diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/cmd_exp_gengo_alias.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/cmd_exp_gengo_alias.txtar
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..61b025b4eea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/cmd_exp_gengo_alias.txtar
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# reproduction for https://github.com/cue-lang/cue/issues/3974
+exec cue exp gengotypes
+cmp cue_types_main_gen.go expect-gengo
+
+-- cue.mod/module.cue --
+module: "mod.test/foo"
+language: version: "v0.13.0"
+
+-- cue.mod/gen/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/types_go_gen.cue --
+package v1
+
+#ObjectMeta: {}
+
+-- cue.mod/gen/k8s.io/api/core/v1/types_go_gen.cue --
+package v1
+
+#PodSpec: {}
+
+-- main.cue --
+package main
+
+import (
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+)
+
+#Spec: {
+	meta: metav1.#ObjectMeta
+	spec: v1.#PodSpec
+}
+
+-- expect-gengo --
+// Code generated by "cue exp gengotypes"; DO NOT EDIT.
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+)
+
+type Spec struct {
+	Meta metav1.ObjectMeta `json:"meta"`
+
+	Spec v1.PodSpec `json:"spec"`
+}
diff --git a/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go b/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
index 318cda71525..5e6cee45592 100644
--- a/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
+++ b/internal/encoding/gotypes/generate.go
@@ -70,6 +70,15 @@ func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 		g.pkgRoot = instVal
 		g.importCuePkgAsGoPkg = make(map[string]string)
 
+		// gather the import aliases for the instance.
+		// NOTE: this implementation means that if an import alias is employed in one file
+		// it will be used anywhere that package is referenced
+		importAliases, err := gatherImportAliases(inst)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		g.importAliases = importAliases
+
 		iter, err := instVal.Fields(cue.Definitions(true))
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -100,7 +109,7 @@ func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 			buf = fmt.Appendf(buf, format, args...)
 		}
 		printf("// Code generated by \"cue exp gengotypes\"; DO NOT EDIT.\n\n")
-		goPkgName := goPkgNameForInstance(inst, instVal)
+		goPkgName := goPkgNameForInstance(inst, instVal, g.importAliases)
 		if prev, ok := goPkgNamesDoneByDir[inst.Dir]; ok && prev != goPkgName {
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot generate two Go packages in one directory; %s and %s", prev, goPkgName)
 		} else {
@@ -112,7 +121,12 @@ func Generate(ctx *cue.Context, insts ...*build.Instance) error {
 		if len(importedGo) > 0 {
 			printf("import (\n")
 			for _, path := range importedGo {
-				printf("\t%q\n", path)
+				quotedPath := fmt.Sprintf("%q", path)
+				alias, ok := g.importAliases[path]
+				if ok {
+					quotedPath = fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", alias, quotedPath)
+				}
+				printf("\t%s\n", quotedPath)
 			}
 			printf(")\n")
 		}
@@ -217,6 +231,9 @@ type generator struct {
 
 	// def tracks the generation state for a single CUE definition.
 	def *generatedDef
+
+	// importAliases maps package names to the alias
+	importAliases map[string]string
 }
 
 type qualifiedPath = string // [build.Instance.ImportPath] + " " + [cue.Path.String]
@@ -323,6 +340,7 @@ func (g *generator) emitType(val cue.Value, optionalStg optionalStrategy) (typeF
 		if err != nil {
 			return facts, fmt.Errorf("cannot parse @go type expression: %w", err)
 		}
+
 		for _, pkgPath := range importedByName {
 			g.importCuePkgAsGoPkg[pkgPath] = pkgPath
 		}
@@ -679,11 +697,15 @@ func goValueAttr(val cue.Value) cue.Attribute {
 
 // goPkgNameForInstance determines what to name a Go package generated from a CUE instance.
 // By default this is the CUE package name, but it can be overriden by a @go() package attribute.
-func goPkgNameForInstance(inst *build.Instance, instVal cue.Value) string {
+// Import aliases will also checked at this point and inserted if found.
+func goPkgNameForInstance(inst *build.Instance, instVal cue.Value, aliasLookup map[string]string) string {
 	attr := goValueAttr(instVal)
 	if s, _ := attr.String(0); s != "" {
 		return s
 	}
+	if alias, ok := aliasLookup[inst.ImportPath]; ok {
+		return alias
+	}
 	return inst.PkgName
 }
 
@@ -751,7 +773,7 @@ func (g *generator) emitTypeReference(val cue.Value) (bool, typeFacts, error) {
 		facts.isNillable = true // pointers can be nil
 	}
 	if root != g.pkgRoot {
-		g.def.printf("%s.", goPkgNameForInstance(inst, root))
+		g.def.printf("%s.", goPkgNameForInstance(inst, root, g.importAliases))
 	}
 	g.def.printf("%s", name)
 	return true, facts, nil
@@ -772,3 +794,32 @@ func emitDocs(printf func(string, ...any), name string, groups []*ast.CommentGro
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// gatherImportAliases collects the aliases from imports across the instance.
+// We explicitly ignore "_" aliases because CUE does not support.
+func gatherImportAliases(inst *build.Instance) (map[string]string, error) {
+	fileAliases := make(map[string]string)
+	for _, f := range inst.Files {
+		for _, d := range f.Decls {
+			impDecl, ok := d.(*ast.ImportDecl)
+			if !ok {
+				continue
+			}
+			for _, s := range impDecl.Specs {
+				if s.Path == nil || s.Name == nil {
+					continue
+				}
+				alias := s.Name.Name
+				if alias == "_" {
+					continue
+				}
+				path, err := strconv.Unquote(s.Path.Value)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				fileAliases[path] = alias
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return fileAliases, nil
+}