diff --git a/compiler/icnif/icniftags.nim b/compiler/icnif/icniftags.nim
index 2dc7d3fa34..f3c1fe3785 100644
--- a/compiler/icnif/icniftags.nim
+++ b/compiler/icnif/icniftags.nim
@@ -6,3 +6,5 @@ let
   typeIdTag* = registerTag("typeId")
   typeTag* = registerTag("t")
   sonsTag* = registerTag("sons")
+
+  modIdTag* = registerTag("modId")
diff --git a/compiler/icnif/nifdecoder.nim b/compiler/icnif/nifdecoder.nim
index f658f4ba6a..f0a36f5441 100644
--- a/compiler/icnif/nifdecoder.nim
+++ b/compiler/icnif/nifdecoder.nim
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ type
     graph: ModuleGraph
     symbols: Table[int, PSym]
     types: Table[int, PType]
+    modules: Table[int, FileIndex] # maps module id in NIF to FileIndex of the module
 
 proc nodeKind(n: Cursor): TNodeKind {.inline.} =
   assert n.kind == ParLe
@@ -58,6 +59,23 @@ when false:
     else:
       expectTag(n, id)
 
+proc fromNifModuleId(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): FileIndex =
+  if n.kind == ParLe:
+    expectTag n, modIdTag
+    incExpect n, IntLit
+    let id = pool.integers[n.intId]
+    incExpect n, StringLit
+    let path = pool.strings[n.litId].AbsoluteFile
+    result = fileInfoIdx(c.graph.config, path)
+    assert id notin c.modules
+    c.modules[id] = result
+    inc n
+    skipParRi n
+  elif n.kind == IntLit:
+    let id = pool.integers[n.intId]
+    result = c.modules[id]
+    inc n
+
 proc fromNifSymbol(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PSym
 proc fromNifType(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PType
 proc fromNif(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PNode
@@ -68,7 +86,9 @@ proc fromNifSymDef(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PSym =
   let id = pool.integers[n.intId]
   incExpect n, Ident
   let ident = c.graph.cache.getIdent(pool.strings[n.litId])
-  incExpect n, IntLit
+  inc n
+  let itemIdModule = c.fromNifModuleId(n).int32
+  expect n, IntLit
   let itemId = pool.integers[n.intId].int32
   incExpect n, ParLe
   let kind = parseSymKind(pool.tags[n.tagId])
@@ -79,17 +99,17 @@ proc fromNifSymDef(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PSym =
   let flags = if n.kind == Ident: pool.strings[n.litId].parseSymFlags else: {}
   inc n
   var position = if kind == skModule:
-      expect n, StringLit
-      let path = pool.strings[n.litId].AbsoluteFile
-      fileInfoIdx(c.graph.config, path).int
+      c.fromNifModuleId(n).int
     else:
       expect n, IntLit
-      pool.integers[n.intId]
-  incExpect n, IntLit
+      let p = pool.integers[n.intId]
+      inc n
+      p
+  expect n, IntLit
   let disamb = pool.integers[n.intId].int32
   inc n
 
-  result = PSym(itemId: ItemId(module: 0, item: itemId),
+  result = PSym(itemId: ItemId(module: itemIdModule, item: itemId),
     kind: kind,
     name: ident,
     flags: flags,
@@ -116,7 +136,9 @@ proc fromNifTypeDef(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PType =
   expectTag n, typeIdTag
   incExpect n, IntLit
   let id = pool.integers[n.intId]
-  incExpect n, IntLit
+  inc n
+  let itemIdModule = c.fromNifModuleId(n).int32
+  expect n, IntLit
   let itemId = pool.integers[n.intId].int32
   incExpect n, Ident
   let kind = parseTypeKind(pool.strings[n.litId])
@@ -124,7 +146,7 @@ proc fromNifTypeDef(c: var DecodeContext; n: var Cursor): PType =
   let flags = if n.kind == Ident: pool.strings[n.litId].parseTypeFlags else: {}
   inc n
 
-  result = PType(itemId: ItemId(module: 0, item: itemId),
+  result = PType(itemId: ItemId(module: itemIdModule, item: itemId),
     kind: kind,
     flags: flags)
   assert id notin c.types
diff --git a/compiler/icnif/nifencoder.nim b/compiler/icnif/nifencoder.nim
index c323e96541..69c16af5c7 100644
--- a/compiler/icnif/nifencoder.nim
+++ b/compiler/icnif/nifencoder.nim
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ type
     conf: ConfigRef
     decodedSyms: HashSet[PSym]
     decodedTypes: HashSet[PType]
+    decodedFileIndices: HashSet[FileIndex]
     dest: TokenBuf
 
 proc initEncodeContext(conf: ConfigRef): EncodeContext =
@@ -30,6 +31,18 @@ proc writeFlags[E](dest: var TokenBuf; flags: set[E]) =
   else:
     dest.addDotToken
 
+proc toNifModuleId(c: var EncodeContext; moduleId: int) =
+  # `ItemId.module` in PType and PSym (and `PSym.position` when it is skModule) are module's FileIndex
+  # but it cannot be directly encoded as the uniqueness of it can broke
+  # if any import/include statements are changed.
+  if not c.decodedFileIndices.containsOrIncl(moduleId.FileIndex):
+    c.dest.buildTree modIdTag:
+      c.dest.addIntLit moduleId
+      let path = toFullPath(c.conf, moduleId.FileIndex)
+      c.dest.addStrLit path
+  else:
+    c.dest.addIntLit moduleId
+
 proc toNif(c: var EncodeContext; sym: PSym)
 proc toNif(c: var EncodeContext; typ: PType)
 proc toNif(c: var EncodeContext; n: PNode)
@@ -38,17 +51,14 @@ proc toNifDef(c: var EncodeContext; sym: PSym) =
   c.dest.buildTree symIdTag:
     c.dest.addIntLit sym.id
     c.dest.addIdent sym.name.s
+    c.toNifModuleId sym.itemId.module
     c.dest.addIntLit sym.itemId.item
     c.dest.buildTree sym.kind.toNifTag:
       # TODO: add kind specific data
       discard
     c.dest.writeFlags sym.flags
     if sym.kind == skModule:
-      # position is module's FileIndex but it cannot be directly encoded
-      # as the uniqueness of it can broke
-      # if any import/include statements are changed.
-      let path = toFullPath(c.conf, sym.position.FileIndex)
-      c.dest.addStrLit path
+      c.toNifModuleId sym.position
     else:
       c.dest.addIntLit sym.position
     c.dest.addIntLit sym.disamb
@@ -60,6 +70,7 @@ proc toNifDef(c: var EncodeContext; sym: PSym) =
 proc toNifDef(c: var EncodeContext; typ: PType) =
   c.dest.buildTree typeIdTag:
     c.dest.addIntLit typ.id
+    c.toNifModuleId typ.itemId.module
     c.dest.addIntLit typ.itemId.item
     c.dest.addIdent toNifTag(typ.kind)
     c.dest.writeFlags typ.flags
@@ -75,8 +86,6 @@ proc toNifDef(c: var EncodeContext; typ: PType) =
     c.toNif typ.owner
     c.toNif typ.sym
 
-#include nifencodertypes
-
 proc toNif(c: var EncodeContext; sym: PSym) =
   if sym == nil:
     c.dest.addDotToken()
diff --git a/tests/icnif/tencode_node2node.nim b/tests/icnif/tencode_node2node.nim
index a920744404..21875c1623 100644
--- a/tests/icnif/tencode_node2node.nim
+++ b/tests/icnif/tencode_node2node.nim
@@ -81,21 +81,33 @@ proc eql(x, y: TLoc): bool =
   else:
     result = true
 
+proc eqlFileIndex(x, y: int; c: EqlContext): bool =
+  let xpath = c.confX.toFullPath(x.FileIndex)
+  let ypath = c.confY.toFullPath(y.FileIndex)
+  if xpath != ypath:
+    echo "file index mismatch: ", xpath, "/", ypath
+    result = false
+  else:
+    result = true
+
 proc eqlSymPos(x, y: PSym; c: EqlContext): bool =
   if x.kind == skModule:
-    let xpath = c.confX.toFullPath(x.position.FileIndex)
-    let ypath = c.confY.toFullPath(y.position.FileIndex)
-    if xpath != ypath:
-      echo "symbol position mismatch: ", xpath, "/", ypath
-      result = false
-    else:
-      result = true
+    result = eqlFileIndex(x.position, y.position, c)
   elif x.position != y.position:
     echo "symbol position mismatch: ", x.position, "/", y.position
     result = false
   else:
     result = true
 
+proc eqlItemId(x, y: ItemId; c: EqlContext): bool =
+  if x.item != y.item:
+    echo "itemId.item mismatch: ", x.item, "/", y.item
+    result = false
+  elif not eqlFileIndex(x.module, y.module, c):
+    result = false
+  else:
+    result = true
+
 proc eql(x, y: PSym; c: var EqlContext): bool =
   if x == nil and y == nil:
     result = true
@@ -105,8 +117,8 @@ proc eql(x, y: PSym; c: var EqlContext): bool =
   elif x.name.s != y.name.s:
     echo "symbol name mismatch: ", x.name.s, "/", y.name.s
     result = false
-  elif x.itemId.item != y.itemId.item:
-    echo "symbol itemId.item mismatch: ", x.itemId.item, "/", y.itemId.item
+  elif not eqlItemId(x.itemId, y.itemId, c):
+    echo "symbol itemId mismatch"
     result = false
   elif x.kind != y.kind:
     echo "symbol kind mismatch: ", x.kind, "/", y.kind
@@ -146,8 +158,8 @@ proc eql(x, y: PType; c: var EqlContext): bool =
   elif x == nil or y == nil:
     echo "type is missing"
     result = false
-  elif x.itemId.item != y.itemId.item:
-    echo "type itemId.item mismatch: ", x.itemId.item, "/", y.itemId.item
+  elif not eqlItemId(x.itemId, y.itemId, c):
+    echo "type itemId mismatch"
     result = false
   elif x.kind != y.kind:
     echo "type kind mismatch: ", x.kind, "/", y.kind