diff --git a/include/QF/pr_type.h b/include/QF/pr_type.h
index a0a0f0ad0..db3376684 100644
--- a/include/QF/pr_type.h
+++ b/include/QF/pr_type.h
@@ -47,8 +47,14 @@ typedef enum {
 	ty_enum,
 	ty_array,
 	ty_class,
+	ty_alias,
 } ty_meta_e;
 
+typedef struct qfot_alias_s {
+	pr_int_t    type;				///< type at end of alias chain
+	pointer_t   aux_type;			///< referenced type
+	string_t    name;				///< alias name
+} qfot_alias_t;
 
 typedef struct qfot_fldptr_s {
 	pr_int_t    type;				///< ev_field or ev_pointer
@@ -104,6 +110,7 @@ typedef struct qfot_type_s {
 		qfot_struct_t strct;		///< ty_struct/ty_union/ty_enum
 		qfot_array_t array;			///< ty_array
 		string_t    class;			///< ty_class
+		qfot_alias_t alias;			///< ty_alias
 	}           t;
 } qfot_type_t;
 
diff --git a/libs/gamecode/pr_debug.c b/libs/gamecode/pr_debug.c
index 63f4444b4..dabaf227f 100644
--- a/libs/gamecode/pr_debug.c
+++ b/libs/gamecode/pr_debug.c
@@ -234,6 +234,9 @@ pr_debug_type_size (const progs_t *pr, const qfot_type_t *type)
 			return type->t.array.size * size;
 		case ty_class:
 			return 1;	//FIXME or should it return sizeof class struct?
+		case ty_alias:
+			aux_type = &G_STRUCT (pr, qfot_type_t, type->t.alias.aux_type);
+			return pr_debug_type_size (pr, aux_type);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -883,6 +886,9 @@ value_string (pr_debug_data_t *data, qfot_type_t *type, pr_type_t *value)
 		case ty_class:
 			raw_type_view.class_view (type, value, data);
 			break;
+		case ty_alias://XXX
+			type = &G_STRUCT (data->pr, qfot_type_t, type->t.alias.aux_type);
+			return value_string (data, type, value);
 	}
 	return data->dstr->str;
 }
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/include/type.h b/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
index ba3b82f1e..bb6133bb1 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
+++ b/tools/qfcc/include/type.h
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ typedef struct ty_array_s {
 	int         size;
 } ty_array_t;
 
+typedef struct ty_alias_s {
+	struct type_s *type;
+} ty_alias_t;
+
 typedef struct type_s {
 	etype_t     type;		///< ev_invalid means structure/array etc
 	const char *name;
@@ -64,6 +68,7 @@ typedef struct type_s {
 		ty_array_t  array;
 		struct symtab_s *symtab;
 		struct class_s *class;
+		ty_alias_t  alias;
 	} t;
 	struct type_s *next;
 	int         freeable;
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/dump_globals.c b/tools/qfcc/source/dump_globals.c
index 9b5900454..198a952cb 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/dump_globals.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/dump_globals.c
@@ -556,6 +556,10 @@ dump_qfo_types (qfo_t *qfo, int base_address)
 			case ty_class:
 				printf (" %-5x\n", type->t.class);
 				break;
+			case ty_alias:
+				printf (" %s %d %-5x\n", QFO_GETSTR (qfo, type->t.alias.name),
+						type->t.alias.type, type->t.alias.aux_type);
+				break;
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
index 45d01be47..0c08810f0 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/obj_file.c
@@ -649,6 +649,7 @@ get_def_type (qfo_t *qfo, pointer_t type)
 		return ev_void;
 	type_def = QFO_POINTER (qfo, qfo_type_space, qfot_type_t, type);
 	switch ((ty_meta_e)type_def->meta) {
+		case ty_alias:	//XXX
 		case ty_basic:
 			// field, pointer and function types store their basic type in
 			// the same location.
@@ -676,6 +677,8 @@ get_type_size (qfo_t *qfo, pointer_t type)
 		return 1;
 	type_def = QFO_POINTER (qfo, qfo_type_space, qfot_type_t, type);
 	switch ((ty_meta_e)type_def->meta) {
+		case ty_alias:
+			return get_type_size (qfo, type_def->t.alias.aux_type);
 		case ty_basic:
 			// field, pointer and function types store their basic type in
 			// the same location.
@@ -724,6 +727,8 @@ get_type_alignment_log (qfo_t *qfo, pointer_t type)
 		return 0;
 	type_def = QFO_POINTER (qfo, qfo_type_space, qfot_type_t, type);
 	switch ((ty_meta_e)type_def->meta) {
+		case ty_alias:
+			return get_type_alignment_log (qfo, type_def->t.alias.aux_type);
 		case ty_basic:
 			// field, pointer and function types store their basic type in
 			// the same location.
diff --git a/tools/qfcc/source/type.c b/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
index 4404f2ed0..dc09104c3 100644
--- a/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
+++ b/tools/qfcc/source/type.c
@@ -297,6 +297,8 @@ types_same (type_t *a, type_t *b)
 			if (a->t.class != b->t.class)
 				return 0;
 			return compare_protocols (a->protos, b->protos);
+		case ty_alias:
+			return !strcmp (a->name, b->name);
 	}
 	internal_error (0, "we be broke");
 }
@@ -346,6 +348,9 @@ find_type (type_t *type)
 				break;
 			case ty_class:
 				break;
+			case ty_alias:
+				type->t.alias.type = find_type (type->t.alias.type);
+				break;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -453,6 +458,11 @@ print_type_str (dstring_t *str, const type_t *type)
 		return;
 	}
 	switch (type->meta) {
+		case ty_alias:
+			dasprintf (str, "({%s=", type->name);
+			print_type_str (str, type->t.alias.type);
+			dstring_appendstr (str, "})");
+			return;
 		case ty_class:
 			dasprintf (str, " %s", type->t.class->name);
 			if (type->protos)
@@ -610,6 +620,11 @@ encode_type (dstring_t *encoding, const type_t *type)
 	if (!type)
 		return;
 	switch (type->meta) {
+		case ty_alias: // XXX do I want this, or just the unaliased type?
+			dasprintf (encoding, "{%s>", type->name);
+			encode_type (encoding, type->t.alias.type);
+			dasprintf (encoding, "}");
+			return;
 		case ty_class:
 			encode_class (encoding, type);
 			return;
@@ -936,6 +951,8 @@ type_size (const type_t *type)
 					size += type_size (class->super_class->type);
 				return size;
 			}
+		case ty_alias:
+			return type_size (type->t.alias.type);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }