diff --git a/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs b/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
index ac8b5211878..58f02e3da55 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/doctest.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ use rustc_session::{lint, Session};
 use rustc_span::edition::Edition;
 use rustc_span::source_map::SourceMap;
 use rustc_span::symbol::sym;
-use rustc_span::Symbol;
 use rustc_span::{BytePos, FileName, Pos, Span, DUMMY_SP};
 use rustc_target::spec::TargetTriple;
 use tempfile::Builder as TempFileBuilder;
@@ -124,7 +123,7 @@ pub(crate) fn run(options: RustdocOptions) -> Result<(), ErrorGuaranteed> {
                     let opts = scrape_test_config(crate_attrs);
                     let enable_per_target_ignores = options.enable_per_target_ignores;
                     let mut collector = Collector::new(
-                        tcx.crate_name(LOCAL_CRATE),
+                        tcx.crate_name(LOCAL_CRATE).to_string(),
                         options,
                         false,
                         opts,
@@ -908,7 +907,7 @@ pub(crate) struct Collector {
     rustdoc_options: RustdocOptions,
     use_headers: bool,
     enable_per_target_ignores: bool,
-    crate_name: Symbol,
+    crate_name: String,
     opts: GlobalTestOptions,
     position: Span,
     source_map: Option<Lrc<SourceMap>>,
@@ -920,7 +919,7 @@ pub(crate) struct Collector {
 
 impl Collector {
     pub(crate) fn new(
-        crate_name: Symbol,
+        crate_name: String,
         rustdoc_options: RustdocOptions,
         use_headers: bool,
         opts: GlobalTestOptions,
@@ -983,7 +982,7 @@ impl Tester for Collector {
     fn add_test(&mut self, test: String, config: LangString, line: usize) {
         let filename = self.get_filename();
         let name = self.generate_name(line, &filename);
-        let crate_name = self.crate_name.to_string();
+        let crate_name = self.crate_name.clone();
         let opts = self.opts.clone();
         let edition = config.edition.unwrap_or(self.rustdoc_options.edition);
         let rustdoc_options = self.rustdoc_options.clone();
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
index ef01b854e5a..ce6f7e817c6 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
@@ -700,11 +700,7 @@ fn main_args(at_args: &[String]) -> MainResult {
             };
         }
     };
-    rustc_interface::util::run_in_thread_pool_with_globals(
-        options.edition,
-        1, // this runs single-threaded, even in a parallel compiler
-        move || main_options(options),
-    )
+    main_options(options)
 }
 
 fn wrap_return(diag: &rustc_errors::Handler, res: Result<(), String>) -> MainResult {
@@ -749,9 +745,12 @@ fn main_options(options: config::Options) -> MainResult {
         (true, true) => return wrap_return(&diag, markdown::test(options)),
         (true, false) => return doctest::run(options),
         (false, true) => {
+            // Session globals are required for symbol interning.
             return wrap_return(
                 &diag,
-                markdown::render(&options.input, options.render_options, options.edition),
+                rustc_span::create_session_globals_then(options.edition, || {
+                    markdown::render(&options.input, options.render_options, options.edition)
+                }),
             );
         }
         (false, false) => {}
@@ -777,9 +776,10 @@ fn main_options(options: config::Options) -> MainResult {
     let render_options = options.render_options.clone();
     let scrape_examples_options = options.scrape_examples_options.clone();
     let document_private = options.render_options.document_private;
+
     let config = core::create_config(options);
 
-    interface::create_compiler_and_run(config, |compiler| {
+    interface::run_compiler(config, |compiler| {
         let sess = compiler.session();
 
         if sess.opts.describe_lints {
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs b/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
index 0b557ef244e..eb64ac455dc 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ use std::path::Path;
 
 use rustc_span::edition::Edition;
 use rustc_span::source_map::DUMMY_SP;
-use rustc_span::Symbol;
 
 use crate::config::{Options, RenderOptions};
 use crate::doctest::{Collector, GlobalTestOptions};
@@ -36,6 +35,8 @@ fn extract_leading_metadata(s: &str) -> (Vec<&str>, &str) {
 
 /// Render `input` (e.g., "foo.md") into an HTML file in `output`
 /// (e.g., output = "bar" => "bar/foo.html").
+///
+/// Requires session globals to be available, for symbol interning.
 pub(crate) fn render<P: AsRef<Path>>(
     input: P,
     options: RenderOptions,
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ pub(crate) fn test(options: Options) -> Result<(), String> {
     let mut opts = GlobalTestOptions::default();
     opts.no_crate_inject = true;
     let mut collector = Collector::new(
-        Symbol::intern(&options.input.display().to_string()),
+        options.input.display().to_string(),
         options.clone(),
         true,
         opts,