diff --git a/std/algorithm/sorting.d b/std/algorithm/sorting.d
index dbfe37f2fb0..1b1804e5304 100644
--- a/std/algorithm/sorting.d
+++ b/std/algorithm/sorting.d
@@ -3098,6 +3098,7 @@ if (isRandomAccessRange!R && hasLength!R && hasSwappableElements!R &&
     import core.lifetime : emplace;
     import std.range : zip, SortedRange;
     import std.string : representation;
+    import std.typecons : shouldGCScan;
 
     static if (is(typeof(unaryFun!transform(r.front))))
     {
@@ -3129,7 +3130,7 @@ if (isRandomAccessRange!R && hasLength!R && hasSwappableElements!R &&
         const nbytes = mulu(len, T.sizeof, overflow);
         if (overflow) assert(false, "multiplication overflowed");
         T[] result = (cast(T*) malloc(nbytes))[0 .. len];
-        static if (hasIndirections!T)
+        static if (shouldGCScan!T)
         {
             import core.memory : GC;
             GC.addRange(result.ptr, nbytes);
@@ -3148,7 +3149,7 @@ if (isRandomAccessRange!R && hasLength!R && hasSwappableElements!R &&
         static void trustedFree(T[] p) @trusted
         {
             import core.stdc.stdlib : free;
-            static if (hasIndirections!T)
+            static if (shouldGCScan!T)
             {
                 import core.memory : GC;
                 GC.removeRange(p.ptr);
diff --git a/std/array.d b/std/array.d
index bca137dbf58..78b5f6f0079 100644
--- a/std/array.d
+++ b/std/array.d
@@ -764,13 +764,14 @@ if (isAssociativeArray!AA)
 
 private template blockAttribute(T)
 {
-    import core.memory;
-    static if (hasIndirections!(T) || is(T == void))
+    import std.typecons : shouldGCScan;
+    static if (shouldGCScan!T || is(T == void))
     {
         enum blockAttribute = 0;
     }
     else
     {
+        import core.memory : GC;
         enum blockAttribute = GC.BlkAttr.NO_SCAN;
     }
 }
diff --git a/std/container/array.d b/std/container/array.d
index 68718bd4364..4285cc74048 100644
--- a/std/container/array.d
+++ b/std/container/array.d
@@ -273,11 +273,22 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
     import core.memory : GC;
 
     import std.exception : enforce;
-    import std.typecons : RefCounted, RefCountedAutoInitialize;
+    import std.typecons : RefCounted, RefCountedAutoInitialize,
+                          shouldGCScan;
 
     // This structure is not copyable.
     private struct Payload
     {
+        static if (!shouldGCScan!T)
+        {
+            // If no pointers to GC-allocated memory are reachable through T
+            // then no pointers to GC-allocated memory are reachable from this
+            // struct even though it contains a pointer as the _payload array is
+            // not GC-allocated. This annotation is so RefCounted!Payload
+            // doesn't call GC.addRange unnecessarily.
+            private enum bool __GC_NO_SCAN = true;
+        }
+
         size_t _capacity;
         T[] _payload;
 
@@ -292,7 +303,7 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
                 foreach (ref e; _payload)
                     .destroy(e);
 
-            static if (hasIndirections!T)
+            static if (shouldGCScan!T)
                 GC.removeRange(_payload.ptr);
 
             free(_payload.ptr);
@@ -339,7 +350,7 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
                         assert(false, "Overflow");
                 }
 
-                static if (hasIndirections!T)
+                static if (shouldGCScan!T)
                 {
                     auto newPayloadPtr = cast(T*) enforceMalloc(nbytes);
                     auto newPayload = newPayloadPtr[0 .. newLength];
@@ -385,7 +396,7 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
                 if (overflow)
                     assert(false, "Overflow");
             }
-            static if (hasIndirections!T)
+            static if (shouldGCScan!T)
             {
                 /* Because of the transactional nature of this
                  * relative to the garbage collector, ensure no
@@ -486,7 +497,7 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
         {
             emplace(p + i, e);
         }
-        static if (hasIndirections!T)
+        static if (shouldGCScan!T)
         {
             if (p)
                 GC.addRange(p, T.sizeof * values.length);
@@ -611,7 +622,7 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
                     assert(false, "Overflow");
             }
             auto p = enforceMalloc(sz);
-            static if (hasIndirections!T)
+            static if (shouldGCScan!T)
             {
                 // Zero out unused capacity to prevent gc from seeing false pointers
                 memset(p, 0, sz);
@@ -1101,6 +1112,11 @@ if (!is(immutable T == immutable bool))
     a.length = 10;
     assert(a.length == 10);
     assert(a.capacity >= a.length);
+
+    import std.typecons : shouldGCScan;
+    static assert(!shouldGCScan!(typeof(a)));
+    static assert(!shouldGCScan!(typeof(a._data)));
+    static assert(!shouldGCScan!(typeof(a._data.refCountedStore)));
 }
 
 @system unittest
diff --git a/std/functional.d b/std/functional.d
index cec61fef575..b89098c7d01 100644
--- a/std/functional.d
+++ b/std/functional.d
@@ -1309,8 +1309,8 @@ template memoize(alias fun, uint maxSize)
     ReturnType!fun memoize(Parameters!fun args)
     {
         import std.meta : staticMap;
-        import std.traits : hasIndirections, Unqual;
-        import std.typecons : tuple;
+        import std.traits : Unqual;
+        import std.typecons : shouldGCScan, tuple;
         static struct Value { staticMap!(Unqual, Parameters!fun) args; Unqual!(ReturnType!fun) res; }
         static Value[] memo;
         static size_t[] initialized;
@@ -1323,7 +1323,7 @@ template memoize(alias fun, uint maxSize)
             static assert(maxSize < size_t.max / Value.sizeof);
             static assert(maxSize < size_t.max - (8 * size_t.sizeof - 1));
 
-            enum attr = GC.BlkAttr.NO_INTERIOR | (hasIndirections!Value ? 0 : GC.BlkAttr.NO_SCAN);
+            enum attr = GC.BlkAttr.NO_INTERIOR | (shouldGCScan!Value ? 0 : GC.BlkAttr.NO_SCAN);
             memo = (cast(Value*) GC.malloc(Value.sizeof * maxSize, attr))[0 .. maxSize];
             enum nwords = (maxSize + 8 * size_t.sizeof - 1) / (8 * size_t.sizeof);
             initialized = (cast(size_t*) GC.calloc(nwords * size_t.sizeof, attr | GC.BlkAttr.NO_SCAN))[0 .. nwords];
diff --git a/std/random.d b/std/random.d
index 887fc66c4f6..2c6fe307a0c 100644
--- a/std/random.d
+++ b/std/random.d
@@ -3098,6 +3098,11 @@ private struct RandomCoverChoices
     private immutable size_t _length;
     private immutable bool hasPackedBits;
     private enum BITS_PER_WORD = typeof(buffer[0]).sizeof * 8;
+    // No pointers to GC-allocated memory are reachable from any of this
+    // struct's fields so despite containing a pointer this struct does
+    // not need to be scanned by the GC. This explicit property is for use by
+    // std.typecons.shouldGCScan.
+    private enum bool __GC_NO_SCAN = true;
 
     void opAssign(T)(T) @disable;
 
diff --git a/std/typecons.d b/std/typecons.d
index e54622d8c30..45ecf61235e 100644
--- a/std/typecons.d
+++ b/std/typecons.d
@@ -6378,14 +6378,8 @@ struct RefCounted(T, RefCountedAutoInitialize autoInit =
         RefCountedAutoInitialize.yes)
 if (!is(T == class) && !(is(T == interface)))
 {
-    version (D_BetterC)
-    {
-        private enum enableGCScan = false;
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        private enum enableGCScan = hasIndirections!T;
-    }
+
+    private enum enableGCScan = shouldGCScan!T;
 
     // TODO remove pure when https://issues.dlang.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15862 has been fixed
     extern(C) private pure nothrow @nogc static
@@ -6409,6 +6403,15 @@ if (!is(T == class) && !(is(T == interface)))
 
         private Impl* _store;
 
+        static if (!enableGCScan)
+        {
+            // If no pointers to GC-allocated memory are reachable through the
+            // payload then the same applies to this RefCountedStore since
+            // _store is not GC-allocated. This explicit annotation is for use
+            // by std.typecons.shouldGCScan.
+            private enum bool __GC_NO_SCAN = true;
+        }
+
         private void initialize(A...)(auto ref A args)
         {
             import core.lifetime : emplace, forward;
@@ -6655,6 +6658,56 @@ assert(refCountedStore.isInitialized)).
     // the pair will be freed when rc1 and rc2 go out of scope
 }
 
+version (D_BetterC)
+    package(std) enum bool shouldGCScan(T) = false;
+else
+/+
+Code that manually allocates memory without using the GC is responsible
+for calling GC.addRange if there is the possibility the memory might contain a
+pointer through which GC-allocated memory is reachable. Conservatively
+determining this via std.traits.hasIndirections can lead to false positives when
+nesting multiple types that manage their own memory (for instance a refcounted
+array of refcounted items). This template addresses that problem by acting like
+std.traits.hasIndirections but adding an escape hatch: any struct or union that
+defines `enum bool __GC_NO_SCAN = true` is regarded as having no pointers that
+can be used to reach GC-allocated memory. Names beginning with two underscores
+are reserved for use by the language so there is not a danger of conflicting
+with an enum that is identically-named by coincidence.
++/
+package(std) template shouldGCScan(T)
+{
+    static if (is(T == struct) || is(T == union))
+    {
+        static if (__traits(hasMember, T, "__GC_NO_SCAN") &&
+            // Verify T is the parent to make sure this is not a false positive
+            // from `alias this`.
+           __traits(isSame, T, __traits(parent, __traits(getMember, T, "__GC_NO_SCAN"))))
+        {
+            // Trying to evaluate the truth value of T.__GC_NO_SCAN is intended
+            // to cause compilation failure if it is an instance member or a
+            // mutable static field.
+            static if (__traits(getMember, T, "__GC_NO_SCAN"))
+                enum bool shouldGCScan = false;
+            else
+                static assert(0, "The truth value of __GC_NO_SCAN is not used." ~
+                       " Rather than define it as false do not define it.");
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            import core.internal.traits : anySatisfy;
+            enum bool shouldGCScan = anySatisfy!(.shouldGCScan,
+                typeof(T.tupleof));
+        }
+    }
+    else static if (__traits(isStaticArray, T))
+    {
+        enum bool shouldGCScan = T.sizeof > 0 &&
+            shouldGCScan!(typeof(T.init.ptr[0]));
+    }
+    else
+        enum bool shouldGCScan = hasIndirections!T;
+}
+
 pure @system unittest
 {
     RefCounted!int* p;
@@ -6783,6 +6836,10 @@ pure @system unittest
     struct B { int b; alias b this; }
     struct C { B b; alias b this; }
     assert(to!string(refCounted(C(B(123)))) == to!string(C(B(123))));
+
+    // Test shouldGCScan.
+    static assert(shouldGCScan!(typeof(a)));
+    static assert(!shouldGCScan!(typeof(refCounted(C(B(123))))));
 }
 
 /**