diff --git a/src/passes/Precompute.cpp b/src/passes/Precompute.cpp
index f101cc525b6..0decb1d73db 100644
--- a/src/passes/Precompute.cpp
+++ b/src/passes/Precompute.cpp
@@ -126,11 +126,7 @@ class PrecomputingExpressionRunner
 
   // TODO: Use immutability for values
   Flow visitStructNew(StructNew* curr) {
-    auto flow = Super::visitStructNew(curr);
-    if (flow.breaking()) {
-      return flow;
-    }
-    return getHeapCreationFlow(flow, curr);
+    return getGCAllocation(curr, [&]() { return Super::visitStructNew(curr); });
   }
   Flow visitStructSet(StructSet* curr) { return Flow(NONCONSTANT_FLOW); }
   Flow visitStructGet(StructGet* curr) {
@@ -167,18 +163,11 @@ class PrecomputingExpressionRunner
     return Super::visitStructGet(curr);
   }
   Flow visitArrayNew(ArrayNew* curr) {
-    auto flow = Super::visitArrayNew(curr);
-    if (flow.breaking()) {
-      return flow;
-    }
-    return getHeapCreationFlow(flow, curr);
+    return getGCAllocation(curr, [&]() { return Super::visitArrayNew(curr); });
   }
   Flow visitArrayNewFixed(ArrayNewFixed* curr) {
-    auto flow = Super::visitArrayNewFixed(curr);
-    if (flow.breaking()) {
-      return flow;
-    }
-    return getHeapCreationFlow(flow, curr);
+    return getGCAllocation(curr,
+                           [&]() { return Super::visitArrayNewFixed(curr); });
   }
   Flow visitArraySet(ArraySet* curr) { return Flow(NONCONSTANT_FLOW); }
   Flow visitArrayGet(ArrayGet* curr) {
@@ -197,18 +186,22 @@ class PrecomputingExpressionRunner
   Flow visitArrayCopy(ArrayCopy* curr) { return Flow(NONCONSTANT_FLOW); }
 
   // Generates heap info for a heap-allocating expression.
-  template<typename T> Flow getHeapCreationFlow(Flow flow, T* curr) {
+  Flow getGCAllocation(Expression* curr, std::function<Flow()> visitFunc) {
     // We must return a literal that refers to the canonical location for this
-    // source expression, so that each time we compute a specific struct.new
+    // source expression, so that each time we compute a specific *.new then
     // we get the same identity.
-    std::shared_ptr<GCData>& canonical = heapValues[curr];
-    std::shared_ptr<GCData> newGCData = flow.getSingleValue().getGCData();
-    if (!canonical) {
-      canonical = std::make_shared<GCData>(*newGCData);
-    } else {
-      *canonical = *newGCData;
+    auto iter = heapValues.find(curr);
+    if (iter != heapValues.end()) {
+      // Refer to the same canonical GCData that we already created.
+      return Literal(iter->second, curr->type.getHeapType());
     }
-    return Literal(canonical, curr->type.getHeapType());
+    // Only call the visitor function here, so we do it once per allocation.
+    auto flow = visitFunc();
+    if (flow.breaking()) {
+      return flow;
+    }
+    heapValues[curr] = flow.getSingleValue().getGCData();
+    return flow;
   }
 
   Flow visitStringNew(StringNew* curr) {
diff --git a/test/lit/ctor-eval/slow.wast b/test/lit/ctor-eval/slow.wast
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2c5c33c9748
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/lit/ctor-eval/slow.wast
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+;; NOTE: Assertions have been generated by update_lit_checks.py --all-items and should not be edited.
+;; RUN: wasm-ctor-eval %s --ctors=test --quiet -all -S -o - | filecheck %s
+
+;; We will execute the arrays here when we try to precompute them. Each such
+;; computation should be done once, so that we preserve identity (which other
+;; tests handle). We should handle that without repeated work: once we compute a
+;; thing, we can reuse that computation. If we do not, this test will still
+;; pass, but it will take many minutes to run (exponential time), hopefully
+;; timing out the bots. With the optimization, it takes only ms.
+
+(module
+  (type $array (sub (shared (array (ref null $array)))))
+
+  ;; CHECK:      (type $0 (func (param f32)))
+
+  ;; CHECK:      (type $1 (func))
+
+  ;; CHECK:      (import "" "" (func $imported (type $0) (param f32)))
+  (import "" "" (func $imported (param f32)))
+
+  (func $test (export "test")
+    (local $local (ref $array))
+    (local.set $local
+      (array.new $array
+        (array.new $array
+          (array.new $array
+            (array.new $array
+              (array.new $array
+                (array.new_default $array
+                  (i32.const 0)
+                )
+                (i32.const 100)
+              )
+              (i32.const 100)
+            )
+            (i32.const 100)
+          )
+          (i32.const 100)
+        )
+        (i32.const 100)
+      )
+    )
+    (call $imported
+      (f32.const 0)
+    )
+  )
+)
+;; CHECK:      (export "test" (func $test_2))
+
+;; CHECK:      (func $test_2 (type $1)
+;; CHECK-NEXT:  (call $imported
+;; CHECK-NEXT:   (f32.const 0)
+;; CHECK-NEXT:  )
+;; CHECK-NEXT: )