// these types can be embedded in another local type. For instantiated types that are
+// used anywhere in a inlineable function, we set ExportInline on all methods of the
+// base generic type, since all methods will be needed for creating any instantiated
+// type.
 func crawlExports(exports []*ir.Name) {
 	p := crawler{
 		marked:   make(map[*types.Type]bool),
@@ -170,10 +181,12 @@ func (p *crawler) markEmbed(t *types.Type) {
 	}
 }
 
-// markGeneric takes an instantiated type or a base generic type t, and
-// marks all the methods of the base generic type of t. If a base generic
-// type is written to export file, even if not explicitly marked for export,
-// all of its methods need to be available for instantiation if needed.
+// markGeneric takes an instantiated type or a base generic type t, and marks all the
+// methods of the base generic type of t. If a base generic type is written out for
+// export, even if not explicitly marked for export, then all of its methods need to
+// be available for instantiation, since we always create all methods of a specified
+// instantiated type. Non-exported methods must generally be instantiated, since they may
+// be called by the exported methods or other generic function in the same package.
 func (p *crawler) markGeneric(t *types.Type) {
 	if t.IsPtr() {
 		t = t.Elem()
@@ -222,6 +235,9 @@ func (p *crawler) markInlBody(n *ir.Name) {
 	doFlood = func(n ir.Node) {
 		t := n.Type()
 		if t != nil {
+			if t.IsPtr() {
+				t = t.Elem()
+			}
 			if t.IsFullyInstantiated() && !t.HasShape() && !t.IsInterface() && t.Methods().Len() > 0 {
 				// For any fully-instantiated type, the relevant
 				// dictionaries and shape instantiations will have
@@ -287,6 +303,10 @@ func (p *crawler) markInlBody(n *ir.Name) {
 			switch n.Class {
 			case ir.PFUNC:
 				p.markInlBody(n)
+				// Note: this Export() and the one below seem unneeded,
+				// since any function/extern name encountered in an
+				// exported function body will be exported
+				// automatically via qualifiedIdent() in iexport.go.
 				Export(n)
 			case ir.PEXTERN:
 				Export(n)
diff --git a/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/a.go b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/a.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..50d6b4adeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/a.go
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// Copyright 2021 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package a
+
+var V val[int]
+
+type val[T any] struct {
+	valx T
+}
+
+func (v *val[T]) Print() {
+	v.print1()
+}
+
+func (v *val[T]) print1() {
+	println(v.valx)
+}
+
+func (v *val[T]) fnprint1() {
+	println(v.valx)
+}
+
+func FnPrint[T any](v *val[T]) {
+	v.fnprint1()
+}
diff --git a/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/main.go b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..063de7f350
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.dir/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// Copyright 2021 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package main
+
+import "a"
+
+func main() {
+	a.V.Print()
+	a.FnPrint(&a.V)
+}
diff --git a/test/typeparam/gencrawler.go b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7c268aed51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.go
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// rundir -G=3
+
+// Copyright 2021 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// Testing that all methods of a private generic type are exported, if a variable
+// with that type is exported.
+
+package ignored
diff --git a/test/typeparam/gencrawler.out b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aa47d0d46d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/typeparam/gencrawler.out
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+0
+0