diff --git a/mypyc/codegen/emitclass.py b/mypyc/codegen/emitclass.py
index db94f1de9406..6054a934b25e 100644
--- a/mypyc/codegen/emitclass.py
+++ b/mypyc/codegen/emitclass.py
@@ -1211,7 +1211,15 @@ def generate_setter(cl: ClassIR, attr: str, rtype: RType, emitter: Emitter) -> N
         emitter.emit_line("if (value != NULL) {")
 
     if rtype.is_unboxed:
-        emitter.emit_unbox("value", "tmp", rtype, error=ReturnHandler("-1"), declare_dest=True)
+        # Borrow the unboxed value: emit_inc_ref below takes the single owned
+        # reference, matching the borrowed-then-incref pattern of the other two
+        # branches. Without borrow=True, emit_unbox already creates a new
+        # reference for refcounted unboxed types (e.g. CPyTagged boxed ints,
+        # tuples with refcounted fields), so the emit_inc_ref would double the
+        # reference and leak the stored value on every set via this setter.
+        emitter.emit_unbox(
+            "value", "tmp", rtype, error=ReturnHandler("-1"), declare_dest=True, borrow=True
+        )
     elif is_same_type(rtype, object_rprimitive):
         emitter.emit_line("PyObject *tmp = value;")
     else:
diff --git a/mypyc/test-data/run-classes.test b/mypyc/test-data/run-classes.test
index 7722cf26ca91..d830b0c04fa6 100644
--- a/mypyc/test-data/run-classes.test
+++ b/mypyc/test-data/run-classes.test
@@ -6006,3 +6006,61 @@ for _ in range(100):
     check(foo)
 after = sys.getrefcount(foo.obj)
 assert after - init == 0, f"Leaked {after - init} refs"
+
+[case testNativeAttrSetterRefcountLeak]
+# Setting a native attribute from interpreted code goes through the generated
+# getset descriptor setter. For refcounted unboxed types (heap-boxed ints,
+# tuples with refcounted items) the setter must take exactly one reference to
+# the stored value, not two.
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Tuple
+
+@dataclass
+class IntField:
+    v: int
+
+@dataclass
+class TupleField:
+    v: Tuple[int, int]
+
+[file driver.py]
+import sys
+from native import IntField, TupleField
+
+# A heap-boxed int (>= 2**62) is stored as a refcounted PyObject*, unlike small
+# inline-tagged ints, so an over-incref strands a real reference. Compute the
+# values at runtime (not as folded literals): on free-threaded builds code
+# constants are immortal, and getrefcount could not observe a leak on them.
+shift = 70
+BIG = 1 << shift
+
+def check_no_leak(make, value) -> None:
+    base = sys.getrefcount(value)
+    objs = [make(value) for _ in range(100)]
+    alive = sys.getrefcount(value)
+    # Each live instance must hold exactly one reference to the field value.
+    assert alive - base == 100, f"expected 100 live refs, got {alive - base}"
+    del objs
+    after = sys.getrefcount(value)
+    assert after == base, f"leaked {after - base} refs"
+
+# The dataclass-generated __init__ stores self.v = v via the descriptor setter.
+check_no_leak(IntField, BIG)
+
+# Tuple[int, int] is stored as an unboxed RTuple; its boxed-int elements are
+# refcounted, so the setter must not over-incref them either. Use the same int
+# in both slots so each instance holds exactly two references to it.
+ELEM = 1 << (shift + 1)
+base = sys.getrefcount(ELEM)
+objs = [TupleField((ELEM, ELEM)) for _ in range(100)]
+alive = sys.getrefcount(ELEM)
+assert alive - base == 200, f"expected 200 live refs, got {alive - base}"
+del objs
+assert sys.getrefcount(ELEM) == base, f"tuple field leaked {sys.getrefcount(ELEM) - base} refs"
+
+# Re-assigning through the setter must release the previous value too.
+o = IntField(BIG)
+base = sys.getrefcount(BIG)
+o.v = BIG
+o.v = BIG
+assert sys.getrefcount(BIG) == base, "reassignment leaked refs"