diff --git a/mps/code/poolawl.c b/mps/code/poolawl.c
index 6332a91b7cd..edcae788e3c 100644
--- a/mps/code/poolawl.c
+++ b/mps/code/poolawl.c
@@ -558,6 +558,7 @@ static Res AWLInit(Pool pool, ArgList args)
 
   AVERT(Format, format);
   pool->format = format;
+  pool->alignment = format->alignment;
 
   AVER(FUNCHECK(findDependent));
   awl->findDependent = findDependent;
@@ -570,7 +571,7 @@ static Res AWLInit(Pool pool, ArgList args)
   if (res != ResOK)
     goto failGenInit;
 
-  awl->alignShift = SizeLog2(pool->alignment);
+  awl->alignShift = SizeLog2(PoolAlignment(pool));
   awl->size = (Size)0;
 
   awl->succAccesses = 0;
@@ -937,7 +938,7 @@ static Res awlScanSinglePass(Bool *anyScannedReturn,
 
     i = awlIndexOfAddr(base, awl, p);
     if (!BTGet(awlseg->alloc, i)) {
-      p = AddrAdd(p, pool->alignment);
+      p = AddrAdd(p, PoolAlignment(pool));
       continue;
     }
     hp = AddrAdd(p, format->headerSize);
@@ -954,7 +955,8 @@ static Res awlScanSinglePass(Bool *anyScannedReturn,
     }
     objectLimit = AddrSub(objectLimit, format->headerSize);
     AVER(p < objectLimit);
-    p = AddrAlignUp(objectLimit, pool->alignment);
+    AVER(AddrIsAligned(objectLimit, PoolAlignment(pool)));
+    p = objectLimit;
   }
   AVER(p == limit);
 
@@ -1051,7 +1053,7 @@ static Res AWLFix(Pool pool, ScanState ss, Seg seg, Ref *refIO)
   switch(ss->rank) {
   case RankAMBIG:
     /* not a real pointer if not aligned or not allocated */
-    if (!AddrIsAligned(base, pool->alignment) || !BTGet(awlseg->alloc, i))
+    if (!AddrIsAligned(base, sizeof(void *)) || !BTGet(awlseg->alloc, i))
       return ResOK;
     /* falls through */
   case RankEXACT:
@@ -1125,7 +1127,7 @@ static void AWLReclaim(Pool pool, Trace trace, Seg seg)
     }
     q = format->skip(AddrAdd(p, format->headerSize));
     q = AddrSub(q, format->headerSize);
-    q = AddrAlignUp(q, pool->alignment);
+    AVER(AddrIsAligned(q, PoolAlignment(pool)));
     j = awlIndexOfAddr(base, awl, q);
     AVER(j <= awlseg->grains);
     if(BTGet(awlseg->mark, i)) {
@@ -1243,13 +1245,13 @@ static void AWLWalk(Pool pool, Seg seg, FormattedObjectsStepMethod f,
     i = awlIndexOfAddr(base, awl, object);
     if (!BTGet(awlseg->alloc, i)) {
       /* This grain is free */
-      object = AddrAdd(object, pool->alignment);
+      object = AddrAdd(object, PoolAlignment(pool));
       continue;
     }
     object = AddrAdd(object, format->headerSize);
     next = format->skip(object);
     next = AddrSub(next, format->headerSize);
-    next = AddrAlignUp(next, pool->alignment);
+    AVER(AddrIsAligned(next, PoolAlignment(pool)));
     if (BTGet(awlseg->mark, i) && BTGet(awlseg->scanned, i))
       (*f)(object, pool->format, pool, p, s);
     object = next;
diff --git a/mps/manual/source/pool/awl.rst b/mps/manual/source/pool/awl.rst
index 4128339227a..79df0258804 100644
--- a/mps/manual/source/pool/awl.rst
+++ b/mps/manual/source/pool/awl.rst
@@ -282,11 +282,10 @@ the format of objects allocated in it:
   that it does not look like an aligned pointer.
 
   "Aligned pointer" means a word whose numeric value (that is, its
-  value when treated as an unsigned integer) is a multiple of the
-  architecture's :term:`natural alignment` (see
-  :c:macro:`MPS_PF_ALIGN`). If you're using a 32-bit architecture,
-  that means that an aligned pointer is a multiple of 4 and its bottom
-  two bits are both zero.
+  value when treated as an unsigned integer) is a multiple of the size
+  of a pointer. For you're using a 32-bit architecture, that means
+  that an aligned pointer is a multiple of 4 and its bottom two bits
+  are both zero.
 
   The bottom line is that references from an object in an AWL pool
   must be untagged and aligned, and integers must be tagged with a
diff --git a/mps/manual/source/release.rst b/mps/manual/source/release.rst
index 294b6545b91..83e23aea3c3 100644
--- a/mps/manual/source/release.rst
+++ b/mps/manual/source/release.rst
@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@ New features
    calling :c:func:`mps_pool_create_k`.
 
 
+Other changes
+.............
+
+#. The alignment of :ref:`pool-awl` pools is now configurable via the
+   object format, as documented, and is no longer always
+   :c:macro:`MPS_PF_ALIGN`. See job003745_.
+
+   .. _job003745: https://www.ravenbrook.com/project/mps/issue/job003745/
+
+
 .. _release-notes-1.113:
 
 Release 1.113.0