diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/liveness.rs b/src/rustc/middle/liveness.rs
index cc8b0383e36..9ad4009c513 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/liveness.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/liveness.rs
@@ -1669,7 +1669,14 @@ impl check_methods for @liveness {
                     #fmt["illegal move from field `%s`", *name]);
                 ret;
               }
-              vk_local(*) | vk_self | vk_implicit_ret {
+              vk_self {
+                self.tcx.sess.span_err(
+                    move_span,
+                    "illegal move from self (cannot move out of a field of \
+                       self)");
+                ret;
+              }
+              vk_local(*) | vk_implicit_ret {
                 self.tcx.sess.span_bug(
                     move_span,
                     #fmt["illegal reader (%?) for `%?`",
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-2590.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-2590.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c27fee9f8a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-2590.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import dvec::dvec;
+
+type parser = {
+    tokens: dvec<int>,
+};
+
+impl parser for parser {
+    fn parse() -> [mut int] {
+        dvec::unwrap(self.tokens) //! ERROR illegal move from self
+    }
+}
+
+fn main() {}