diff --git a/src/librustc_save_analysis/dump_visitor.rs b/src/librustc_save_analysis/dump_visitor.rs
index 54069775418..cbb1a3e5023 100644
--- a/src/librustc_save_analysis/dump_visitor.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_save_analysis/dump_visitor.rs
@@ -47,8 +47,7 @@ use syntax::ptr::P;
 use syntax::codemap::Spanned;
 use syntax_pos::*;
 
-use super::{escape, generated_code, SaveContext, PathCollector, docs_for_attrs,
-            remove_docs_from_attrs};
+use super::{escape, generated_code, SaveContext, PathCollector, docs_for_attrs};
 use super::data::*;
 use super::dump::Dump;
 use super::external_data::{Lower, make_def_id};
@@ -450,7 +449,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                     visibility: vis,
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(attrs),
                     sig: method_data.sig,
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(attrs),
+                    attributes: attrs.to_vec(),
                 }.lower(self.tcx));
             }
 
@@ -596,7 +595,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                 visibility: vis,
                 docs: docs_for_attrs(attrs),
                 sig: None,
-                attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(attrs),
+                attributes: attrs.to_vec(),
             }.lower(self.tcx));
         }
 
@@ -641,7 +640,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                 visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                 docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                 sig: self.save_ctxt.sig_base(item),
-                attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
             }.lower(self.tcx));
         }
 
@@ -707,7 +706,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                             parent: Some(make_def_id(item.id, &self.tcx.hir)),
                             docs: docs_for_attrs(&variant.node.attrs),
                             sig: sig,
-                            attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&variant.node.attrs),
+                            attributes: variant.node.attrs.clone(),
                         }.lower(self.tcx));
                     }
                 }
@@ -734,7 +733,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                             parent: Some(make_def_id(item.id, &self.tcx.hir)),
                             docs: docs_for_attrs(&variant.node.attrs),
                             sig: sig,
-                            attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&variant.node.attrs),
+                            attributes: variant.node.attrs.clone(),
                         }.lower(self.tcx));
                     }
                 }
@@ -806,7 +805,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump + 'll> DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll, D> {
                 visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                 docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                 sig: self.save_ctxt.sig_base(item),
-                attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
             }.lower(self.tcx));
         }
 
@@ -1315,7 +1314,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l, 'll, D: Dump +'ll> Visitor<'l> for DumpVisitor<'l, 'tcx, 'll,
                         parent: None,
                         docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                         sig: Some(self.save_ctxt.sig_base(item)),
-                        attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                        attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                     }.lower(self.tcx));
                 }
 
diff --git a/src/librustc_save_analysis/external_data.rs b/src/librustc_save_analysis/external_data.rs
index 38d1df2abb8..41658dc5b1b 100644
--- a/src/librustc_save_analysis/external_data.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_save_analysis/external_data.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ use rustc::ty::TyCtxt;
 use syntax::ast::{self, NodeId};
 use syntax::codemap::CodeMap;
 use syntax::print::pprust;
+use syntax::symbol::Symbol;
 use syntax_pos::Span;
 
 use data::{self, Visibility, SigElement};
@@ -72,28 +73,29 @@ pub struct Attribute {
     span: SpanData,
 }
 
-impl Lower for ast::Attribute {
-    type Target = Attribute;
-
-    fn lower(mut self, tcx: TyCtxt) -> Attribute {
-        // strip #[] and #![] from the original attributes
-        self.style = ast::AttrStyle::Outer;
-        let value = pprust::attribute_to_string(&self);
-        // #[] are all ASCII which makes this slice save
-        let value = value[2..value.len()-1].to_string();
-
-        Attribute {
-            value: value,
-            span: SpanData::from_span(self.span, tcx.sess.codemap()),
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 impl Lower for Vec<ast::Attribute> {
     type Target = Vec<Attribute>;
 
     fn lower(self, tcx: TyCtxt) -> Vec<Attribute> {
-        self.into_iter().map(|x| x.lower(tcx)).collect()
+        let doc = Symbol::intern("doc");
+        self.into_iter()
+        // Only retain real attributes. Doc comments are lowered separately.
+        .filter(|attr| attr.name() != doc)
+        .map(|mut attr| {
+            // Remove the surrounding '#[..]' or '#![..]' of the pretty printed
+            // attribute. First normalize all inner attribute (#![..]) to outer
+            // ones (#[..]), then remove the two leading and the one trailing character.
+            attr.style = ast::AttrStyle::Outer;
+            let value = pprust::attribute_to_string(&attr);
+            // This str slicing works correctly, because the leading and trailing characters
+            // are in the ASCII range and thus exactly one byte each.
+            let value = value[2..value.len()-1].to_string();
+
+            Attribute {
+                value: value,
+                span: SpanData::from_span(attr.span, tcx.sess.codemap()),
+            }
+        }).collect()
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/librustc_save_analysis/lib.rs b/src/librustc_save_analysis/lib.rs
index b650fe1024b..2153b30b62c 100644
--- a/src/librustc_save_analysis/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_save_analysis/lib.rs
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                     parent: None,
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                     sig: self.sig_base(item),
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                    attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                 }))
             }
             ast::ItemKind::Static(ref typ, mt, ref expr) => {
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                     visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                     sig: Some(self.sig_base(item)),
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                    attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                 }))
             }
             ast::ItemKind::Const(ref typ, ref expr) => {
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                     visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                     sig: Some(self.sig_base(item)),
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                    attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                 }))
             }
             ast::ItemKind::Mod(ref m) => {
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                     visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                     sig: self.sig_base(item),
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                    attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                 }))
             }
             ast::ItemKind::Enum(ref def, _) => {
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                     visibility: From::from(&item.vis),
                     docs: docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
                     sig: self.sig_base(item),
-                    attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs),
+                    attributes: item.attrs.clone(),
                 }))
             }
             ast::ItemKind::Impl(.., ref trait_ref, ref typ, _) => {
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                 visibility: From::from(&field.vis),
                 docs: docs_for_attrs(&field.attrs),
                 sig: Some(sig),
-                attributes: remove_docs_from_attrs(&field.attrs),
+                attributes: field.attrs.clone(),
             })
         } else {
             None
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                             (result, trait_id, decl_id,
                              From::from(&item.vis),
                              docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
-                             remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs))
+                             item.attrs.to_vec())
                         }
                         _ => {
                             span_bug!(span,
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ impl<'l, 'tcx: 'l> SaveContext<'l, 'tcx> {
                              Some(def_id), None,
                              From::from(&item.vis),
                              docs_for_attrs(&item.attrs),
-                             remove_docs_from_attrs(&item.attrs))
+                             item.attrs.to_vec())
                         }
                         r => {
                             span_bug!(span,
@@ -845,12 +845,6 @@ fn docs_for_attrs(attrs: &[Attribute]) -> String {
     result
 }
 
-/// Remove all attributes which are docs
-fn remove_docs_from_attrs(attrs: &[Attribute]) -> Vec<Attribute> {
-    let doc = Symbol::intern("doc");
-    attrs.iter().cloned().filter(|attr| attr.name() != doc).collect()
-}
-
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, RustcEncodable)]
 pub enum Format {
     Csv,