diff --git a/cpp/ql/src/definitions.qll b/cpp/ql/src/definitions.qll
index 9ae818eecb56..b067c22040ce 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/src/definitions.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/src/definitions.qll
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ private predicate constructorCallStartLoc(ConstructorCall cc, File f, int line,
 
 /**
  * Holds if `f`, `line`, `column` indicate the start character
- * of `tm`, which mentions `t`.
+ * of `tm`, which mentions `t`. Type mentions for instantiations
+ * are filtered out.
  */
 private predicate typeMentionStartLoc(TypeMention tm, Type t, File f, int line, int column) {
   exists(Location l |
@@ -111,7 +112,8 @@ private predicate typeMentionStartLoc(TypeMention tm, Type t, File f, int line,
     l.getStartLine() = line and
     l.getStartColumn() = column
   ) and
-  t = tm.getMentionedType()
+  t = tm.getMentionedType() and
+  not t instanceof ClassTemplateInstantiation
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/Element.qll b/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/Element.qll
index 7231d11aec9d..a418e6c3418b 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/Element.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/Element.qll
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ private import semmle.code.cpp.internal.ResolveClass
  * For example, for an incomplete struct `e` the result may be a
  * complete struct with the same name.
  */
-private cached @element resolveElement(@element e) {
+pragma[inline]
+private @element resolveElement(@element e) {
   if isClass(e)
   then result = resolveClass(e)
   else result = e
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ Element mkElement(@element e) {
  * extensional.
  * See `underlyingElement` for when `e` is `this`.
  */
+pragma[inline]
 @element unresolveElement(Element e) {
   resolveElement(result) = e
 }
diff --git a/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/pointsto/PointsTo.qll b/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/pointsto/PointsTo.qll
index bd4684cdfa42..6f1ab3758262 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/pointsto/PointsTo.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/pointsto/PointsTo.qll
@@ -633,12 +633,26 @@ class PointsToExpr extends Expr
   pragma[noopt]
   Element pointsTo()
   {
-    this.interesting() and exists(int set, @element thisEntity, @element resultEntity | thisEntity = underlyingElement(this) and pointstosets(set, thisEntity) and setlocations(set, resultEntity) and resultEntity = unresolveElement(result))
+    this.interesting() and
+    exists(int set, @element thisEntity, @element resultEntity |
+      thisEntity = underlyingElement(this) and
+      pointstosets(set, thisEntity) and
+      setlocations(set, resultEntity) and
+      resultEntity = localUnresolveElement(result)
+    )
   }
 
   float confidence() { result = 1.0 / count(this.pointsTo()) }
 }
 
+/*
+ * This is used above in a `pragma[noopt]` context, which prevents its
+ * customary inlining. We materialise it explicitly here.
+ */
+private @element localUnresolveElement(Element e) {
+  result = unresolveElement(e)
+}
+
 /**
  * Holds if anything points to an element, that is, is equivalent to:
  * ```