diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Match/MatchEqs.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Match/MatchEqs.lean
index 05d8db30db..fc8b206bbd 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Match/MatchEqs.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Match/MatchEqs.lean
@@ -517,12 +517,15 @@ private partial def mkEquationsFor (matchDeclName : Name) :  MetaM MatchEqns :=
       let template := template.headBeta
       let splitterVal ← mkLambdaFVars splitterParams (← mkSplitterProof matchDeclName template alts altsNew splitterAltNumParams altArgMasks)
       let splitterName := baseName ++ `splitter
-      addDecl <| Declaration.thmDecl {
+      addAndCompile <| Declaration.defnDecl {
         name        := splitterName
         levelParams := constInfo.levelParams
         type        := splitterType
         value       := splitterVal
+        hints       := .abbrev
+        safety      := .safe
       }
+      setInlineAttribute splitterName
       let result := { eqnNames, splitterName, splitterAltNumParams }
       registerMatchEqns matchDeclName result
       return result
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Split.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Split.lean
index ad51657534..ed92ba713f 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Split.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Split.lean
@@ -200,12 +200,10 @@ private def substDiscrEqs (mvarId : MVarId) (fvarSubst : FVarSubst) (discrEqs :
 def applyMatchSplitter (mvarId : MVarId) (matcherDeclName : Name) (us : Array Level) (params : Array Expr) (discrs : Array Expr) : MetaM (List MVarId) := do
   let some info ← getMatcherInfo? matcherDeclName | throwError "'applyMatchSplitter' failed, '{matcherDeclName}' is not a 'match' auxiliary declaration."
   let matchEqns ← Match.getEquationsFor matcherDeclName
-  let mut us := us
-  if let some uElimPos := info.uElimPos? then
-    -- Set universe elimination level to zero (Prop).
-    us := us.set! uElimPos levelZero
-  let splitter := mkAppN (mkConst matchEqns.splitterName us.toList) params
-  let motiveType := (← whnfForall (← inferType splitter)).bindingDomain!
+  -- splitterPre does not have the correct universe elimination level, but this is fine, we only use it to compute the `motiveType`,
+  -- and we only care about the `motiveType` arguments, and not the resulting `Sort u`.
+  let splitterPre := mkAppN (mkConst matchEqns.splitterName us.toList) params
+  let motiveType := (← whnfForall (← inferType splitterPre)).bindingDomain!
   trace[Meta.Tactic.split] "applyMatchSplitter\n{mvarId}"
   let (discrFVarIds, discrEqs, mvarId) ← generalizeMatchDiscrs mvarId matcherDeclName motiveType discrs
   trace[Meta.Tactic.split] "after generalizeMatchDiscrs\n{mvarId}"
@@ -216,10 +214,21 @@ def applyMatchSplitter (mvarId : MVarId) (matcherDeclName : Name) (us : Array Le
   let (discrFVarIdsNew, mvarId) ← introN mvarId discrs.size
   trace[Meta.Tactic.split] "after introN\n{mvarId}"
   let discrsNew := discrFVarIdsNew.map mkFVar
+  let mvarType ← getMVarType mvarId
+  let elimUniv ← getLevel mvarType
+  let us ←
+    if let some uElimPos := info.uElimPos? then
+      pure <| us.set! uElimPos elimUniv
+    else
+      unless elimUniv.isZero do
+        throwError "match-splitter can only eliminate into `Prop`"
+      pure us
+  let splitter := mkAppN (mkConst matchEqns.splitterName us.toList) params
   withMVarContext mvarId do
-    let motive ← mkLambdaFVars discrsNew (← getMVarType mvarId)
+    let motive ← mkLambdaFVars discrsNew mvarType
     let splitter := mkAppN (mkApp splitter motive) discrsNew
     check splitter
+    trace[Meta.Tactic.split] "after check splitter"
     let mvarIds ← apply mvarId splitter
     unless mvarIds.length == matchEqns.size do
       throwError "'applyMatchSplitter' failed, unexpected number of goals created after applying splitter for '{matcherDeclName}'."
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Util.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Util.lean
index f586eb97c6..839a8df0e7 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Util.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Util.lean
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ def mkFreshExprSyntheticOpaqueMVar (type : Expr) (tag : Name := Name.anonymous)
 
 def throwTacticEx {α} (tacticName : Name) (mvarId : MVarId) (msg : MessageData) (ref := Syntax.missing) : MetaM α :=
   if msg.isEmpty then
-    throwError "tactic '{tacticName}' failed\n{MessageData.ofGoal mvarId}"
+    throwError "tactic '{tacticName}' failed\n{mvarId}"
   else
-    throwError "tactic '{tacticName}' failed, {msg}\n{MessageData.ofGoal mvarId}"
+    throwError "tactic '{tacticName}' failed, {msg}\n{mvarId}"
 
 def throwNestedTacticEx {α} (tacticName : Name) (ex : Exception) : MetaM α := do
   throwError "tactic '{tacticName}' failed, nested error:\n{ex.toMessageData}"
diff --git a/tests/lean/run/splitAtCode.lean b/tests/lean/run/splitAtCode.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f38b01b218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lean/run/splitAtCode.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+inductive Foo where
+  | ctor1 (s : Nat)
+  | ctor2 (s : String)
+
+def test (x y : Foo) : Decidable (match (x, y) with
+  | (.ctor1 s₁, .ctor1 s₂) => ¬s₁ = s₂
+  | x => False) := by
+ split <;> infer_instance