diff --git a/src/Type.cc b/src/Type.cc
index ce3bbc52af..e5e3103fb8 100644
--- a/src/Type.cc
+++ b/src/Type.cc
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 #include "Scope.h"
 #include "Serializer.h"
 
+extern int generate_documentation;
+
 const char* type_name(TypeTag t)
 	{
 	static char errbuf[512];
@@ -44,6 +46,7 @@ BroType::BroType(TypeTag t, bool arg_base_type)
 	tag = t;
 	is_network_order = 0;
 	base_type = arg_base_type;
+	type_id = 0;
 
 	switch ( tag ) {
 	case TYPE_VOID:
@@ -195,8 +198,9 @@ BroType* BroType::Unserialize(UnserialInfo* info, TypeTag want)
 	if ( ! t )
 		return 0;
 
-	// For base types, we return our current instance.
-	if ( t->base_type )
+	// For base types, we return our current instance
+	// if not in "documentation mode".
+	if ( t->base_type && ! generate_documentation )
 		{
 		BroType* t2 = ::base_type(TypeTag(t->tag));
 		Unref(t);
diff --git a/src/Type.h b/src/Type.h
index fe4f7a5eb5..6dd3364ad4 100644
--- a/src/Type.h
+++ b/src/Type.h
@@ -206,8 +206,11 @@ public:
 	bool Serialize(SerialInfo* info) const;
 	static BroType* Unserialize(UnserialInfo* info, TypeTag want = TYPE_ANY);
 
+	void SetTypeID(const ID* id) { type_id = id; }
+	const ID* GetTypeID() const { return type_id; }
+
 protected:
-	BroType()	{ }
+	BroType()	{ type_id = 0; }
 
 	void SetError();
 
@@ -218,6 +221,10 @@ private:
 	InternalTypeTag internal_tag;
 	bool is_network_order;
 	bool base_type;
+
+	// This type_id field is only used by the documentation framework to
+	// track the names of declared types.
+	const ID* type_id;
 };
 
 class TypeList : public BroType {
diff --git a/src/Var.cc b/src/Var.cc
index 04ef78c14c..324ffb05e8 100644
--- a/src/Var.cc
+++ b/src/Var.cc
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 #include "RemoteSerializer.h"
 #include "EventRegistry.h"
 
+extern int generate_documentation;
+
 static Val* init_val(Expr* init, const BroType* t, Val* aggr)
 	{
 	return init->InitVal(t, aggr);
@@ -217,11 +219,44 @@ extern Expr* add_and_assign_local(ID* id, Expr* init, Val* val)
 
 void add_type(ID* id, BroType* t, attr_list* attr, int /* is_event */)
 	{
-	id->SetType(t);
+	BroType* tnew = t;
+
+	// In "documentation mode", we'd like to to be able to associate
+	// an identifier name with a declared type.  Dealing with declared
+	// types that are "aliases" to a builtin type requires that the BroType
+	// is cloned before setting the identifier name that resolves to it.
+	// And still this is not enough to document cases where the declared type
+	// is an alias for another declared type -- but that's not a natural/common
+	// practice.  If documenting that corner case is desired, one way
+	// is to add an ID* to class ID that tracks aliases and set it here if
+	// t->GetTypeID() is true.
+	if ( generate_documentation )
+		{
+		SerializationFormat* form = new BinarySerializationFormat();
+		form->StartWrite();
+		CloneSerializer ss(form);
+		SerialInfo sinfo(&ss);
+		sinfo.cache = false;
+
+		t->Serialize(&sinfo);
+		char* data;
+		uint32 len = form->EndWrite(&data);
+		form->StartRead(data, len);
+
+		UnserialInfo uinfo(&ss);
+		uinfo.cache = false;
+		tnew = t->Unserialize(&uinfo);
+
+		delete [] data;
+
+		tnew->SetTypeID(id);
+		}
+
+	id->SetType(tnew);
 	id->MakeType();
 
 	if ( attr )
-		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(attr, t));
+		id->SetAttrs(new Attributes(attr, tnew));
 	}
 
 void begin_func(ID* id, const char* module_name, function_flavor flavor,