diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/creader.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/creader.rs
index 1d99283311206..fa2e94b6f8f20 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/creader.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/creader.rs
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ impl CrateLoader for Loader {
         }
     }
 
-    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, cnum: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[@ast::Item] {
+    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, cnum: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[~str] {
         csearch::get_exported_macros(self.env.sess.cstore, cnum)
     }
 
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
index 9955186da462f..3985527232c65 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ pub fn get_macro_registrar_fn(cstore: @cstore::CStore,
 
 pub fn get_exported_macros(cstore: @cstore::CStore,
                            crate_num: ast::CrateNum)
-                           -> ~[@ast::Item] {
+                           -> ~[~str] {
     let cdata = cstore.get_crate_data(crate_num);
     decoder::get_exported_macros(cdata)
 }
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
index abf5b051c7de7..a7e5082bcbbf6 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ use metadata::tydecode::{parse_ty_data, parse_def_id,
 use middle::ty::{ImplContainer, TraitContainer};
 use middle::ty;
 use middle::typeck;
-use middle::astencode;
 use middle::astencode::vtable_decoder_helpers;
 
 use std::at_vec;
@@ -1282,12 +1281,12 @@ pub fn get_macro_registrar_fn(cdata: Cmd) -> Option<ast::DefId> {
         .map(|doc| item_def_id(doc, cdata))
 }
 
-pub fn get_exported_macros(cdata: Cmd) -> ~[@ast::Item] {
+pub fn get_exported_macros(cdata: Cmd) -> ~[~str] {
     let macros = reader::get_doc(reader::Doc(cdata.data()),
                                  tag_exported_macros);
     let mut result = ~[];
     reader::tagged_docs(macros, tag_macro_def, |macro_doc| {
-        result.push(astencode::decode_exported_macro(macro_doc));
+        result.push(macro_doc.as_str());
         true
     });
     result
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
index a7c82ba431778..114b74b02de06 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ use syntax::ast_map;
 use syntax::ast_util::*;
 use syntax::attr;
 use syntax::attr::AttrMetaMethods;
+use syntax::codemap;
 use syntax::diagnostic::SpanHandler;
 use syntax::parse::token::special_idents;
 use syntax::ast_util;
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@ pub struct EncodeParams<'a> {
     cstore: @cstore::CStore,
     encode_inlined_item: encode_inlined_item<'a>,
     reachable: @RefCell<HashSet<ast::NodeId>>,
+    codemap: @codemap::CodeMap,
 }
 
 struct Stats {
@@ -101,6 +103,7 @@ pub struct EncodeContext<'a> {
     encode_inlined_item: encode_inlined_item<'a>,
     type_abbrevs: abbrev_map,
     reachable: @RefCell<HashSet<ast::NodeId>>,
+    codemap: @codemap::CodeMap,
 }
 
 pub fn reachable(ecx: &EncodeContext, id: NodeId) -> bool {
@@ -1714,8 +1717,10 @@ impl<'a, 'b> Visitor<()> for MacroDefVisitor<'a, 'b> {
     fn visit_item(&mut self, item: &Item, _: ()) {
         match item.node {
             ItemMac(..) => {
+                let def = self.ecx.codemap.span_to_snippet(item.span)
+                    .expect("Unable to find source for macro");
                 self.ebml_w.start_tag(tag_macro_def);
-                astencode::encode_exported_macro(self.ebml_w, item);
+                self.ebml_w.wr_str(def);
                 self.ebml_w.end_tag();
             }
             _ => {}
@@ -1881,6 +1886,7 @@ fn encode_metadata_inner(wr: &mut MemWriter, parms: EncodeParams, crate: &Crate)
         link_meta,
         reachable,
         non_inlineable_statics,
+        codemap,
         ..
     } = parms;
     let type_abbrevs = @RefCell::new(HashMap::new());
@@ -1897,6 +1903,7 @@ fn encode_metadata_inner(wr: &mut MemWriter, parms: EncodeParams, crate: &Crate)
         encode_inlined_item: encode_inlined_item,
         type_abbrevs: type_abbrevs,
         reachable: reachable,
+        codemap: codemap,
      };
 
     let mut ebml_w = writer::Encoder(wr);
diff --git a/src/librustc/middle/trans/base.rs b/src/librustc/middle/trans/base.rs
index c654bbbd709d9..5b246daa6c5b5 100644
--- a/src/librustc/middle/trans/base.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/middle/trans/base.rs
@@ -2678,6 +2678,7 @@ pub fn crate_ctxt_to_encode_parms<'r>(cx: &'r CrateContext, ie: encoder::encode_
             cstore: cx.sess.cstore,
             encode_inlined_item: ie,
             reachable: cx.reachable,
+            codemap: cx.sess.codemap,
         }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/librustpkg/util.rs b/src/librustpkg/util.rs
index 4d8f5c668b74f..628c0b937af8d 100644
--- a/src/librustpkg/util.rs
+++ b/src/librustpkg/util.rs
@@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ impl<'a> base::CrateLoader for CrateLoader<'a> {
         self.loader.load_crate(crate)
     }
 
-    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, cnum: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[@ast::Item] {
+    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, cnum: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[~str] {
         self.loader.get_exported_macros(cnum)
     }
 
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
index 8698220130350..fbaa086c7d30d 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ pub struct MacroCrate {
 
 pub trait CrateLoader {
     fn load_crate(&mut self, crate: &ast::ViewItem) -> MacroCrate;
-    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, crate_num: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[@ast::Item];
+    fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, crate_num: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[~str];
     fn get_registrar_symbol(&mut self, crate_num: ast::CrateNum) -> Option<~str>;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
index f547f32e21dbc..0534aa39848b8 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
@@ -406,9 +406,20 @@ pub fn expand_view_item(vi: &ast::ViewItem,
 fn load_extern_macros(crate: &ast::ViewItem, fld: &mut MacroExpander) {
     let MacroCrate { lib, cnum } = fld.cx.loader.load_crate(crate);
 
+    let crate_name = match crate.node {
+        ast::ViewItemExternMod(ref name, _, _) => token::ident_to_str(name),
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let name = format!("<{} macros>", crate_name).to_managed();
+
     let exported_macros = fld.cx.loader.get_exported_macros(cnum);
-    for &it in exported_macros.iter() {
-        expand_item_mac(it, fld);
+    for source in exported_macros.iter() {
+        let item = parse::parse_item_from_source_str(name,
+                                                     source.to_managed(),
+                                                     fld.cx.cfg(),
+                                                     fld.cx.parse_sess())
+                .expect("expected a serialized item");
+        expand_item_mac(item, fld);
     }
 
     let path = match lib {
@@ -944,7 +955,6 @@ pub fn inject_std_macros(parse_sess: @parse::ParseSess,
     let sm = match parse_item_from_source_str(@"<std-macros>",
                                               std_macros(),
                                               cfg.clone(),
-                                              ~[],
                                               parse_sess) {
         Some(item) => item,
         None => fail!("expected core macros to parse correctly")
@@ -1212,7 +1222,7 @@ mod test {
             fail!("lolwut")
         }
 
-        fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, _: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[@ast::Item] {
+        fn get_exported_macros(&mut self, _: ast::CrateNum) -> ~[~str] {
             fail!("lolwut")
         }
 
@@ -1289,7 +1299,7 @@ mod test {
         let item_ast = parse::parse_item_from_source_str(
             @"<test>",
             src,
-            cfg,~[],sess);
+            cfg,sess);
         match item_ast {
             Some(_) => (), // success
             None => fail!("expected this to parse")
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/quote.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/quote.rs
index f840bde6dc142..6faed270875c4 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/quote.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/quote.rs
@@ -250,7 +250,6 @@ pub mod rt {
                 @"<quote expansion>",
                 s,
                 self.cfg(),
-                ~[],
                 self.parse_sess());
             match res {
                 Some(ast) => ast,
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/mod.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/mod.rs
index 9713f331147c0..e026a11cafe37 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/mod.rs
@@ -130,10 +130,10 @@ pub fn parse_item_from_source_str(
     name: @str,
     source: @str,
     cfg: ast::CrateConfig,
-    attrs: ~[ast::Attribute],
     sess: @ParseSess
 ) -> Option<@ast::Item> {
     let mut p = new_parser_from_source_str(sess, cfg, name, source);
+    let attrs = p.parse_outer_attributes();
     maybe_aborted(p.parse_item(attrs),p)
 }