diff --git a/cmd/guru/guru_test.go b/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
index ac185fd..4026136 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
+++ b/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@
 		"testdata/src/alias/alias.go", // iff guru.HasAlias (go1.9)
 		"testdata/src/calls/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/describe/main.go",
+		"testdata/src/describe/main19.go", // iff go1.9
 		"testdata/src/freevars/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/implements/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/implements-methods/main.go",
@@ -237,6 +238,7 @@
 		"testdata/src/calls-json/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/peers-json/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/definition-json/main.go",
+		"testdata/src/definition-json/main19.go",
 		"testdata/src/describe-json/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/implements-json/main.go",
 		"testdata/src/implements-methods-json/main.go",
@@ -252,6 +254,11 @@
 		if filename == "testdata/src/alias/alias.go" && !guru.HasAlias {
 			continue
 		}
+		if strings.HasSuffix(filename, "19.go") && !contains(build.Default.ReleaseTags, "go1.9") {
+			// TODO(adonovan): recombine the 'describe' and 'definition'
+			// tests once we drop support for go1.8.
+			continue
+		}
 
 		json := strings.Contains(filename, "-json/")
 		queries := parseQueries(t, filename)
@@ -296,6 +303,15 @@
 	}
 }
 
+func contains(haystack []string, needle string) bool {
+	for _, x := range haystack {
+		if needle == x {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func TestIssue14684(t *testing.T) {
 	var buildContext = build.Default
 	buildContext.GOPATH = "testdata"
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.go b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.go
index 1674519..6408404 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.go
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 import (
 	"lib"
 	lib2 "lib"
-	"nosuchpkg"
 )
 
 func main() {
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@
 	var _ lib.Const    // @definition qualified-const "Const"
 	var _ lib2.Type    // @definition qualified-type-renaming "Type"
 	var _ lib.Nonesuch // @definition qualified-nomember "Nonesuch"
-	var _ nosuchpkg.T  // @definition qualified-nopkg "nosuchpkg"
 
 	var u U
 	print(u.field) // @definition select-field "field"
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.golden
index e93903d..af0a687 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.golden
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main.golden
@@ -11,17 +11,17 @@
 }
 -------- @definition lexical-func --------
 {
-	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:38:6",
+	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:36:6",
 	"desc": "func f"
 }
 -------- @definition lexical-var --------
 {
-	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:19:6",
+	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:18:6",
 	"desc": "var x"
 }
 -------- @definition lexical-shadowing --------
 {
-	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:22:5",
+	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:21:5",
 	"desc": "var x"
 }
 -------- @definition qualified-type --------
@@ -52,17 +52,14 @@
 -------- @definition qualified-nomember --------
 
 Error: couldn't find declaration of Nonesuch in "lib"
--------- @definition qualified-nopkg --------
-
-Error: no object for identifier
 -------- @definition select-field --------
 {
-	"objpos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:40:16",
+	"objpos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:38:16",
 	"desc": "field field int"
 }
 -------- @definition select-method --------
 {
-	"objpos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:42:10",
+	"objpos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:40:10",
 	"desc": "func (T).method()"
 }
 -------- @definition embedded-other-file --------
@@ -88,6 +85,6 @@
 }
 -------- @definition embedded-same-file --------
 {
-	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:40:6",
+	"objpos": "$GOPATH/src/definition-json/main.go:38:6",
 	"desc": "type T"
 }
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.go b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f047c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.go
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package definition
+
+import "nosuchpkg"
+
+var _ nosuchpkg.T // @definition qualified-nopkg "nosuchpkg"
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.golden
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3281aa5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/definition-json/main19.golden
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+-------- @definition qualified-nopkg --------
+{
+	"objpos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main19.go:3:8",
+	"desc": "package nosuchpkg"
+}
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.go b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.go
index 8e56aca..c6c5349 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.go
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.go
@@ -8,14 +8,9 @@
 
 import (
 	"lib"
-	"nosuchpkg"            // @describe badimport1 "nosuchpkg"
-	nosuchpkg2 "nosuchpkg" // @describe badimport2 "nosuchpkg2"
-	_ "unsafe"             // @describe unsafe "unsafe"
+	_ "unsafe" // @describe unsafe "unsafe"
 )
 
-var _ nosuchpkg.T
-var _ nosuchpkg2.T
-
 type cake float64 // @describe type-ref-builtin "float64"
 
 const c = iota // @describe const-ref-iota "iota"
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.golden
index 940ef57..724643d 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.golden
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main.golden
@@ -13,12 +13,6 @@
 	const pi     untyped float = 3.141
 	const pie    cake = 3.141
 
--------- @describe badimport1 --------
-
-Error: can't import package "nosuchpkg"
--------- @describe badimport2 --------
-
-Error: can't import package "nosuchpkg"
 -------- @describe unsafe --------
 import of package "unsafe"
 	builtin Alignof 
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.go b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2068f8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.go
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package describe
+
+// The behavior of "describe" on a non-existent import changed
+// when go/types started returning fake packages, so this test
+// is executed only under go1.9.
+
+import (
+	"nosuchpkg"            // @describe badimport1 "nosuchpkg"
+	nosuchpkg2 "nosuchpkg" // @describe badimport2 "nosuchpkg2"
+)
+
+var _ nosuchpkg.T
+var _ nosuchpkg2.T
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.golden
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..005e30b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/describe/main19.golden
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+-------- @describe badimport1 --------
+import of package "nosuchpkg"
+
+-------- @describe badimport2 --------
+reference to package "nosuchpkg"
+
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers-json/main.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers-json/main.golden
index bc44ab2..7bda141 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers-json/main.golden
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers-json/main.golden
@@ -6,35 +6,35 @@
 	"package": "definition-json",
 	"refs": [
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:19:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:18:8",
 			"text": "\tvar x lib.T           // @definition lexical-pkgname \"lib\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:25:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:24:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Type     // @definition qualified-type \"Type\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:26:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:25:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Func     // @definition qualified-func \"Func\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:27:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:26:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Var      // @definition qualified-var \"Var\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:28:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:27:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Const    // @definition qualified-const \"Const\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:29:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:28:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib2.Type    // @definition qualified-type-renaming \"Type\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:30:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:29:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Nonesuch // @definition qualified-nomember \"Nonesuch\""
 		},
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:63:2",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/definition-json/main.go:61:2",
 			"text": "\tlib.Type // @definition embedded-other-pkg \"Type\""
 		}
 	]
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 	"package": "describe",
 	"refs": [
 		{
-			"pos": "testdata/src/describe/main.go:91:8",
+			"pos": "testdata/src/describe/main.go:86:8",
 			"text": "\tvar _ lib.Outer // @describe lib-outer \"Outer\""
 		}
 	]