diff --git a/helper/schema/core_schema.go b/helper/schema/core_schema.go
index 3e8bdd91e..bdabf1324 100644
--- a/helper/schema/core_schema.go
+++ b/helper/schema/core_schema.go
@@ -153,9 +153,29 @@ func (s *Schema) coreConfigSchemaType() cty.Type {
 	}
 }
 
-// CoreConfigSchema is a convenient shortcut for calling CoreConfigSchema
-// on the resource's schema.
+// CoreConfigSchema is a convenient shortcut for calling CoreConfigSchema on
+// the resource's schema. CoreConfigSchema adds the implicitly required "id"
+// attribute for top level resources if it doesn't exist.
 func (r *Resource) CoreConfigSchema() *configschema.Block {
+	block := r.coreConfigSchema()
+
+	if block.Attributes == nil {
+		block.Attributes = map[string]*configschema.Attribute{}
+	}
+
+	// Add the implicitly required "id" field if it doesn't exist
+	if block.Attributes["id"] == nil {
+		block.Attributes["id"] = &configschema.Attribute{
+			Type:     cty.String,
+			Optional: true,
+			Computed: true,
+		}
+	}
+
+	return block
+}
+
+func (r *Resource) coreConfigSchema() *configschema.Block {
 	return schemaMap(r.Schema).CoreConfigSchema()
 }
 
diff --git a/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go b/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
index 68f8a9159..197e9b2f3 100644
--- a/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
+++ b/helper/schema/core_schema_test.go
@@ -1,16 +1,40 @@
 package schema
 
 import (
-	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp/cmpopts"
 	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty"
 
-	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
-
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/configs/configschema"
 )
 
+var (
+	ignoreUnexported = cmpopts.IgnoreUnexported(cty.Type{})
+	equateEmpty      = cmpopts.EquateEmpty()
+)
+
+// add the implicit "id" attribute for test resources
+func testResource(block *configschema.Block) *configschema.Block {
+	if block.Attributes == nil {
+		block.Attributes = make(map[string]*configschema.Attribute)
+	}
+
+	if block.BlockTypes == nil {
+		block.BlockTypes = make(map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock)
+	}
+
+	if block.Attributes["id"] == nil {
+		block.Attributes["id"] = &configschema.Attribute{
+			Type:     cty.String,
+			Optional: true,
+			Computed: true,
+		}
+	}
+	return block
+}
+
 func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := map[string]struct {
 		Schema map[string]*Schema
@@ -18,7 +42,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		"empty": {
 			map[string]*Schema{},
-			&configschema.Block{},
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{}),
 		},
 		"primitives": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
@@ -41,7 +65,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					Computed: true,
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"int": {
 						Type:        cty.Number,
@@ -63,7 +87,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		"simple collections": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
@@ -96,7 +120,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					// for pre-existing schemas.
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"list": {
 						Type:     cty.List(cty.Number),
@@ -116,7 +140,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		"incorrectly-specified collections": {
 			// Historically we tolerated setting a type directly as the Elem
@@ -140,7 +164,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					Elem:     TypeBool,
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"list": {
 						Type:     cty.List(cty.Number),
@@ -156,7 +180,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		"sub-resource collections": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
@@ -184,7 +208,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{
 					"list": {
@@ -203,7 +227,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 						Block:   configschema.Block{},
 					},
 				},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		"nested attributes and blocks": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
@@ -233,7 +257,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{
 					"foo": &configschema.NestedBlock{
@@ -255,7 +279,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 						MinItems: 1, // because schema is Required
 					},
 				},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		"sensitive": {
 			map[string]*Schema{
@@ -265,7 +289,7 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					Sensitive: true,
 				},
 			},
-			&configschema.Block{
+			testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"string": {
 						Type:      cty.String,
@@ -274,15 +298,15 @@ func TestSchemaMapCoreConfigSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 	}
 
 	for name, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			got := schemaMap(test.Schema).CoreConfigSchema()
-			if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, test.Want) {
-				t.Errorf("wrong result\ngot: %swant: %s", spew.Sdump(got), spew.Sdump(test.Want))
+			if !cmp.Equal(got, test.Want, equateEmpty, ignoreUnexported) {
+				cmp.Diff(got, test.Want, equateEmpty, ignoreUnexported)
 			}
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/helper/schema/provider_test.go b/helper/schema/provider_test.go
index 603bb5da9..2a45a97d7 100644
--- a/helper/schema/provider_test.go
+++ b/helper/schema/provider_test.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/config"
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ func TestProviderGetSchema(t *testing.T) {
 			BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
 		},
 		ResourceTypes: map[string]*configschema.Block{
-			"foo": &configschema.Block{
+			"foo": testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"bar": &configschema.Attribute{
 						Type:     cty.String,
@@ -69,10 +69,10 @@ func TestProviderGetSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 		DataSources: map[string]*configschema.Block{
-			"baz": &configschema.Block{
+			"baz": testResource(&configschema.Block{
 				Attributes: map[string]*configschema.Attribute{
 					"bur": &configschema.Attribute{
 						Type:     cty.String,
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func TestProviderGetSchema(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				BlockTypes: map[string]*configschema.NestedBlock{},
-			},
+			}),
 		},
 	}
 	got, err := p.GetSchema(&terraform.ProviderSchemaRequest{
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ func TestProviderGetSchema(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected error %s", err)
 	}
 
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
-		t.Errorf("wrong result\ngot: %swant: %s", spew.Sdump(got), spew.Sdump(want))
+	if !cmp.Equal(got, want, equateEmpty, ignoreUnexported) {
+		t.Error("wrong result:\n", cmp.Diff(got, want, equateEmpty, ignoreUnexported))
 	}
 }