diff --git a/src/runtime/export_test.go b/src/runtime/export_test.go
index 26508534717eee22a46970c120fefbc1d55dcc50..4bff1bd4540525141e14ada3284a789dc9956874 100644
--- a/src/runtime/export_test.go
+++ b/src/runtime/export_test.go
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ type LFNode struct {
 }
 
 func LFStackPush(head *uint64, node *LFNode) {
-	lfstackpush(head, (*lfnode)(unsafe.Pointer(node)))
+	(*lfstack)(head).push((*lfnode)(unsafe.Pointer(node)))
 }
 
 func LFStackPop(head *uint64) *LFNode {
-	return (*LFNode)(unsafe.Pointer(lfstackpop(head)))
+	return (*LFNode)(unsafe.Pointer((*lfstack)(head).pop()))
 }
 
 func GCMask(x interface{}) (ret []byte) {
diff --git a/src/runtime/lfstack.go b/src/runtime/lfstack.go
index 8e33ce1d09c9acdd53c9cfe409d77155120eeb5b..4787c5be3fac497f524f4f7fbbc613cf2ab97d6c 100644
--- a/src/runtime/lfstack.go
+++ b/src/runtime/lfstack.go
@@ -3,10 +3,6 @@
 // license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
 
 // Lock-free stack.
-// Initialize head to 0, compare with 0 to test for emptiness.
-// The stack does not keep pointers to nodes,
-// so they can be garbage collected if there are no other pointers to nodes.
-// The following code runs only in non-preemptible contexts.
 
 package runtime
 
@@ -15,32 +11,47 @@ import (
 	"unsafe"
 )
 
-func lfstackpush(head *uint64, node *lfnode) {
+// lfstack is the head of a lock-free stack.
+//
+// The zero value of lfstack is an empty list.
+//
+// This stack is intrusive. Nodes must embed lfnode as the first field.
+//
+// The stack does not keep GC-visible pointers to nodes, so the caller
+// is responsible for ensuring the nodes are not garbage collected
+// (typically by allocating them from manually-managed memory).
+type lfstack uint64
+
+func (head *lfstack) push(node *lfnode) {
 	node.pushcnt++
 	new := lfstackPack(node, node.pushcnt)
 	if node1 := lfstackUnpack(new); node1 != node {
-		print("runtime: lfstackpush invalid packing: node=", node, " cnt=", hex(node.pushcnt), " packed=", hex(new), " -> node=", node1, "\n")
-		throw("lfstackpush")
+		print("runtime: lfstack.push invalid packing: node=", node, " cnt=", hex(node.pushcnt), " packed=", hex(new), " -> node=", node1, "\n")
+		throw("lfstack.push")
 	}
 	for {
-		old := atomic.Load64(head)
+		old := atomic.Load64((*uint64)(head))
 		node.next = old
-		if atomic.Cas64(head, old, new) {
+		if atomic.Cas64((*uint64)(head), old, new) {
 			break
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-func lfstackpop(head *uint64) unsafe.Pointer {
+func (head *lfstack) pop() unsafe.Pointer {
 	for {
-		old := atomic.Load64(head)
+		old := atomic.Load64((*uint64)(head))
 		if old == 0 {
 			return nil
 		}
 		node := lfstackUnpack(old)
 		next := atomic.Load64(&node.next)
-		if atomic.Cas64(head, old, next) {
+		if atomic.Cas64((*uint64)(head), old, next) {
 			return unsafe.Pointer(node)
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func (head *lfstack) empty() bool {
+	return atomic.Load64((*uint64)(head)) == 0
+}
diff --git a/src/runtime/mgc.go b/src/runtime/mgc.go
index 94adef46cb88a0cca4e579bf90fede5e9fd1fc5a..2bdb21af993632a4ef60629cfd29ad71c602f1fc 100644
--- a/src/runtime/mgc.go
+++ b/src/runtime/mgc.go
@@ -782,8 +782,8 @@ const gcAssistTimeSlack = 5000
 const gcOverAssistWork = 64 << 10
 
 var work struct {
-	full  uint64                   // lock-free list of full blocks workbuf
-	empty uint64                   // lock-free list of empty blocks workbuf
+	full  lfstack                  // lock-free list of full blocks workbuf
+	empty lfstack                  // lock-free list of empty blocks workbuf
 	pad0  [sys.CacheLineSize]uint8 // prevents false-sharing between full/empty and nproc/nwait
 
 	// bytesMarked is the number of bytes marked this cycle. This
@@ -1574,7 +1574,7 @@ func gcMarkWorkAvailable(p *p) bool {
 	if p != nil && !p.gcw.empty() {
 		return true
 	}
-	if atomic.Load64(&work.full) != 0 {
+	if !work.full.empty() {
 		return true // global work available
 	}
 	if work.markrootNext < work.markrootJobs {
diff --git a/src/runtime/mgcwork.go b/src/runtime/mgcwork.go
index 6b0c4dccaa186ee0377d92eae183f022419763c7..1df40d2afe1c5f85eadc08f656de89333ee312cd 100644
--- a/src/runtime/mgcwork.go
+++ b/src/runtime/mgcwork.go
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ func (b *workbuf) checkempty() {
 func getempty() *workbuf {
 	var b *workbuf
 	if work.empty != 0 {
-		b = (*workbuf)(lfstackpop(&work.empty))
+		b = (*workbuf)(work.empty.pop())
 		if b != nil {
 			b.checkempty()
 		}
@@ -324,11 +324,11 @@ func getempty() *workbuf {
 }
 
 // putempty puts a workbuf onto the work.empty list.
-// Upon entry this go routine owns b. The lfstackpush relinquishes ownership.
+// Upon entry this go routine owns b. The lfstack.push relinquishes ownership.
 //go:nowritebarrier
 func putempty(b *workbuf) {
 	b.checkempty()
-	lfstackpush(&work.empty, &b.node)
+	work.empty.push(&b.node)
 }
 
 // putfull puts the workbuf on the work.full list for the GC.
@@ -337,14 +337,14 @@ func putempty(b *workbuf) {
 //go:nowritebarrier
 func putfull(b *workbuf) {
 	b.checknonempty()
-	lfstackpush(&work.full, &b.node)
+	work.full.push(&b.node)
 }
 
 // trygetfull tries to get a full or partially empty workbuffer.
 // If one is not immediately available return nil
 //go:nowritebarrier
 func trygetfull() *workbuf {
-	b := (*workbuf)(lfstackpop(&work.full))
+	b := (*workbuf)(work.full.pop())
 	if b != nil {
 		b.checknonempty()
 		return b
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ func trygetfull() *workbuf {
 // phase.
 //go:nowritebarrier
 func getfull() *workbuf {
-	b := (*workbuf)(lfstackpop(&work.full))
+	b := (*workbuf)(work.full.pop())
 	if b != nil {
 		b.checknonempty()
 		return b
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ func getfull() *workbuf {
 				println("runtime: work.nwait=", decnwait, "work.nproc=", work.nproc)
 				throw("work.nwait > work.nproc")
 			}
-			b = (*workbuf)(lfstackpop(&work.full))
+			b = (*workbuf)(work.full.pop())
 			if b != nil {
 				b.checknonempty()
 				return b