diff --git a/contrib/mtree/specspec.c b/contrib/mtree/specspec.c
index 466cb60bb32c..57d1e08888ac 100644
--- a/contrib/mtree/specspec.c
+++ b/contrib/mtree/specspec.c
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ compare_nodes(NODE *n1, NODE *n2, char const *path)
 		return (1);
 	}
 	if (n1->type != n2->type) {
-		differs = 0;
+		differs = F_TYPE;
 		mismatch(n1, n2, differs, path);
 		return (1);
 	}
diff --git a/contrib/netbsd-tests/usr.sbin/mtree/t_mtree.sh b/contrib/netbsd-tests/usr.sbin/mtree/t_mtree.sh
index 58fc7db6155b..5daefd84e928 100755
--- a/contrib/netbsd-tests/usr.sbin/mtree/t_mtree.sh
+++ b/contrib/netbsd-tests/usr.sbin/mtree/t_mtree.sh
@@ -411,6 +411,41 @@ netbsd6_nonemptydir_body()
 	FLAVOR=netbsd6 nonemptydir_body
 }
 
+atf_test_case mtree_specspec_type
+mtree_specspec_type_head()
+{
+	atf_set "descr" "Test that spec comparisons detect type changes"
+}
+
+mtree_specspec_type_body()
+{
+	mkdir testdir
+
+	touch testdir/bar
+	mtree -c -p testdir > mtree1.spec
+
+	if [ ! -f mtree1.spec ]; then
+		atf_fail "mtree failed"
+	fi
+
+	rm -f testdir/bar
+	ln -s foo testdir/bar
+	# uid change is expected to be ignored as done in -C
+	chown -h operator testdir/bar
+	mtree -c -p testdir > mtree2.spec
+
+	if [ ! -f mtree2.spec ]; then
+		atf_fail "mtree failed"
+	fi
+
+	atf_check -s ignore -o save:output \
+	    -x "mtree -f mtree1.spec -f mtree2.spec"
+
+	if ! cut -f 3 output | egrep -q "bar file" || \
+	    ! cut -f 3 output | egrep -q "bar link"; then
+		atf_fail "mtree did not detect type change"
+	fi
+}
 
 atf_init_test_cases()
 {
@@ -423,6 +458,7 @@ atf_init_test_cases()
 	atf_add_test_case mtree_ignore
 	atf_add_test_case mtree_merge
 	atf_add_test_case mtree_nonemptydir
+	atf_add_test_case mtree_specspec_type
 
 	atf_add_test_case netbsd6_create
 	atf_add_test_case netbsd6_check
diff --git a/usr.sbin/fmtree/specspec.c b/usr.sbin/fmtree/specspec.c
index ac70c2831a69..c26e195fdaa6 100644
--- a/usr.sbin/fmtree/specspec.c
+++ b/usr.sbin/fmtree/specspec.c
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ compare_nodes(NODE *n1, NODE *n2, char const *path)
 		return (1);
 	}
 	if (n1->type != n2->type) {
-		differs = 0;
+		differs = F_TYPE;
 		mismatch(n1, n2, differs, path);
 		return (1);
 	}