diff --git a/src/llvm_backend_stmt.cpp b/src/llvm_backend_stmt.cpp
index 2e0c63f98..a0f0f48a3 100644
--- a/src/llvm_backend_stmt.cpp
+++ b/src/llvm_backend_stmt.cpp
@@ -3390,7 +3390,10 @@ gb_internal void lb_build_stmt(lbProcedure *p, Ast *node) {
 					// NOTE(bill, 2023-02-17): lb_const_value might produce a stack local variable for the
 					// compound literal, so reusing that variable should minimize the stack wastage
 					lbAddr *comp_lit_addr = map_get(&p->module->exact_value_compound_literal_addr_map, rhs);
-					if (comp_lit_addr) {
+					// Only when the variable IS the literal. `x: U = []int{0}` declares a union and
+					// the literal is one of its variants, so reusing that storage would bind the
+					// variable to a bare `[]int` and never build the union at all
+					if (comp_lit_addr && are_types_identical(lb_addr_type(*comp_lit_addr), type_of_expr(vd->names[lval_index]))) {
 						if (Entity *e = entity_of_node(vd->names[lval_index])) {
 							lbValue val = comp_lit_addr->addr;
 							lb_add_entity(p->module, e, val);
diff --git a/tests/internal/test_union_compound_lit.odin b/tests/internal/test_union_compound_lit.odin
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5a643c06d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/internal/test_union_compound_lit.odin
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package test_internal
+
+import "core:testing"
+
+// `x := []int{0}` lets the variable reuse the compound literal's storage, which is a stack saving.
+// `x: U = []int{0}` is not the same thing: the variable is a union and the literal is one of its
+// variants, so reusing that storage bound the variable to a bare `[]int` and never built the union.
+// A later type assertion then reached the backend with the wrong operand type
+@(test)
+union_declared_from_a_variant_compound_literal :: proc(t: ^testing.T) {
+	U :: union { []int, int }
+	S :: struct { a: int }
+	V :: union { S, int }
+	A :: union { [2]int, int }
+
+	x: U = []int{7}
+	if v, ok := x.([]int); testing.expect(t, ok, "slice variant lost") {
+		testing.expect_value(t, len(v), 1)
+		testing.expect_value(t, v[0], 7)
+	}
+
+	// the same shape through a switch, which is how the union is usually consumed
+	got := 0
+	switch v in x {
+	case []int: got = v[0]
+	case int:   got = -1
+	}
+	testing.expect_value(t, got, 7)
+
+	s: V = S{5}
+	if v, ok := s.(S); testing.expect(t, ok, "struct variant lost") {
+		testing.expect_value(t, v.a, 5)
+	}
+
+	a: A = [2]int{3, 4}
+	if v, ok := a.([2]int); testing.expect(t, ok, "array variant lost") {
+		testing.expect_value(t, v[1], 4)
+	}
+
+	// the reuse is still correct when the variable IS the literal
+	plain := []int{1, 2}
+	testing.expect_value(t, plain[1], 2)
+	ps := S{9}
+	testing.expect_value(t, ps.a, 9)
+}