diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/tydecode.rs b/src/comp/metadata/tydecode.rs
index 8de3aa95e62..812a33b8b7a 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/tydecode.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/tydecode.rs
@@ -292,6 +292,13 @@ fn parse_ty(st: @pstate, conv: conv_did) -> ty::t {
         assert (next(st) as char == ']');
         ret ty::mk_constr(st.tcx, tt, tcs);
       }
+      '"' {
+        let name = "";
+        while peek(st) as char != '"' { str::push_byte(name, next(st)); }
+        st.pos = st.pos + 1u;
+        let inner = parse_ty(st, conv);
+        ty::mk_named(st.tcx, inner, @name)
+      }
       c { #error("unexpected char in type string: %c", c); fail;}
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/tyencode.rs b/src/comp/metadata/tyencode.rs
index d08beba7311..75ecbdc2830 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/tyencode.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/tyencode.rs
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ fn enc_ty(w: io::writer, cx: @ctxt, t: ty::t) {
           some(s) { *s }
           none. {
             let buf = io::mk_mem_buffer();
-            enc_sty(io::mem_buffer_writer(buf), cx, ty::struct(cx.tcx, t));
+            enc_sty(io::mem_buffer_writer(buf), cx,
+                    ty::struct_raw(cx.tcx, t));
             cx.tcx.short_names_cache.insert(t, @io::mem_buffer_str(buf));
             io::mem_buffer_str(buf)
           }
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@ fn enc_ty(w: io::writer, cx: @ctxt, t: ty::t) {
           some(a) { w.write_str(*a.s); ret; }
           none. {
             let pos = w.tell();
-            enc_sty(w, cx, ty::struct(cx.tcx, t));
+            enc_sty(w, cx, ty::struct_raw(cx.tcx, t));
             let end = w.tell();
             let len = end - pos;
             fn estimate_sz(u: uint) -> uint {
@@ -188,6 +189,12 @@ fn enc_sty(w: io::writer, cx: @ctxt, st: ty::sty) {
         for tc: @ty::type_constr in cs { enc_ty_constr(w, cx, tc); }
         w.write_char(']');
       }
+      ty::ty_named(t, name) {
+        w.write_char('"');
+        w.write_str(*name);
+        w.write_char('"');
+        enc_ty(w, cx, t);
+      }
     }
 }
 fn enc_proto(w: io::writer, proto: proto) {
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/ty.rs b/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
index 60289d28428..d44b0ee0072 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ export node_type_table;
 export pat_ty;
 export ret_ty_of_fn;
 export sequence_element_type;
-export struct;
+export struct, struct_raw;
 export ty_name;
 export sort_methods;
 export stmt_node_id;
@@ -641,6 +641,10 @@ pure fn struct(cx: ctxt, typ: t) -> sty {
     }
 }
 
+pure fn struct_raw(cx: ctxt, typ: t) -> sty {
+    interner::get(*cx.ts, typ).struct
+}
+
 // Returns struact(cx, typ) but replaces all occurences of platform
 // dependent primitive types with their machine type equivalent
 pure fn mach_struct(cx: ctxt, cfg: @session::config, typ: t) -> sty {
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs b/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
index ca8c0cfcfc3..c7736056a50 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/typeck.rs
@@ -439,6 +439,7 @@ fn ty_of_native_item(tcx: ty::ctxt, mode: mode, it: @ast::native_item)
           none. { }
         }
         let t = ty::mk_native(tcx, ast_util::local_def(it.id));
+        let t = ty::mk_named(tcx, t, @it.ident);
         let tpt = {bounds: @[], ty: t};
         tcx.tcache.insert(local_def(it.id), tpt);
         ret tpt;
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/native-type-mismatch.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/native-type-mismatch.rs
index d4b8e44cad0..47e52863dda 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/native-type-mismatch.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/native-type-mismatch.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// error-pattern:expected `*u8` but found `native`
+// error-pattern:expected `sbuf` but found `FILE`
 use std;
 
 fn main() unsafe {