diff --git a/compiler/compiler.go b/compiler/compiler.go
index b4cb5dc8..185b6ea0 100644
--- a/compiler/compiler.go
+++ b/compiler/compiler.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"go/types"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"runtime"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -39,7 +38,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	LDFlags       []string // ldflags to pass to cgo
 	DumpSSA       bool     // dump Go SSA, for compiler debugging
 	Debug         bool     // add debug symbols for gdb
-	RootDir       string   // GOROOT for TinyGo
+	GOROOT        string   // GOROOT
+	TINYGOROOT    string   // GOROOT for TinyGo
 	GOPATH        string   // GOPATH, like `go env GOPATH`
 	BuildTags     []string // build tags for TinyGo (empty means {Config.GOOS/Config.GOARCH})
 }
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ func (c *Compiler) Compile(mainPath string) []error {
 	// the TinyGo root.
 	overlayGopath := c.GOPATH
 	if overlayGopath == "" {
-		overlayGopath = runtime.GOROOT()
+		overlayGopath = c.GOROOT
 	} else {
-		overlayGopath = runtime.GOROOT() + string(filepath.ListSeparator) + overlayGopath
+		overlayGopath = c.GOROOT + string(filepath.ListSeparator) + overlayGopath
 	}
 
 	wd, err := os.Getwd()
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func (c *Compiler) Compile(mainPath string) []error {
 		Build: &build.Context{
 			GOARCH:      c.GOARCH,
 			GOOS:        c.GOOS,
-			GOROOT:      runtime.GOROOT(),
+			GOROOT:      c.GOROOT,
 			GOPATH:      c.GOPATH,
 			CgoEnabled:  true,
 			UseAllFiles: false,
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ func (c *Compiler) Compile(mainPath string) []error {
 		OverlayBuild: &build.Context{
 			GOARCH:      c.GOARCH,
 			GOOS:        c.GOOS,
-			GOROOT:      c.RootDir,
+			GOROOT:      c.TINYGOROOT,
 			GOPATH:      overlayGopath,
 			CgoEnabled:  true,
 			UseAllFiles: false,
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ func (c *Compiler) Compile(mainPath string) []error {
 			},
 		},
 		Dir:        wd,
-		TinyGoRoot: c.RootDir,
+		TINYGOROOT: c.TINYGOROOT,
 		CFlags:     c.CFlags,
 	}
 	if strings.HasSuffix(mainPath, ".go") {
diff --git a/loader/loader.go b/loader/loader.go
index 45e10efe..cebf7228 100644
--- a/loader/loader.go
+++ b/loader/loader.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ type Program struct {
 	fset          *token.FileSet
 	TypeChecker   types.Config
 	Dir           string // current working directory (for error reporting)
-	TinyGoRoot    string // root of the TinyGo installation or root of the source code
+	TINYGOROOT    string // root of the TinyGo installation or root of the source code
 	CFlags        []string
 }
 
@@ -297,12 +297,12 @@ func (p *Package) parseFiles() ([]*ast.File, error) {
 	}
 	clangIncludes := ""
 	if len(p.CgoFiles) != 0 {
-		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(p.TinyGoRoot, "llvm", "tools", "clang", "lib", "Headers")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(p.TINYGOROOT, "llvm", "tools", "clang", "lib", "Headers")); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			// Running from the source directory.
-			clangIncludes = filepath.Join(p.TinyGoRoot, "llvm", "tools", "clang", "lib", "Headers")
+			clangIncludes = filepath.Join(p.TINYGOROOT, "llvm", "tools", "clang", "lib", "Headers")
 		} else {
 			// Running from the installation directory.
-			clangIncludes = filepath.Join(p.TinyGoRoot, "lib", "clang", "include")
+			clangIncludes = filepath.Join(p.TINYGOROOT, "lib", "clang", "include")
 		}
 	}
 	for _, file := range p.CgoFiles {
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index b662d65c..759746b8 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ func Compile(pkgName, outpath string, spec *TargetSpec, config *BuildConfig, act
 		ldflags = append(ldflags, strings.Replace(flag, "{root}", root, -1))
 	}
 
+	goroot := getGoroot()
+	if goroot == "" {
+		return errors.New("cannot locate $GOROOT, please set it manually")
+	}
 	compilerConfig := compiler.Config{
 		Triple:        spec.Triple,
 		CPU:           spec.CPU,
@@ -87,7 +91,8 @@ func Compile(pkgName, outpath string, spec *TargetSpec, config *BuildConfig, act
 		LDFlags:       ldflags,
 		Debug:         config.debug,
 		DumpSSA:       config.dumpSSA,
-		RootDir:       root,
+		TINYGOROOT:    root,
+		GOROOT:        goroot,
 		GOPATH:        getGopath(),
 		BuildTags:     spec.BuildTags,
 	}
diff --git a/target.go b/target.go
index 546883f3..61baf3b0 100644
--- a/target.go
+++ b/target.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
 	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
@@ -310,3 +311,60 @@ func getHomeDir() string {
 	}
 	return u.HomeDir
 }
+
+// getGoroot returns an appropriate GOROOT from various sources. If it can't be
+// found, it returns an empty string.
+func getGoroot() string {
+	goroot := os.Getenv("GOROOT")
+	if goroot != "" {
+		// An explicitly set GOROOT always has preference.
+		return goroot
+	}
+
+	// Check for the location of the 'go' binary and base GOROOT on that.
+	binpath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	if err == nil {
+		binpath, err = filepath.EvalSymlinks(binpath)
+		if err == nil {
+			goroot := filepath.Dir(filepath.Dir(binpath))
+			if isGoroot(goroot) {
+				return goroot
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Check what GOROOT was at compile time.
+	if isGoroot(runtime.GOROOT()) {
+		return runtime.GOROOT()
+	}
+
+	// Check for some standard locations, as a last resort.
+	var candidates []string
+	switch runtime.GOOS {
+	case "linux":
+		candidates = []string{
+			"/usr/local/go", // manually installed
+			"/usr/lib/go",   // from the distribution
+		}
+	case "darwin":
+		candidates = []string{
+			"/usr/local/go",             // manually installed
+			"/usr/local/opt/go/libexec", // from Homebrew
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, candidate := range candidates {
+		if isGoroot(candidate) {
+			return candidate
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Can't find GOROOT...
+	return ""
+}
+
+// isGoroot checks whether the given path looks like a GOROOT.
+func isGoroot(goroot string) bool {
+	_, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(goroot, "src", "runtime", "internal", "sys", "zversion.go"))
+	return err == nil
+}