diff --git a/spec/declaration/global_spec.lua b/spec/declaration/global_spec.lua
index d085e4970..1df30e985 100644
--- a/spec/declaration/global_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/declaration/global_spec.lua
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x: number = 1"
          })
-         util.check([[
+         util.run_check([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x: number
             x = 2
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x <const>: number = 1"
          })
-         util.check([[
+         util.run_check([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x <const>: number
          ]])
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x <const>: number = 1"
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x <const>: number = 9
          ]], {
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x: number"
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x <const>: number
          ]], {
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x <const>: number"
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x: number
          ]], {
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ describe("global", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["foo.tl"] = "global x, y: number, string = 1, 'hello'"
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local foo = require("foo")
             global x: string
             x = 2
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ describe("global", function()
 
                global type Building
 
-               global type Person
+               global record Person
                   residence: Building
                end
 
@@ -224,14 +224,14 @@ describe("global", function()
 
                global type Person
 
-               global type Building
+               global record Building
                   owner: Person
                end
 
                return building
             ]],
          })
-         util.check([[
+         util.run_check([[
             local person = require("person")
             local building = require("building")
             local b: Building = {}
diff --git a/spec/declaration/record_spec.lua b/spec/declaration/record_spec.lua
index 373f1cc43..a188a482c 100644
--- a/spec/declaration/record_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/declaration/record_spec.lua
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
       it("can be nested", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["req.d.tl"] = [[
-               local type requests = ]]..statement..[[ ]]..array(i, "{requests}")..[[
+               local type requests = record
 
                   type RequestOpts = ]]..statement..[[ --
                      {string}
@@ -265,21 +265,24 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
                return requests
             ]],
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local req = require("req")
 
             local r = req.get("http://example.com")
             print(r.status_code)
             print(r.status_coda)
          ]], {
-            { msg = "invalid key 'status_coda' in "..statement.." 'r' of type Response" }
+            { msg = (statement == "interface")
+                    and "invalid key 'status_coda' in 'r' of interface type Response"
+                    or  "invalid key 'status_coda' in record 'r' of type Response"
+            }
          })
       end)
 
       it("can be nested with shorthand syntax", function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["req.d.tl"] = [[
-               local type requests = ]]..statement..[[ ]]..array(i, "{requests}")..[[
+               local type requests = record
 
                   ]]..statement..[[ RequestOpts
                      {string}
@@ -298,14 +301,17 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
                return requests
             ]],
          })
-         util.check_type_error([[
+         util.run_check_type_error([[
             local req = require("req")
 
             local r = req.get("http://example.com")
             print(r.status_code)
             print(r.status_coda)
          ]], {
-            { msg = "invalid key 'status_coda' in "..statement.." 'r' of type Response" }
+            { msg = (statement == "interface")
+                    and "invalid key 'status_coda' in 'r' of interface type Response"
+                    or  "invalid key 'status_coda' in record 'r' of type Response"
+            }
          })
       end)
 
@@ -519,7 +525,7 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
       it("can export types as nested " .. name, function()
          util.mock_io(finally, {
             ["req.d.tl"] = [[
-               local type requests = ]]..statement..[[ ]]..array(i, "{requests}")..[[
+               local record requests
 
                   type RequestOpts = ]]..statement..[[
                      {string}
@@ -538,7 +544,7 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
                return requests
             ]],
          })
-         util.check([[
+         return util.check([[
             local req = require("req")
 
             local function f(): req.Response
@@ -546,7 +552,7 @@ for i, name in ipairs({"records", "arrayrecords", "interfaces", "arrayinterfaces
             end
 
             print(f().status_code)
-         ]])
+         ]])()
       end)
 
       it("resolves aliasing of nested " .. name .. " (see #400)", util.check([[
diff --git a/spec/error_reporting/typecheck_error_spec.lua b/spec/error_reporting/typecheck_error_spec.lua
index 7cb614cb0..b6846beae 100644
--- a/spec/error_reporting/typecheck_error_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/error_reporting/typecheck_error_spec.lua
@@ -11,11 +11,11 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
       util.mock_io(finally, {
          ["bar.tl"] = "local x: string = 1",
       })
-      util.check_type_error([[
+      util.run_check_type_error([[
          local bar = require "bar"
       ]], {
          { filename = "./bar.tl" }
-      })()
+      })
    end)
 
    it("unknowns include filename", util.lax_check([[
@@ -28,11 +28,11 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
       util.mock_io(finally, {
          ["bar.lua"] = "local x: string = b"
       })
-      util.lax_check([[
+      util.run_lax_check([[
          local bar = require "bar"
       ]], {
          { msg = "b", filename = "./bar.lua" }
-      })()
+      })
    end)
 
    it("type mismatches across modules report their module names", function ()
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
             return bbb
          ]]
       })
-      util.check_type_error([[
+      util.run_check_type_error([[
          local aaa = require("aaa")
          local bbb = require("bbb")
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
          myfunc(b)
       ]], {
          { msg = "bbb.Thing is not a aaa.Thing" }
-      })()
+      })
    end)
 
    it("localized type mismatches across module report their filenames", function ()
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
             return bbb
          ]]
       })
-      util.check_type_error([[
+      util.run_check_type_error([[
          local aaa = require("aaa")
          local bbb = require("bbb")
 
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
          aaa.myfunc(b)
       ]], {
          { msg = "argument 1: Thing (defined in ./bbb.tl:4) is not a Thing (defined in ./aaa.tl:1)" }
-      })()
+      })
    end)
 
    it("type mismatches across local type names report their provenance", function ()
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
             return bbb
          ]]
       })
-      util.check_type_error([[
+      util.run_check_type_error([[
          local aaa = require("aaa")
          local bbb = require("bbb")
 
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ describe("typecheck errors", function()
          aaa.myfunc(b)
       ]], {
          { msg = "argument 1: Thing (defined in ./bbb.tl:1) is not a Thing (defined in ./aaa.tl:1)" }
-      })()
+      })
    end)
 
 end)
diff --git a/spec/lexer/literals_spec.lua b/spec/lexer/literals_spec.lua
index dd30da7de..23f112b28 100644
--- a/spec/lexer/literals_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/lexer/literals_spec.lua
@@ -55,6 +55,6 @@ describe("lexer", function()
       end
       local input = table.concat(code, "\n")
 
-      util.check(input)
+      util.run_check(input)
    end)
 end)
diff --git a/spec/util.lua b/spec/util.lua
index 51eedac20..25cbdae50 100644
--- a/spec/util.lua
+++ b/spec/util.lua
@@ -616,4 +616,16 @@ function util.gen(code, expected, gen_target)
    return gen(false, code, expected, gen_target)
 end
 
+function util.run_check_type_error(...)
+   return util.check_type_error(...)()
+end
+
+function util.run_check(...)
+   return util.check(...)()
+end
+
+function util.run_lax_check(...)
+   return util.lax_check(...)()
+end
+
 return util
diff --git a/tl.lua b/tl.lua
index 471bf88cc..f48911d36 100644
--- a/tl.lua
+++ b/tl.lua
@@ -9215,7 +9215,11 @@ a.types[i], b.types[i]), }
          end
 
          if rec.kind == "variable" then
-            return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in record '" .. rec.tk .. "' of type %s"
+            if tbl.typename == "interface" then
+               return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in '" .. rec.tk .. "' of interface type %s"
+            else
+               return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in record '" .. rec.tk .. "' of type %s"
+            end
          else
             return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in type %s"
          end
diff --git a/tl.tl b/tl.tl
index 0c61ce5b7..7d1c5d180 100644
--- a/tl.tl
+++ b/tl.tl
@@ -9215,7 +9215,11 @@ do
          end
 
          if rec.kind == "variable" then
-            return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in record '" .. rec.tk .. "' of type %s"
+            if tbl is InterfaceType then
+               return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in '" .. rec.tk .. "' of interface type %s"
+            else
+               return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in record '" .. rec.tk .. "' of type %s"
+            end
          else
             return nil, "invalid key '" .. key .. "' in type %s"
          end