diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager/transcript.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager/transcript.js
index 50b489adead..c9b4611a97f 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager/transcript.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager/transcript.js
@@ -26,7 +26,13 @@ export function makeTranscriptManager(
     };
   }
 
+  const gcSyscalls = new Set(['dropImports', 'retireImports', 'retireExports']);
+
   function addSyscall(d, response) {
+    const type = d[0];
+    if (gcSyscalls.has(type)) {
+      return;
+    }
     if (currentEntry) {
       currentEntry.syscalls.push({ d, response });
     }
@@ -59,6 +65,10 @@ export function makeTranscriptManager(
   let replayError;
 
   function simulateSyscall(newSyscall) {
+    const type = newSyscall[0];
+    if (gcSyscalls.has(type)) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
     const s = playbackSyscalls.shift();
     const newReplayError = compareSyscalls(vatID, s.d, newSyscall);
     if (newReplayError) {
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/test/test-gc-transcript.js b/packages/SwingSet/test/test-gc-transcript.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f5195104aef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/test/test-gc-transcript.js
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// eslint-disable-next-line import/order
+import { test } from '../tools/prepare-test-env-ava';
+
+import { makeDummySlogger } from '../src/kernel/slogger';
+import { makeManagerKit } from '../src/kernel/vatManager/manager-helper';
+
+const m1 = ['message', { method: 'foo', args: { body: '', slots: [] } }];
+
+function setup(storedTranscript = []) {
+  const vatID = 'vatID';
+  const slog = makeDummySlogger({}, () => console);
+  const transcript = [];
+  const vatKeeper = {
+    addToTranscript(entry) {
+      transcript.push(entry);
+    },
+    vatStats() {
+      return { transcriptCount: storedTranscript.length };
+    },
+    getTranscript() {
+      return storedTranscript;
+    },
+  };
+  const kernelKeeper = {
+    getVatKeeper() {
+      return vatKeeper;
+    },
+  };
+  function vatSyscallHandler(_vso) {
+    return ['ok', null];
+  }
+  const workerCanBlock = false;
+  const mk = makeManagerKit(
+    vatID,
+    slog,
+    kernelKeeper,
+    vatSyscallHandler,
+    workerCanBlock,
+  );
+  const { syscallFromWorker } = mk;
+  function deliver(_delivery) {
+    // a syscall.subscribe is included in the transcript
+    syscallFromWorker(['subscribe', 'p-1']);
+    // but GC syscalls are not
+    syscallFromWorker(['dropImports', ['o-1']]);
+    syscallFromWorker(['retireImports', ['o-1']]);
+    syscallFromWorker(['retireExports', ['o+2']]);
+    syscallFromWorker(['subscribe', 'p-2']);
+    return Promise.resolve(['ok', null, { usage: 0 }]);
+  }
+  mk.setDeliverToWorker(deliver);
+  function shutdown() {}
+  const manager = mk.getManager(shutdown);
+  return { manager, transcript };
+}
+
+test('gc syscalls are not included in transcript', async t => {
+  const { manager, transcript } = setup();
+  await manager.deliver(m1);
+
+  t.is(transcript.length, 1);
+  t.deepEqual(transcript[0], {
+    d: m1,
+    syscalls: [
+      { d: ['subscribe', 'p-1'], response: null },
+      { d: ['subscribe', 'p-2'], response: null },
+    ],
+  });
+});
+
+test('gc syscalls are ignored during replay', async t => {
+  const storedTranscript = [
+    {
+      d: m1,
+      syscalls: [
+        { d: ['subscribe', 'p-1'], response: null },
+        { d: ['subscribe', 'p-2'], response: null },
+      ],
+    },
+  ];
+  const { manager } = setup(storedTranscript);
+  await manager.replayTranscript();
+  // success is that replayTranscript didn't throw anachrophobia error
+  t.pass();
+});