diff --git a/Compiler/src/tfuncs.jl b/Compiler/src/tfuncs.jl
index 7cac43e642117..ed7c830984a92 100644
--- a/Compiler/src/tfuncs.jl
+++ b/Compiler/src/tfuncs.jl
@@ -2425,10 +2425,6 @@ const _INCONSISTENT_INTRINSICS = Any[
     # Intrinsics.muladd_float,    # this is not interprocedurally consistent
 ]
 
-const _SPECIAL_BUILTINS = Any[
-    Core._apply_iterate,
-]
-
 # Intrinsics that require all arguments to be floats
 const _FLOAT_INTRINSICS = Any[
     Intrinsics.neg_float,
@@ -2535,6 +2531,71 @@ function getfield_effects(𝕃::AbstractLattice, argtypes::Vector{Any}, @nospeci
     return Effects(EFFECTS_TOTAL; consistent, nothrow, inaccessiblememonly, noub)
 end
 
+# add a new builtin function to this list only after making sure that
+# `builtin_effects` is properly implemented for it
+const _EFFECTS_KNOWN_BUILTINS = Any[
+    <:,
+    ===,
+    # Core._abstracttype,
+    # _apply_iterate,
+    # Core._call_in_world_total,
+    # Core._compute_sparams,
+    # Core._defaultctors,
+    # Core._equiv_typedef,
+    Core._expr,
+    # Core._primitivetype,
+    # Core._setsuper!,
+    # Core._structtype,
+    # Core._svec_ref,
+    # Core._typebody!,
+    Core._typevar,
+    apply_type,
+    compilerbarrier,
+    Core.current_scope,
+    donotdelete,
+    Core.finalizer,
+    Core.get_binding_type,
+    Core.ifelse,
+    # Core.invoke_in_world,
+    # invokelatest,
+    Core.memorynew,
+    memoryref_isassigned,
+    memoryrefget,
+    # Core.memoryrefmodify!,
+    memoryrefnew,
+    memoryrefoffset,
+    # Core.memoryrefreplace!,
+    memoryrefset!,
+    # Core.memoryrefsetonce!,
+    # Core.memoryrefswap!,
+    Core.sizeof,
+    svec,
+    Core.throw_methoderror,
+    applicable,
+    fieldtype,
+    getfield,
+    getglobal,
+    # invoke,
+    isa,
+    isdefined,
+    # isdefinedglobal,
+    modifyfield!,
+    # modifyglobal!,
+    nfields,
+    replacefield!,
+    # replaceglobal!,
+    setfield!,
+    # setfieldonce!,
+    # setglobal!,
+    # setglobalonce!,
+    swapfield!,
+    # swapglobal!,
+    throw,
+    tuple,
+    typeassert,
+    typeof
+]
+
 """
     builtin_effects(𝕃::AbstractLattice, f::Builtin, argtypes::Vector{Any}, rt) -> Effects
 
@@ -2545,7 +2606,9 @@ function builtin_effects(𝕃::AbstractLattice, @nospecialize(f::Builtin), argty
         return intrinsic_effects(f, argtypes)
     end
 
-    @assert !contains_is(_SPECIAL_BUILTINS, f)
+    if !(f in _EFFECTS_KNOWN_BUILTINS)
+        return Effects()
+    end
 
     if f === getfield
         return getfield_effects(𝕃, argtypes, rt)
diff --git a/Compiler/test/effects.jl b/Compiler/test/effects.jl
index ce2f94b8e355a..49a9628ba97c5 100644
--- a/Compiler/test/effects.jl
+++ b/Compiler/test/effects.jl
@@ -1461,3 +1461,9 @@ end
 let effects = Base.infer_effects(Base._unsetindex!, (MemoryRef{String},))
     @test !Compiler.is_effect_free(effects)
 end
+
+# builtin functions that can do arbitrary things should have the top effects
+@test Base.infer_effects(Core._call_in_world_total, Tuple{Vararg{Any}}) == Compiler.Effects()
+@test Base.infer_effects(Core.invoke_in_world, Tuple{Vararg{Any}}) == Compiler.Effects()
+@test Base.infer_effects(invokelatest, Tuple{Vararg{Any}}) == Compiler.Effects()
+@test Base.infer_effects(invoke, Tuple{Vararg{Any}}) == Compiler.Effects()