diff --git a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account.go b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account.go
index 50521b9708d..06a06c664ab 100644
--- a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account.go
+++ b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account.go
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/Agoric/agoric-sdk/golang/cosmos/x/lien/types"
 
+	codectypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec/types"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
 	vestexported "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/vesting/exported"
+	"github.com/gogo/protobuf/proto"
 )
 
 // maxCoins returns coins with the maximum amount of each denomination
@@ -49,28 +51,69 @@ func maxCoins(a, b sdk.Coins) sdk.Coins {
 	return sdk.NewCoins(max...)
 }
 
-// LienAccount wraps a VestingAccount to implement lien encumbrance.
+// omniAccount is the full expected interface of non-module accounts.
+// In addition to the methods declared in authtypes.AccountI, additional
+// expectations are enforced dynamically through casting and reflection:
+//
+//	- non-module accounts are expected to obey the GenesisAccount interface,
+//	i.e. to have a Validate() method;
+//
+//	- UnpackInterfacesMessage is needed for unpacking accounts embedded
+//	in an Any message;
+//
+//	- MarshalYAML() is used for String rendering;
+//
+//	- protubuf Messages are expected to implement a number of "XXX"-prefixed
+//	methods not visible in the Message interface.
+//
+// Declaring the expected methods here allows them to implicitly fall trhough
+// to an embedded omniAccount.
+//
+// Note that this interface will have to adapt to updated expectations in
+// the cosmos-sdk or protobuf library.
+type omniAccount interface {
+	authtypes.GenesisAccount
+	codectypes.UnpackInterfacesMessage
+	MarshalYAML() (interface{}, error)
+	XXX_DiscardUnknown()
+	XXX_Marshal([]byte, bool) ([]byte, error)
+	XXX_Merge(proto.Message)
+	XXX_Size() int
+	XXX_Unmarshal([]byte) error
+}
+
+// omniVestingAccount is an omniAccount plus vesting methods.
+type omniVestingAccount interface {
+	omniAccount
+	vestexported.VestingAccount
+}
+
+// LienAccount wraps an omniVestingAccount to implement lien encumbrance.
 // The LockedCoins() method is the maximum of the coins locked for
 // liens, and the coins locked in the underlying VestingAccount.
 // It inherits the marshaling behavior of the wrapped account.
+// In particular, the Lien account must be passed by pointer because of
+// expectations from the proto library.
 type LienAccount struct {
-	vestexported.VestingAccount
+	omniVestingAccount
 	lienKeeper Keeper
+	//	messageName string
 }
 
-var _ vestexported.VestingAccount = LienAccount{}
+var _ vestexported.VestingAccount = &LienAccount{}
+var _ authtypes.GenesisAccount = &LienAccount{}
 
 // LockedCoins implements the method from the VestingAccount interface.
 // It takes the maximum of the coins locked for liens and the coins
 // locked in the wrapped VestingAccount.
-func (la LienAccount) LockedCoins(ctx sdk.Context) sdk.Coins {
-	wrappedLocked := la.VestingAccount.LockedCoins(ctx)
+func (la *LienAccount) LockedCoins(ctx sdk.Context) sdk.Coins {
+	wrappedLocked := la.omniVestingAccount.LockedCoins(ctx)
 	lienedLocked := la.LienedLockedCoins(ctx)
 	return maxCoins(wrappedLocked, lienedLocked)
 }
 
 // Returns the coins which are locked for lien encumbrance.
-func (la LienAccount) LienedLockedCoins(ctx sdk.Context) sdk.Coins {
+func (la *LienAccount) LienedLockedCoins(ctx sdk.Context) sdk.Coins {
 	state := la.lienKeeper.GetAccountState(ctx, la.GetAddress())
 	return computeLienLocked(state.Liened, state.Bonded, state.Unbonding)
 }
@@ -86,6 +129,14 @@ func computeLienLocked(liened, bonded, unbonding sdk.Coins) sdk.Coins {
 	return maxCoins(subtrahend, liened).Sub(subtrahend)
 }
 
+// XXX_MessageName provides the message name for JSON serialization.
+// See proto.MessageName().
+func (la *LienAccount) XXX_MessageName() string {
+	// Find the embedded account's message name for JSON
+	// serialization and record it for impersonation.
+	return proto.MessageName(la.omniVestingAccount)
+}
+
 // NewAccountWrapper returns an AccountWrapper which wraps any account
 // to be a LienAccount associated with the given Keeper, then unwraps
 // any layers that the Wrap added.
@@ -95,17 +146,21 @@ func NewAccountWrapper(lk Keeper) types.AccountWrapper {
 			if acc == nil {
 				return nil
 			}
-			return LienAccount{
-				VestingAccount: makeVesting(acc),
-				lienKeeper:     lk,
+			if omni, ok := acc.(omniAccount); ok {
+				return &LienAccount{
+					omniVestingAccount: makeVesting(omni),
+					lienKeeper:         lk,
+				}
 			}
+			// don't wrap non-omni accounts, e.g. module accounts
+			return acc
 		},
 		Unwrap: func(acc authtypes.AccountI) authtypes.AccountI {
-			if la, ok := acc.(LienAccount); ok {
-				acc = la.VestingAccount
+			if la, ok := acc.(*LienAccount); ok {
+				acc = la.omniVestingAccount
 			}
 			if uva, ok := acc.(unlockedVestingAccount); ok {
-				acc = uva.AccountI
+				acc = uva.omniAccount
 			}
 			return acc
 		},
@@ -114,21 +169,22 @@ func NewAccountWrapper(lk Keeper) types.AccountWrapper {
 
 // makeVesting returns a VestingAccount, wrapping a non-vesting argument
 // in a trivial implementation if necessary.
-func makeVesting(acc authtypes.AccountI) vestexported.VestingAccount {
-	if v, ok := acc.(vestexported.VestingAccount); ok {
+func makeVesting(acc omniAccount) omniVestingAccount {
+	if v, ok := acc.(omniVestingAccount); ok {
 		return v
 	}
-	return unlockedVestingAccount{AccountI: acc}
+	return unlockedVestingAccount{omniAccount: acc}
 }
 
-// unlockedVestingAccount extends an ordinary account to be a vesting account
+// unlockedVestingAccount extends an omniAccount to be a vesting account
 // by simulating an original vesting amount of zero. It inherets the marshal
 // behavior of the wrapped account.
 type unlockedVestingAccount struct {
-	authtypes.AccountI
+	omniAccount
 }
 
 var _ vestexported.VestingAccount = unlockedVestingAccount{}
+var _ authtypes.GenesisAccount = unlockedVestingAccount{}
 
 func (uva unlockedVestingAccount) LockedCoins(ctx sdk.Context) sdk.Coins {
 	return sdk.NewCoins()
@@ -167,3 +223,7 @@ func (uva unlockedVestingAccount) GetDelegatedFree() sdk.Coins {
 func (uva unlockedVestingAccount) GetDelegatedVesting() sdk.Coins {
 	return sdk.NewCoins()
 }
+
+func (uva unlockedVestingAccount) XXX_MessageName() string {
+	return proto.MessageName(uva.omniAccount)
+}
diff --git a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account_test.go b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account_test.go
index 9e77db9502f..c689da99144 100644
--- a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account_test.go
+++ b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/account_test.go
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func TestWrap(t *testing.T) {
 	keeper := keeperImpl{accountKeeper: &wak}
 	wrapper := NewAccountWrapper(keeper)
 	wrapped := wrapper.Wrap(acc)
-	lienAcc, ok := wrapped.(LienAccount)
+	lienAcc, ok := wrapped.(*LienAccount)
 	if !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("wrapper did not create a lien account: %+v", wrapped)
 	}
diff --git a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/keeper.go b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/keeper.go
index 293dfa1ca86..ddf85976efa 100644
--- a/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/keeper.go
+++ b/golang/cosmos/x/lien/keeper/keeper.go
@@ -172,13 +172,11 @@ func (lk keeperImpl) getLocked(ctx sdk.Context, addr sdk.AccAddress) sdk.Coins {
 	if account == nil {
 		return sdk.NewCoins()
 	}
-	lienAccount, ok := account.(LienAccount)
-	if ok {
-		account = lienAccount.VestingAccount
+	if lienAccount, ok := account.(LienAccount); ok {
+		return lienAccount.omniVestingAccount.GetVestingCoins(ctx.BlockTime())
 	}
-	vestingAccount, ok := account.(vestexported.VestingAccount)
-	if !ok {
-		return sdk.NewCoins()
+	if vestingAccount, ok := account.(vestexported.VestingAccount); ok {
+		return vestingAccount.GetVestingCoins(ctx.BlockTime())
 	}
-	return vestingAccount.GetVestingCoins(ctx.BlockTime())
+	return sdk.NewCoins()
 }
diff --git a/packages/cosmic-swingset/test/test-make.js b/packages/cosmic-swingset/test/test-make.js
index 23d786b3119..a7e456bee60 100644
--- a/packages/cosmic-swingset/test/test-make.js
+++ b/packages/cosmic-swingset/test/test-make.js
@@ -33,4 +33,13 @@ test('make and exec', async t => {
       resolve();
     }),
   );
+  await new Promise(resolve =>
+    spawn('bin/ag-chain-cosmos', ['export', '--home=t1/n0'], {
+      cwd: `${dirname}/..`,
+      stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'inherit'],
+    }).addListener('exit', code => {
+      t.is(code, 0, 'export exits successfully');
+      resolve();
+    }),
+  );
 });