diff --git a/gcc/go/gofrontend/expressions.cc b/gcc/go/gofrontend/expressions.cc
index 180279efac65b3764f6efac1688778057767a22f..cdf2bad09f3c7e61389b317b61a42a5e43625572 100644
--- a/gcc/go/gofrontend/expressions.cc
+++ b/gcc/go/gofrontend/expressions.cc
@@ -8153,6 +8153,8 @@ Builtin_call_expression::do_check_types(Gogo*)
 	{
 	  if (this->one_arg()->type()->channel_type() == NULL)
 	    this->report_error(_("argument must be channel"));
+	  else if (!this->one_arg()->type()->channel_type()->may_send())
+	    this->report_error(_("cannot close receive-only channel"));
 	}
       break;
 
diff --git a/libgo/runtime/go-close.c b/libgo/runtime/go-close.c
index 44533ebe4c7ff96439d80b97d5a0fcb3b6e6acaf..778eab3d7d8f2bc41622bdc1a51ac1aaecb289cc 100644
--- a/libgo/runtime/go-close.c
+++ b/libgo/runtime/go-close.c
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ __go_builtin_close (struct __go_channel *channel)
 {
   int i;
 
+  if (channel == NULL)
+    __go_panic_msg ("close of nil channel");
+
   i = pthread_mutex_lock (&channel->lock);
   __go_assert (i == 0);