diff --git a/compiler/ast.nim b/compiler/ast.nim
index 1a686b2f6f..5f55c7ffa9 100644
--- a/compiler/ast.nim
+++ b/compiler/ast.nim
@@ -268,7 +268,6 @@ type
     tyVoid
       # now different from tyEmpty, hurray!
     tyIterable
-    tyStub
 
 static:
   # remind us when TTypeKind stops to fit in a single 64-bit word
@@ -693,10 +692,15 @@ type
 
   PScope* = ref TScope
 
+  ItemState* = enum
+    Complete # completely in memory
+    Partial  # partially in memory
+
   PLib* = ref TLib
   TSym* {.acyclic.} = object # Keep in sync with PackedSym
     itemId*: ItemId
     # proc and type instantiations are cached in the generic symbol
+    state*: ItemState
     case kind*: TSymKind
     of routineKinds:
       #procInstCache*: seq[PInstantiation]
@@ -771,6 +775,7 @@ type
                               # Keep in sync with PackedType
     itemId*: ItemId
     kind*: TTypeKind          # kind of type
+    state*: ItemState
     callConv*: TCallingConvention # for procs
     flags*: TTypeFlags        # flags of the type
     sons: TTypeSeq           # base types, etc.
diff --git a/compiler/ast2nif.nim b/compiler/ast2nif.nim
index a57bbd65af..aa552d61c4 100644
--- a/compiler/ast2nif.nim
+++ b/compiler/ast2nif.nim
@@ -192,7 +192,9 @@ proc writeType(w: var Writer; dest: var TokenBuf; typ: PType)
 proc writeSym(w: var Writer; dest: var TokenBuf; sym: PSym)
 
 proc typeToNifSym(w: var Writer; typ: PType): string =
-  result = "`t."
+  result = "`t"
+  result.addInt ord(typ.kind)
+  result.add '.'
   result.addInt typ.uniqueId.item
   result.add '.'
   result.add modname(w.moduleToNifSuffix, typ.uniqueId.module, w.infos.config)
@@ -207,7 +209,7 @@ proc writeTypeDef(w: var Writer; dest: var TokenBuf; typ: PType) =
   dest.buildTree tdefTag:
     dest.addSymDef pool.syms.getOrIncl(w.typeToNifSym(typ)), NoLineInfo
 
-    dest.addIdent toNifTag(typ.kind)
+    #dest.addIdent toNifTag(typ.kind)
     writeFlags(dest, typ.flags)
     dest.addIdent toNifTag(typ.callConv)
     dest.addIntLit typ.size
@@ -581,8 +583,13 @@ proc loadNode(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PNode
 
 proc loadTypeStub(c: var DecodeContext; t: SymId): PType =
   let name = pool.syms[t]
-  assert name.startsWith("`t.")
-  var i = len("`t.")
+  assert name.startsWith("`t")
+  var i = len("`t")
+  var k = 0
+  while i < name.len and name[i] in {'0'..'9'}:
+    k = k * 10 + name[i].ord - ord('0')
+    inc i
+  if i < name.len and name[i] == '.': inc i
   var itemId = 0'i32
   while i < name.len and name[i] in {'0'..'9'}:
     itemId = itemId * 10'i32 + int32(name[i].ord - ord('0'))
@@ -593,7 +600,7 @@ proc loadTypeStub(c: var DecodeContext; t: SymId): PType =
   result = c.types.getOrDefault(id)[0]
   if result == nil:
     let offs = c.getOffset(id.module, name)
-    result = PType(itemId: id, uniqueId: id, kind: tyStub)
+    result = PType(itemId: id, uniqueId: id, kind: TTypeKind(k), state: Partial)
     c.types[id] = (result, offs)
 
 proc loadTypeStub(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PType =
@@ -622,7 +629,7 @@ proc loadSymStub(c: var DecodeContext; t: SymId): PSym =
   result = c.syms.getOrDefault(id)[0]
   if result == nil:
     let offs = c.getOffset(module, symAsStr)
-    result = PSym(itemId: id, kind: skStub, name: c.cache.getIdent(sn.name), disamb: sn.count.int32)
+    result = PSym(itemId: id, kind: skStub, name: c.cache.getIdent(sn.name), disamb: sn.count.int32, state: Partial)
     c.syms[id] = (result, offs)
 
 proc loadSymStub(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PSym =
@@ -640,8 +647,8 @@ proc loadSymStub(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PSym =
   else:
     raiseAssert "sym expected but got " & $n.kind
 
-proc isStub*(t: PType): bool {.inline.} = t.kind == tyStub
-proc isStub*(s: PSym): bool {.inline.} = s.kind == skStub
+proc isStub*(t: PType): bool {.inline.} = t.state == Partial
+proc isStub*(s: PSym): bool {.inline.} = s.state == Partial
 
 proc loadAtom[T](t: typedesc[set[T]]; n: var Cursor): set[T] =
   if n.kind == DotToken:
@@ -681,7 +688,7 @@ proc loadLoc(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor; loc: var TLoc) =
   loadField loc.snippet
 
 proc loadType*(c: var DecodeContext; t: PType) =
-  if t.kind != tyStub: return
+  if t.state != Partial: return
   var buf = createTokenBuf(30)
   var n = cursorFromIndexEntry(c, t.itemId.module, c.types[t.itemId][1], buf)
 
@@ -692,7 +699,7 @@ proc loadType*(c: var DecodeContext; t: PType) =
   expect n, SymbolDef
   # ignore the type's name, we have already used it to create this PType's itemId!
   inc n
-  loadField t.kind
+  #loadField t.kind
   loadField t.flags
   loadField t.callConv
   loadField t.size
diff --git a/compiler/ccgreset.nim b/compiler/ccgreset.nim
index 0e4c73cd17..84478dd07e 100644
--- a/compiler/ccgreset.nim
+++ b/compiler/ccgreset.nim
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ proc specializeResetT(p: BProc, accessor: Rope, typ: PType) =
       tyGenericParam, tyOrdinal, tyOpenArray, tyForward, tyVarargs,
       tyUncheckedArray, tyError, tyBuiltInTypeClass, tyUserTypeClass,
       tyUserTypeClassInst, tyCompositeTypeClass, tyAnd, tyOr, tyNot,
-      tyAnything, tyStatic, tyFromExpr, tyConcept, tyVoid, tyIterable, tyStub:
+      tyAnything, tyStatic, tyFromExpr, tyConcept, tyVoid, tyIterable:
     discard
 
 proc specializeReset(p: BProc, a: TLoc) =
diff --git a/compiler/expanddefaults.nim b/compiler/expanddefaults.nim
index e343317e54..c520d8849f 100644
--- a/compiler/expanddefaults.nim
+++ b/compiler/expanddefaults.nim
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ proc expandDefault(t: PType; info: TLineInfo): PNode =
     result = newZero(t, info, nkBracket)
   of tyString:
     result = newZero(t, info, nkStrLit)
-  of tyNone, tyEmpty, tyUntyped, tyTyped, tyTypeDesc, tyStub,
+  of tyNone, tyEmpty, tyUntyped, tyTyped, tyTypeDesc,
      tyNil, tyGenericInvocation, tyError, tyBuiltInTypeClass,
      tyUserTypeClass, tyUserTypeClassInst, tyCompositeTypeClass,
      tyAnd, tyOr, tyNot, tyAnything, tyConcept, tyIterable, tyForward:
diff --git a/compiler/icnif/enum2nif.nim b/compiler/icnif/enum2nif.nim
index 1f77393c6a..b8626fe56d 100644
--- a/compiler/icnif/enum2nif.nim
+++ b/compiler/icnif/enum2nif.nim
@@ -469,7 +469,6 @@ proc toNifTag*(s: TTypeKind): string =
   of tyConcept: "concept"
   of tyVoid: "void"
   of tyIterable: "iterable"
-  of tyStub: "stub"
 
 
 proc parse*(t: typedesc[TTypeKind]; s: string): TTypeKind =
@@ -539,7 +538,6 @@ proc parse*(t: typedesc[TTypeKind]; s: string): TTypeKind =
   of "concept": tyConcept
   of "void": tyVoid
   of "iterable": tyIterable
-  of "stub": tyStub
   else: tyNone
 
 
diff --git a/compiler/jsgen.nim b/compiler/jsgen.nim
index 4d63d44acb..fd8ef583d0 100644
--- a/compiler/jsgen.nim
+++ b/compiler/jsgen.nim
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ proc mapType(typ: PType): TJSTypeKind =
     else: result = etyNone
   of tyProc: result = etyProc
   of tyCstring: result = etyString
-  of tyConcept, tyIterable, tyStub:
+  of tyConcept, tyIterable:
     raiseAssert "unreachable"
 
 proc mapType(p: PProc; typ: PType): TJSTypeKind =
diff --git a/compiler/liftdestructors.nim b/compiler/liftdestructors.nim
index 42b96aa1ca..5d8fbc179d 100644
--- a/compiler/liftdestructors.nim
+++ b/compiler/liftdestructors.nim
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ proc ownedClosureOp(c: var TLiftCtx; t: PType; body, x, y: PNode) =
 
 proc fillBody(c: var TLiftCtx; t: PType; body, x, y: PNode) =
   case t.kind
-  of tyNone, tyEmpty, tyVoid, tyStub: discard
+  of tyNone, tyEmpty, tyVoid: discard
   of tyPointer, tySet, tyBool, tyChar, tyEnum, tyInt..tyUInt64, tyCstring,
       tyPtr, tyUncheckedArray, tyVar, tyLent:
     defaultOp(c, t, body, x, y)
diff --git a/compiler/nifgen.nim b/compiler/nifgen.nim
index c9d86b50f0..cf267ef14b 100644
--- a/compiler/nifgen.nim
+++ b/compiler/nifgen.nim
@@ -666,7 +666,6 @@ proc toNifTag(s: TTypeKind): string =
   of tyConcept: "concept"
   of tyVoid: "void"
   of tyIterable: "iterable"
-  of tyStub: "stub"
 
 proc atom(t: PType; c: var TranslationContext) =
   c.b.withTree toNifTag(t.kind):
@@ -925,7 +924,7 @@ proc toNifType(t: PType; parent: PNode; c: var TranslationContext) =
       atom t, c, "err"
   of tyCompositeTypeClass: toNifType t.last, parent, c
   of tyInferred: toNifType t.skipModifier, parent, c
-  of tyAnything, tyStub: atom t, c
+  of tyAnything: atom t, c
   of tyStatic:
     c.typeHead t:
       if t.hasElementType:
diff --git a/compiler/typeallowed.nim b/compiler/typeallowed.nim
index 0529a6671f..80b532371c 100644
--- a/compiler/typeallowed.nim
+++ b/compiler/typeallowed.nim
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ proc typeAllowedAux(marker: var IntSet, typ: PType, kind: TSymKind,
       result = typeAllowedNode(marker, t.n, kind, c, flags)
   of tyEmpty:
     if kind in {skVar, skLet}: result = t
-  of tyError, tyStub:
+  of tyError:
     # for now same as error node; we say it's a valid type as it should
     # prevent cascading errors:
     result = nil
diff --git a/compiler/types.nim b/compiler/types.nim
index b26a949407..bd65c3f331 100644
--- a/compiler/types.nim
+++ b/compiler/types.nim
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ const
     "BuiltInTypeClass", "UserTypeClass",
     "UserTypeClassInst", "CompositeTypeClass", "inferred",
     "and", "or", "not", "any", "static", "TypeFromExpr", "concept", # xxx bugfix
-    "void", "iterable", "stub"]
+    "void", "iterable"]
 
 const preferToResolveSymbols = {preferName, preferTypeName, preferModuleInfo,
   preferGenericArg, preferResolved, preferMixed, preferInlayHint, preferInferredEffects}
@@ -1344,8 +1344,6 @@ proc sameTypeAux(x, y: PType, c: var TSameTypeClosure): bool =
     result = a.id == b.id and sameFlags(a, b)
   of tyError:
     result = b.kind == tyError
-  of tyStub:
-    result = false
   of tyTuple:
     withoutShallowFlags:
       cycleCheck()
diff --git a/compiler/vmdeps.nim b/compiler/vmdeps.nim
index 882f030ee7..72eec34ead 100644
--- a/compiler/vmdeps.nim
+++ b/compiler/vmdeps.nim
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ proc mapTypeToAstX(cache: IdentCache; t: PType; info: TLineInfo;
     return atomicType(t.sym)
 
   case t.kind
-  of tyNone, tyStub: result = atomicType("none", mNone)
+  of tyNone: result = atomicType("none", mNone)
   of tyBool: result = atomicType("bool", mBool)
   of tyChar: result = atomicType("char", mChar)
   of tyNil: result = atomicType("nil", mNil)