diff --git a/cl/_testgo/blankfield/expect.txt b/cl/_testgo/blankfield/expect.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9766475a41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cl/_testgo/blankfield/expect.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ok
diff --git a/cl/_testgo/blankfield/in.go b/cl/_testgo/blankfield/in.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ca346f6dfb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cl/_testgo/blankfield/in.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// LITTEST
+package main
+
+import "unsafe"
+
+var calls int
+
+func sideEffect() int {
+	calls++
+	return 42
+}
+
+type Nested struct {
+	Left  int
+	_     int
+	Right int
+}
+
+// CHECK-LABEL: define void @"{{.*}}/cl/_testgo/blankfield.main"()
+// CHECK: call i64 @"{{.*}}/cl/_testgo/blankfield.sideEffect"()
+// CHECK: call i64 @"{{.*}}/cl/_testgo/blankfield.sideEffect"()
+// CHECK: call i64 @"{{.*}}/cl/_testgo/blankfield.sideEffect"()
+
+func main() {
+	value := struct {
+		_    int
+		Keep int
+	}{sideEffect(), 7}
+	nestedValue := struct {
+		_    Nested
+		Keep int
+	}{Nested{sideEffect(), 6, 7}, 8}
+	arrayValue := struct {
+		_    [2]int
+		Keep int
+	}{[2]int{sideEffect(), 9}, 10}
+
+	if calls != 3 {
+		panic("blank field initializer side effect was not evaluated")
+	}
+	if value.Keep != 7 {
+		panic("non-blank field initializer was lost")
+	}
+	nestedWords := (*[4]int)(unsafe.Pointer(&nestedValue))
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		if nestedWords[i] != 0 {
+			panic("nested blank field was not zeroed")
+		}
+	}
+	if nestedWords[3] != 8 {
+		panic("nested non-blank field initializer was lost")
+	}
+	arrayWords := (*[3]int)(unsafe.Pointer(&arrayValue))
+	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+		if arrayWords[i] != 0 {
+			panic("blank array field was not zeroed")
+		}
+	}
+	if arrayWords[2] != 10 {
+		panic("array non-blank field initializer was lost")
+	}
+	println("ok")
+}
diff --git a/cl/compile.go b/cl/compile.go
index 8f99b9a0f5..1c462826c2 100644
--- a/cl/compile.go
+++ b/cl/compile.go
@@ -1843,13 +1843,38 @@ func (p *context) compileValue(b llssa.Builder, v ssa.Value) llssa.Expr {
 	panic(fmt.Sprintf("compileValue: unknown value - %T\n", v))
 }
 
+// isBlankFieldStore also recognizes stores into descendants of an aggregate
+// blank field. IndexAddr is followed only through an array's in-place storage,
+// never through a slice header into its separately allocated backing array.
+// The caller still evaluates the stored value for side effects.
 func isBlankFieldStore(addr ssa.Value) bool {
-	field, ok := addr.(*ssa.FieldAddr)
-	if !ok {
-		return false
+	for {
+		switch current := addr.(type) {
+		case *ssa.FieldAddr:
+			_, st, ok := fieldAddrStruct(current)
+			if !ok {
+				return false
+			}
+			if st.Field(current.Field).Name() == "_" {
+				return true
+			}
+			addr = current.X
+		case *ssa.IndexAddr:
+			if current.X == nil || current.X.Type() == nil {
+				return false
+			}
+			ptr, ok := current.X.Type().Underlying().(*types.Pointer)
+			if !ok {
+				return false
+			}
+			if _, ok := ptr.Elem().Underlying().(*types.Array); !ok {
+				return false
+			}
+			addr = current.X
+		default:
+			return false
+		}
 	}
-	_, st, ok := fieldAddrStruct(field)
-	return ok && st.Field(field.Field).Name() == "_"
 }
 
 const rangeOverFuncYieldSynthetic = "range-over-func yield"
diff --git a/cl/rewrite_internal_test.go b/cl/rewrite_internal_test.go
index ce5d370d33..900c082cef 100644
--- a/cl/rewrite_internal_test.go
+++ b/cl/rewrite_internal_test.go
@@ -126,6 +126,174 @@ func Use() string {
 	assertNoStoreToGlobal(t, ir, "@staticinit.MethodNames")
 }
 
+func TestStaticGlobalBlankFieldInit(t *testing.T) {
+	const src = `package staticinit
+
+type Nested struct {
+	Left int
+	_ int
+	Right int
+}
+
+type Outer struct {
+	Left int
+	_ Nested
+	Right int
+}
+
+var Flat = Nested{1, 2, 3}
+var Deep = Outer{4, Nested{5, 6, 7}, 8}
+
+func Use() int {
+	return Flat.Left + Flat.Right + Deep.Left + Deep.Right
+}
+`
+	ir := compileWithRewrites(t, src, nil)
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"@staticinit.Flat = global %staticinit.Nested { i64 1, i64 0, i64 3 }",
+		"@staticinit.Deep = global %staticinit.Outer { i64 4, %staticinit.Nested zeroinitializer, i64 8 }",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(ir, want) {
+			t.Fatalf("blank field was not zeroed in static initializer %q:\n%s", want, ir)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBlankFieldStoreRejectsInvalidAddresses(t *testing.T) {
+	for name, addr := range map[string]ssa.Value{
+		"nil":           nil,
+		"invalid field": &ssa.FieldAddr{},
+		"invalid index": &ssa.IndexAddr{},
+	} {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if isBlankFieldStore(addr) {
+				t.Fatal("invalid address was classified as a blank field store")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBlankFieldStoreClassification(t *testing.T) {
+	const src = `package blankstore
+
+type Leaf struct {
+	Value int
+}
+
+type Outer struct {
+	_ Leaf
+	Keep Leaf
+	_ [2]Leaf
+	_ []Leaf
+}
+
+func next() int { return 1 }
+
+var Value = Outer{
+	Leaf{next()},
+	Leaf{next()},
+	[2]Leaf{{next()}, {next()}},
+	[]Leaf{{next()}},
+}
+`
+	fset := token.NewFileSet()
+	file, err := parser.ParseFile(fset, "blankstore.go", src, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	importer := gpackages.NewImporter(fset)
+	pkg, _, err := ssautil.BuildPackage(
+		&types.Config{Importer: importer},
+		fset,
+		types.NewPackage("blankstore", "blankstore"),
+		[]*ast.File{file},
+		ssa.SanityCheckFunctions,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	addressPath := func(addr ssa.Value) (fields []string, indexed bool) {
+		for {
+			switch current := addr.(type) {
+			case *ssa.FieldAddr:
+				_, st, ok := fieldAddrStruct(current)
+				if !ok {
+					return fields, indexed
+				}
+				fields = append(fields, st.Field(current.Field).Name())
+				addr = current.X
+			case *ssa.IndexAddr:
+				indexed = true
+				addr = current.X
+			default:
+				return fields, indexed
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	var (
+		blankSliceField                   *ssa.FieldAddr
+		sawDirectBlank, sawNestedBlank    bool
+		sawBlankArray, sawNonBlankSibling bool
+	)
+	initFn := pkg.Func("init")
+	for _, block := range initFn.Blocks {
+		for _, instr := range block.Instrs {
+			if field, ok := instr.(*ssa.FieldAddr); ok {
+				_, st, valid := fieldAddrStruct(field)
+				if valid && st.Field(field.Field).Name() == "_" {
+					if _, ok := st.Field(field.Field).Type().Underlying().(*types.Slice); ok {
+						blankSliceField = field
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			store, ok := instr.(*ssa.Store)
+			if !ok {
+				continue
+			}
+			fields, indexed := addressPath(store.Addr)
+			if len(fields) == 0 {
+				continue
+			}
+			want := false
+			for _, field := range fields {
+				want = want || field == "_"
+			}
+			if got := isBlankFieldStore(store.Addr); got != want {
+				t.Fatalf("isBlankFieldStore(%s) = %v, want %v", store.Addr, got, want)
+			}
+			switch {
+			case len(fields) == 1 && fields[0] == "_":
+				sawDirectBlank = true
+			case len(fields) > 1 && want && !indexed:
+				sawNestedBlank = true
+			case want && indexed:
+				sawBlankArray = true
+			case !want:
+				sawNonBlankSibling = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if !sawDirectBlank || !sawNestedBlank || !sawBlankArray || !sawNonBlankSibling {
+		t.Fatalf(
+			"missing SSA classification coverage: direct=%v nested=%v array=%v sibling=%v",
+			sawDirectBlank,
+			sawNestedBlank,
+			sawBlankArray,
+			sawNonBlankSibling,
+		)
+	}
+	if blankSliceField == nil {
+		t.Fatal("missing blank slice field address")
+	}
+	// This shape is not currently emitted by go/ssa: it defensively verifies
+	// that a future IndexAddr form cannot cross a blank slice header.
+	if isBlankFieldStore(&ssa.IndexAddr{X: blankSliceField}) {
+		t.Fatal("slice backing-array address crossed the blank slice header")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestStaticGlobalSliceLiteralInit(t *testing.T) {
 	const src = `package staticinit
 
diff --git a/cl/static_init.go b/cl/static_init.go
index fd0f238151..5dc71b08f1 100644
--- a/cl/static_init.go
+++ b/cl/static_init.go
@@ -393,6 +393,9 @@ func (p *context) buildStaticInitExpr(typ types.Type, node *staticInitNode) (lls
 		values := make([]llssa.Expr, u.NumFields())
 		for i := range values {
 			child := node.children[i]
+			if u.Field(i).Name() == "_" {
+				child = nil
+			}
 			value, ok := p.buildStaticInitExpr(u.Field(i).Type(), child)
 			if !ok {
 				return llssa.Expr{}, false
diff --git a/test/goroot/xfail.yaml b/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
index 8183574996..e3090017de 100644
--- a/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
+++ b/test/goroot/xfail.yaml
@@ -2408,10 +2408,6 @@ xfails:
     directive: run
     case: range4.go
     reason: range-over-function build exits successfully without producing a binary on darwin/arm64
-  - platform: darwin/arm64
-    directive: run
-    case: fixedbugs/issue31546.go
-    reason: reflection exposes the initializer value of a blank struct field instead of zero on darwin/arm64
   - platform: darwin/arm64
     directive: run
     case: fixedbugs/issue72063.go