diff --git a/include/avian/codegen/compiler.h b/include/avian/codegen/compiler.h
index e35486bf01..e83e00a9f0 100644
--- a/include/avian/codegen/compiler.h
+++ b/include/avian/codegen/compiler.h
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ class Compiler {
 
   virtual Operand* constant(int64_t value, ir::Type type) = 0;
   virtual Operand* promiseConstant(Promise* value, ir::Type type) = 0;
-  virtual Operand* address(Promise* address) = 0;
+  virtual Operand* address(ir::Type type, Promise* address) = 0;
   virtual Operand* memory(Operand* base,
                           ir::Type type,
                           int displacement = 0,
diff --git a/src/codegen/compiler.cpp b/src/codegen/compiler.cpp
index b89b7f6cbf..86a3ffea29 100644
--- a/src/codegen/compiler.cpp
+++ b/src/codegen/compiler.cpp
@@ -1252,6 +1252,13 @@ Value* loadLocal(Context* c, ir::Type type, unsigned index)
     fprintf(stderr, "load local %p at %d\n", c->locals[index].value, index);
   }
 
+  assert(c,
+         type.flavor() != ir::Type::Object
+         || c->locals[index].value->type.flavor() == ir::Type::Object
+            // TODO: this is a very java-specific hole in the type system.  Get
+            // rid of it:
+         || c->locals[index].value->type.flavor() == ir::Type::Address);
+
   return c->locals[index].value;
 }
 
@@ -2311,10 +2318,9 @@ class MyCompiler: public Compiler {
     return compiler::value(&c, type, compiler::constantSite(&c, value));
   }
 
-  virtual Operand* address(Promise* address) {
-    return value(&c,
-                 ir::Type(ir::Type::Address, TargetBytesPerWord),
-                 compiler::addressSite(&c, address));
+  virtual Operand* address(ir::Type type, Promise* address)
+  {
+    return value(&c, type, compiler::addressSite(&c, address));
   }
 
   virtual Operand* memory(Operand* base,
diff --git a/src/compile.cpp b/src/compile.cpp
index e208a6bb13..071664717d 100644
--- a/src/compile.cpp
+++ b/src/compile.cpp
@@ -1414,14 +1414,14 @@ class Frame {
 
       return c->binaryOp(
           lir::Add,
-          types.address,
+          types.object,
           c->memory(
-              c->threadRegister(), types.address, TARGET_THREAD_HEAPIMAGE),
-          c->promiseConstant(p, types.address));
+              c->threadRegister(), types.object, TARGET_THREAD_HEAPIMAGE),
+          c->promiseConstant(p, types.object));
     } else {
       for (PoolElement* e = context->objectPool; e; e = e->next) {
         if (o == e->target) {
-          return c->address(e);
+          return c->address(types.object, e);
         }
       }
 
@@ -1429,7 +1429,7 @@ class Frame {
 
       ++ context->objectPoolCount;
 
-      return c->address(context->objectPool);
+      return c->address(types.object, context->objectPool);
     }
   }
 
@@ -1711,7 +1711,7 @@ class Frame {
   }
 
   void pushObject(Value o) {
-    // assert(t, o->type == types.object);
+    assert(t, o->type == types.object || o->type.flavor() == ir::Type::Address);
     pushQuiet(types.object, o);
     pushedObject();
   }
@@ -3130,7 +3130,7 @@ ir::Type operandTypeForFieldCode(Thread* t, unsigned code)
     return types.i8;
 
   case ObjectField:
-    return types.address;
+    return types.object;
 
   case FloatField:
     return types.f4;