diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 4383d42..64b1384 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -718,13 +718,6 @@ func transformCompile(args []string) ([]string, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	// We can't obfuscate literals in the runtime and its dependencies,
-	// because obfuscated literals sometimes escape to heap,
-	// and that's not allowed in the runtime itself.
-	if runtimeAndDeps[curPkg.ImportPath] {
-		flagLiterals = false
-	}
-
 	// Literal obfuscation uses math/rand, so seed it deterministically.
 	randSeed := flagSeed.bytes
 	if len(randSeed) == 0 {
@@ -1361,6 +1354,10 @@ func (tf *transformer) recordType(t types.Type) {
 func (tf *transformer) transformGo(file *ast.File) *ast.File {
 	// Only obfuscate the literals here if the flag is on
 	// and if the package in question is to be obfuscated.
+	//
+	// We can't obfuscate literals in the runtime and its dependencies,
+	// because obfuscated literals sometimes escape to heap,
+	// and that's not allowed in the runtime itself.
 	if flagLiterals && curPkg.ToObfuscate {
 		file = literals.Obfuscate(file, tf.info, fset)
 	}
diff --git a/testdata/scripts/literals.txt b/testdata/scripts/literals.txt
index 09a578d..4be97f4 100644
--- a/testdata/scripts/literals.txt
+++ b/testdata/scripts/literals.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-env GOGARBLE=test/main
+env GOGARBLE=*
 
 garble -literals build
 exec ./main$exe
@@ -61,7 +61,11 @@ go 1.17
 -- main.go --
 package main
 
-import "test/main/imported"
+import (
+	_ "runtime/debug"
+
+	"test/main/imported"
+)
 
 type structTest struct {
 	field        string