diff --git a/src/cmd/vet/copylock.go b/src/cmd/vet/copylock.go
index 31c1257a47017..e8f94fc685672 100644
--- a/src/cmd/vet/copylock.go
+++ b/src/cmd/vet/copylock.go
@@ -61,7 +61,10 @@ func checkCopyLocksGenDecl(f *File, gd *ast.GenDecl) {
 		return
 	}
 	for _, spec := range gd.Specs {
-		valueSpec := spec.(*ast.ValueSpec)
+		valueSpec, ok := spec.(*ast.ValueSpec)
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
 		for i, x := range valueSpec.Values {
 			if path := lockPathRhs(f, x); path != nil {
 				f.Badf(x.Pos(), "variable declaration copies lock value to %v: %v", valueSpec.Names[i].Name, path)
diff --git a/src/cmd/vet/shadow.go b/src/cmd/vet/shadow.go
index 29c952fd8858e..764129d94cb10 100644
--- a/src/cmd/vet/shadow.go
+++ b/src/cmd/vet/shadow.go
@@ -188,8 +188,7 @@ func checkShadowDecl(f *File, d *ast.GenDecl) {
 	for _, spec := range d.Specs {
 		valueSpec, ok := spec.(*ast.ValueSpec)
 		if !ok {
-			f.Badf(spec.Pos(), "invalid AST: var GenDecl not ValueSpec")
-			return
+			continue
 		}
 		// Don't complain about deliberate redeclarations of the form
 		//	var i = i
diff --git a/src/cmd/vet/testdata/copylock.go b/src/cmd/vet/testdata/copylock.go
index 35ed766f1da7e..52ac29c47c51f 100644
--- a/src/cmd/vet/testdata/copylock.go
+++ b/src/cmd/vet/testdata/copylock.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package testdata
 
 import (
+	"runtime"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 )
@@ -156,3 +157,11 @@ func AtomicTypesCheck() {
 	vP := &vX
 	vZ := &atomic.Value{}
 }
+
+// ensure we don't crash when we encounter aliases; issue 17755
+
+var _ => runtime.MemProfileRate
+
+const _ => runtime.Compiler
+
+type _ => sync.Mutex