--- a/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileBroker.cpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileBroker.cpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -2045,6 +2045,7 @@
   Method* target_handle = task->method();
   int compilable = ciEnv::MethodCompilable;
   const char* failure_reason = NULL;
+  bool failure_reason_on_C_heap = false;
   const char* retry_message = NULL;
 
   int system_dictionary_modification_counter;
@@ -2071,6 +2072,7 @@
         jvmci->compile_method(method, osr_bci, &env);
 
         failure_reason = env.failure_reason();
+        failure_reason_on_C_heap = env.failure_reason_on_C_heap();
         if (!env.retryable()) {
           retry_message = "not retryable";
           compilable = ciEnv::MethodCompilable_not_at_tier;
@@ -2146,7 +2148,7 @@
   pop_jni_handle_block();
 
   if (failure_reason != NULL) {
-    task->set_failure_reason(failure_reason);
+    task->set_failure_reason(failure_reason, failure_reason_on_C_heap);
     if (_compilation_log != NULL) {
       _compilation_log->log_failure(thread, task, failure_reason, retry_message);
     }

--- a/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileTask.cpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileTask.cpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@
    JNIHandles::destroy_global(task->_method_holder);
    JNIHandles::destroy_global(task->_hot_method_holder);
 
+   if (task->_failure_reason_on_C_heap && task->_failure_reason != NULL) {
+     os::free((void*) task->_failure_reason);
+   }
+   task->_failure_reason = NULL;
+   task->_failure_reason_on_C_heap = false;
+
    task->set_is_free(true);
    task->set_next(_task_free_list);
    _task_free_list = task;
@@ -110,6 +116,7 @@
   _time_queued = 0;  // tidy
   _compile_reason = compile_reason;
   _failure_reason = NULL;
+  _failure_reason_on_C_heap = false;
 
   if (LogCompilation) {
     _time_queued = os::elapsed_counter();

--- a/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileTask.hpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/compiler/compileTask.hpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -104,9 +104,11 @@
   int          _hot_count;    // information about its invocation counter
   CompileReason _compile_reason;      // more info about the task
   const char*  _failure_reason;
+  // Specifies if _failure_reason is on the C heap.
+  bool         _failure_reason_on_C_heap;
 
  public:
-  CompileTask() {
+  CompileTask() : _failure_reason(NULL), _failure_reason_on_C_heap(false) {
     _lock = new Monitor(Mutex::nonleaf+2, "CompileTaskLock");
   }
 
@@ -199,8 +201,9 @@
   void         log_task_start(CompileLog* log);
   void         log_task_done(CompileLog* log);
 
-  void         set_failure_reason(const char* reason) {
+  void         set_failure_reason(const char* reason, bool on_C_heap = false) {
     _failure_reason = reason;
+    _failure_reason_on_C_heap = on_C_heap;
   }
 
   bool         check_break_at_flags();

--- a/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciCompiler.cpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciCompiler.cpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@
   if (_bootstrapping && is_osr) {
       // no OSR compilations during bootstrap - the compiler is just too slow at this point,
       // and we know that there are no endless loops
+      env->set_failure(true, "No OSR during boostrap");
       return;
   }
 
@@ -160,17 +161,21 @@
       CLEAR_PENDING_EXCEPTION;
     }
 
-    env->set_failure("exception throw", false);
+    env->set_failure(false, "unexpected exception thrown");
   } else {
     oop result_object = (oop) result.get_jobject();
     if (result_object != NULL) {
       oop failure_message = HotSpotCompilationRequestResult::failureMessage(result_object);
       if (failure_message != NULL) {
+        // Copy failure reason into resource memory first ...
         const char* failure_reason = java_lang_String::as_utf8_string(failure_message);
-        env->set_failure(failure_reason, HotSpotCompilationRequestResult::retry(result_object) != 0);
+        // ... and then into the C heap.
+        failure_reason = os::strdup(failure_reason, mtCompiler);
+        bool retryable = HotSpotCompilationRequestResult::retry(result_object) != 0;
+        env->set_failure(retryable, failure_reason, true);
       } else {
         if (env->task()->code() == NULL) {
-          env->set_failure("no nmethod produced", true);
+          env->set_failure(true, "no nmethod produced");
         } else {
           env->task()->set_num_inlined_bytecodes(HotSpotCompilationRequestResult::inlinedBytecodes(result_object));
           Atomic::inc(&_methods_compiled);

--- a/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciEnv.cpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciEnv.cpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -57,8 +57,9 @@
 JVMCIEnv::JVMCIEnv(CompileTask* task, int system_dictionary_modification_counter):
   _task(task),
   _system_dictionary_modification_counter(system_dictionary_modification_counter),
+  _retryable(true),
   _failure_reason(NULL),
-  _retryable(true)
+  _failure_reason_on_C_heap(false)
 {
   // Get Jvmti capabilities under lock to get consistent values.
   MutexLocker mu(JvmtiThreadState_lock);

--- a/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciEnv.hpp	Tue Jan 22 08:50:49 2019 +0100
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/jvmci/jvmciEnv.hpp	Tue Jan 22 10:12:05 2019 +0100
@@ -99,8 +99,11 @@
   int              _system_dictionary_modification_counter;
 
   // Compilation result values
+  bool             _retryable;
   const char*      _failure_reason;
-  bool             _retryable;
+
+  // Specifies if _failure_reason is on the C heap.
+  bool             _failure_reason_on_C_heap;
 
   // Cache JVMTI state
   bool  _jvmti_can_hotswap_or_post_breakpoint;
@@ -145,10 +148,12 @@
   CompileTask* task() { return _task; }
 
   const char* failure_reason() { return _failure_reason; }
+  bool failure_reason_on_C_heap() { return _failure_reason_on_C_heap; }
   bool retryable() { return _retryable; }
 
-  void set_failure(const char* reason, bool retryable) {
+  void set_failure(bool retryable, const char* reason, bool reason_on_C_heap = false) {
     _failure_reason = reason;
+    _failure_reason_on_C_heap = reason_on_C_heap;
     _retryable = retryable;
   }