diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
index a3389ef86e551..5769c4c86ed78 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -1612,8 +1612,8 @@ fn encode_macro_defs(ecx: &EncodeContext,
                      krate: &Crate,
                      ebml_w: &mut Encoder) {
     ebml_w.start_tag(tag_exported_macros);
-    for span in krate.exported_macros.iter() {
-        encode_macro_def(ecx, ebml_w, span);
+    for item in krate.exported_macros.iter() {
+        encode_macro_def(ecx, ebml_w, &item.span);
     }
     ebml_w.end_tag();
 }
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/visit_ast.rs b/src/librustdoc/visit_ast.rs
index b7ef0956a7c76..b7460f1607431 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/visit_ast.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/visit_ast.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@ use std::gc::{Gc, GC};
 use core;
 use doctree::*;
 
+// looks to me like the first two of these are actually
+// output parameters, maybe only mutated once; perhaps
+// better simply to have the visit method return a tuple
+// containing them?
+
+// also, is there some reason that this doesn't use the 'visit'
+// framework from syntax?
+
 pub struct RustdocVisitor<'a> {
     pub module: Module,
     pub attrs: Vec<ast::Attribute>,
@@ -64,6 +72,9 @@ impl<'a> RustdocVisitor<'a> {
                                               ast::CRATE_NODE_ID,
                                               &krate.module,
                                               None);
+        // attach the crate's exported macros to the top-level module:
+        self.module.macros = krate.exported_macros.iter()
+            .map(|it| self.visit_macro(&**it)).collect();
         self.module.is_crate = true;
     }
 
@@ -323,15 +334,20 @@ impl<'a> RustdocVisitor<'a> {
             ast::ItemForeignMod(ref fm) => {
                 om.foreigns.push(fm.clone());
             }
-            ast::ItemMac(ref _m) => {
-                om.macros.push(Macro {
-                    id: item.id,
-                    attrs: item.attrs.iter().map(|x| *x).collect(),
-                    name: item.ident,
-                    where: item.span,
-                    stab: self.stability(item.id),
-                })
+            ast::ItemMac(_) => {
+                fail!("rustdoc: macros should be gone, after expansion");
             }
         }
     }
+
+    // convert each exported_macro into a doc item
+    fn visit_macro(&self, item: &ast::Item) -> Macro {
+        Macro {
+            id: item.id,
+            attrs: item.attrs.iter().map(|x| *x).collect(),
+            name: item.ident,
+            where: item.span,
+            stab: self.stability(item.id),
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ast.rs b/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
index d9f14bfa15661..3b68953c40746 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ast.rs
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ pub struct Crate {
     pub attrs: Vec<Attribute>,
     pub config: CrateConfig,
     pub span: Span,
-    pub exported_macros: Vec<Span>
+    pub exported_macros: Vec<Gc<Item>>
 }
 
 pub type MetaItem = Spanned<MetaItem_>;
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
index 49bd3697884c7..5341f0c2d61b2 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/base.rs
@@ -104,9 +104,9 @@ pub type IdentMacroExpanderFn =
 /// just into the compiler's internal macro table, for `make_def`).
 pub trait MacResult {
     /// Define a new macro.
-    // this should go away; the idea that a macro might expand into
-    // either a macro definition or an expression, depending on what
-    // the context wants, is kind of silly.
+    // this particular flavor should go away; the idea that a macro might
+    // expand into either a macro definition or an expression, depending
+    // on what the context wants, is kind of silly.
     fn make_def(&self) -> Option<MacroDef> {
         None
     }
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ pub struct ExtCtxt<'a> {
 
     pub mod_path: Vec<ast::Ident> ,
     pub trace_mac: bool,
-    pub exported_macros: Vec<codemap::Span>
+    pub exported_macros: Vec<Gc<ast::Item>>
 }
 
 impl<'a> ExtCtxt<'a> {
@@ -562,9 +562,6 @@ impl<'a> ExtCtxt<'a> {
     pub fn name_of(&self, st: &str) -> ast::Name {
         token::intern(st)
     }
-    pub fn push_exported_macro(&mut self, span: codemap::Span) {
-        self.exported_macros.push(span);
-    }
 }
 
 /// Extract a string literal from the macro expanded version of `expr`,
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
index 1cbe863e4e4f9..1542bb06b94ab 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/expand.rs
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ fn expand_item_mac(it: Gc<ast::Item>, fld: &mut MacroExpander)
             // create issue to recommend refactoring here?
             fld.extsbox.insert(intern(name.as_slice()), ext);
             if attr::contains_name(it.attrs.as_slice(), "macro_export") {
-                fld.cx.push_exported_macro(it.span);
+                fld.cx.exported_macros.push(it);
             }
             SmallVector::zero()
         }
@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@ pub struct ExportedMacros {
 pub fn expand_crate(parse_sess: &parse::ParseSess,
                     cfg: ExpansionConfig,
                     // these are the macros being imported to this crate:
-                    macros: Vec<ExportedMacros>,
+                    imported_macros: Vec<ExportedMacros>,
                     user_exts: Vec<NamedSyntaxExtension>,
                     c: Crate) -> Crate {
     let mut cx = ExtCtxt::new(parse_sess, c.config.clone(), cfg);
@@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ pub fn expand_crate(parse_sess: &parse::ParseSess,
         cx: &mut cx,
     };
 
-    for ExportedMacros { crate_name, macros } in macros.move_iter() {
+    for ExportedMacros { crate_name, macros } in imported_macros.move_iter() {
         let name = format!("<{} macros>", token::get_ident(crate_name))
             .into_string();
 
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/fold.rs b/src/libsyntax/fold.rs
index 5467afab9f515..6406ca378074f 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/fold.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/fold.rs
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ pub fn noop_fold_crate<T: Folder>(c: Crate, folder: &mut T) -> Crate {
         attrs: c.attrs.iter().map(|x| folder.fold_attribute(*x)).collect(),
         config: c.config.iter().map(|x| fold_meta_item_(*x, folder)).collect(),
         span: folder.new_span(c.span),
-        exported_macros: c.exported_macros.iter().map(|sp| folder.new_span(*sp)).collect(),
+        exported_macros: c.exported_macros
     }
 }