diff --git a/cue/types.go b/cue/types.go
index 8e09deb..b8bec80 100644
--- a/cue/types.go
+++ b/cue/types.go
@@ -1831,7 +1831,7 @@
 	if v.v == nil || other.v == nil {
 		return false
 	}
-	return adt.Equal(v.ctx().opCtx, v.v, other.v, adt.CheckStructural)
+	return adt.Equal(v.ctx().opCtx, v.v, other.v, 0)
 }
 
 // Format prints a debug version of a value.
diff --git a/cue/types_test.go b/cue/types_test.go
index d8212fb..3b4c7d1 100644
--- a/cue/types_test.go
+++ b/cue/types_test.go
@@ -1493,6 +1493,21 @@
 			a: "foo",
 		}`,
 		false,
+	}, {
+		// Ignore closedness
+		`{ #Foo: { k: 1 }, a: #Foo }`,
+		`{ #Foo: { k: 1 }, a: { k: 1 } }`,
+		true,
+	}, {
+		// Ignore optional fields
+		`{ #Foo: { k: 1 }, a: #Foo }`,
+		`{ #Foo: { k: 1 }, a: { #Foo, i?: 1 } }`,
+		true,
+	}, {
+		// Treat embedding as equal
+		`{ a: 2, b: { 3 } }`,
+		`{ a: { 2 }, b: 3 }`,
+		true,
 	}}
 	for _, tc := range testCases {
 		t.Run("", func(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/internal/core/adt/equality.go b/internal/core/adt/equality.go
index d1b5a1d..9f2d7ad 100644
--- a/internal/core/adt/equality.go
+++ b/internal/core/adt/equality.go
@@ -57,11 +57,13 @@
 	}
 
 	// TODO: this really should be subsumption.
-	if x.IsClosed(ctx) != y.IsClosed(ctx) {
-		return false
-	}
-	if flags != 0 && !equalClosed(ctx, x, y, flags) {
-		return false
+	if flags != 0 {
+		if x.IsClosed(ctx) != y.IsClosed(ctx) {
+			return false
+		}
+		if !equalClosed(ctx, x, y, flags) {
+			return false
+		}
 	}
 
 loop1: