diff --git a/src/Attr.cc b/src/Attr.cc
index 6850c80b5f..976fde083e 100644
--- a/src/Attr.cc
+++ b/src/Attr.cc
@@ -208,8 +208,11 @@ void Attributes::AddAttr(AttrPtr attr, bool is_redef)
 	attrs.emplace_back(attr);
 
 	// We only check the attribute after we've added it, to facilitate
-	// generating error messages via Attributes::Describe.
-	CheckAttr(attr.get());
+	// generating error messages via Attributes::Describe.  If the
+	// instantiator of the object specified a null type, however, then
+	// that's a signal to skip the checking.
+	if ( type )
+		CheckAttr(attr.get());
 
 	// For ADD_FUNC or DEL_FUNC, add in an implicit REDEF, since
 	// those attributes only have meaning for a redefinable value.
diff --git a/src/Attr.h b/src/Attr.h
index 5f1f2ab59f..9c29c4ccd0 100644
--- a/src/Attr.h
+++ b/src/Attr.h
@@ -86,10 +86,11 @@ public:
 			return false;
 
 		if ( expr || other.expr )
-			// If any has an expression and they aren't the same object, we
-			// declare them unequal, as we can't really find out if the two
-			// expressions are equivalent.
-			return (expr == other.expr);
+			// Too hard to check for equivalency, since one
+			// might be expressed/compiled differently than
+			// the other, so assume they're compatible, as
+			// long as both are present.
+			return expr && other.expr;
 
 		return true;
 		}