diff --git a/cl/_testdata/varinit/in.go b/cl/_testdata/varinit/in.go
index 15b17d7ebd..3f3a4e1501 100644
--- a/cl/_testdata/varinit/in.go
+++ b/cl/_testdata/varinit/in.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ var a = 100
 // CHECK-NEXT:   %0 = load i64, ptr @main.a, align 8
 // CHECK-NEXT:   %1 = add i64 %0, 1
 // CHECK-NEXT:   store i64 %1, ptr @main.a, align 8
-// CHECK-NEXT:   %2 = load i64, ptr @main.a, align 8
 // CHECK-NEXT:   ret void
 // CHECK-NEXT: }
 func main() {
diff --git a/cl/_testrt/cvar/in.go b/cl/_testrt/cvar/in.go
index 2a7b0a0d97..7a8416a18d 100644
--- a/cl/_testrt/cvar/in.go
+++ b/cl/_testrt/cvar/in.go
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ var barY struct {
 
 // CHECK-LABEL: define void @main.main(){{.*}} {
 // CHECK-NEXT: _llgo_0:
-// CHECK-NEXT:   %0 = load { [16 x i8], [2 x ptr] }, ptr @_bar_x, align 8
-// CHECK-NEXT:   %1 = load { [16 x i8] }, ptr @_bar_y, align 1
 // CHECK-NEXT:   ret void
 // CHECK-NEXT: }
 func main() {
diff --git a/cl/compile.go b/cl/compile.go
index 6ea1569324..e8cae83b5c 100644
--- a/cl/compile.go
+++ b/cl/compile.go
@@ -1331,28 +1331,17 @@ func (p *context) compileInstrOrValue(b llssa.Builder, iv instrOrValue, asValue
 				b.AssertNilDeref(x)
 			}
 			if refs, ok := nonDebugReferrers(v); ok && len(refs) == 0 {
-				if t := p.type_(v.Type(), llssa.InGo); t.RawType() != nil {
-					if p.isLargeNonPointerValue(t) {
-						x := p.compileValue(b, v.X)
-						p.recordPanicLocation(b, v.Pos())
-						p.assertNilDerefBase(b, v.X)
-						b.AssertNilDeref(x)
-						return
-					}
-				}
 				if skipUnusedArrayDeref(v) {
 					p.compileValue(b, v.X)
 					return
 				}
-				if _, ok := types.Unalias(v.Type()).Underlying().(*types.Slice); ok {
-					// Zero-length slice-to-array conversions can leave only
-					// an unused slice deref; preserve its required nil check.
-					x := p.compileValue(b, v.X)
-					p.recordPanicLocation(b, v.Pos())
-					p.assertNilDerefBase(b, v.X)
-					b.AssertNilDeref(x)
-					return
-				}
+				// LLVM may eliminate an unused load, but evaluating a Go
+				// dereference must still panic when its pointer is nil.
+				x := p.compileValue(b, v.X)
+				p.recordPanicLocation(b, v.Pos())
+				p.assertNilDerefBase(b, v.X)
+				b.AssertNilDeref(x)
+				return
 			}
 			if refs, ok := nonDebugReferrers(v); ok && len(refs) == 1 {
 				if _, ok := refs[0].(*ssa.MakeInterface); ok {
diff --git a/cl/zero_size_deref_test.go b/cl/zero_size_deref_test.go
index 48de2b8d67..a84cccc06f 100644
--- a/cl/zero_size_deref_test.go
+++ b/cl/zero_size_deref_test.go
@@ -71,3 +71,24 @@ func keepPointer(pointer *struct{}) func() bool {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestUnusedDerefEmitsNilGuard(t *testing.T) {
+	const src = `package unusedderef
+func LoadArrayElement() {
+	var values [2]*int
+	_ = *values[1]
+}
+func LoadPointer(p *int) {
+	_ = *p
+}
+`
+	ir := compileWithRewrites(t, src, nil)
+	arrayLoad := llvmFunction(t, ir, "unusedderef.LoadArrayElement")
+	if !strings.Contains(arrayLoad, "AssertNilDeref") {
+		t.Fatalf("unused array-element dereference should retain a nil guard:\n%s", arrayLoad)
+	}
+	directLoad := llvmFunction(t, ir, "unusedderef.LoadPointer")
+	if !strings.Contains(directLoad, "AssertNilDeref") {
+		t.Fatalf("unused direct dereference should retain a nil guard:\n%s", directLoad)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/test/go/nil_deref_address_test.go b/test/go/nil_deref_address_test.go
index e2a9506b3d..c02f966f53 100644
--- a/test/go/nil_deref_address_test.go
+++ b/test/go/nil_deref_address_test.go
@@ -47,6 +47,33 @@ func TestNilDerefAddressOperationsPanic(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestUnusedNilDerefOperationsPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		f    func()
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "direct pointer",
+			f: func() {
+				var p *int
+				_ = *p
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "pointer loaded from array",
+			f: func() {
+				var values [2]*int
+				_ = *values[1]
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			expectNilDerefAddressPanic(t, tt.f)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNilDerefPrintedCompositeLoadsPanic(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name string
diff --git a/test/goroot/xfail.yaml b/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
index 46da01411a..6e6b54b778 100644
--- a/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
+++ b/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
@@ -1559,14 +1559,6 @@ xfails:
     directive: run
     case: fixedbugs/issue57823.go
     reason: go1.26 goroot run failure on linux/amd64
-  - platform: darwin/arm64
-    directive: run
-    case: fixedbugs/issue38496.go
-    reason: current main goroot run failure on darwin/arm64
-  - platform: linux/amd64
-    directive: run
-    case: fixedbugs/issue38496.go
-    reason: current main goroot run failure on linux/amd64
   - platform: linux/amd64
     directive: run
     case: nilptr.go