diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-05-16-21-08-33.gh-issue-149921.I1yNML.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-05-16-21-08-33.gh-issue-149921.I1yNML.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..113bd1a802f799
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-05-16-21-08-33.gh-issue-149921.I1yNML.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Fix reference leaks in error paths of the :mod:`!_interpchannels` and
+:mod:`!_interpqueues` extension modules.
diff --git a/Modules/_interpchannelsmodule.c b/Modules/_interpchannelsmodule.c
index 460b4e5f4ea4f0..4d5099f380714e 100644
--- a/Modules/_interpchannelsmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_interpchannelsmodule.c
@@ -2553,6 +2553,7 @@ _channelid_from_xid(_PyCrossInterpreterData *data)
 {
     struct _channelid_xid *xid = \
                 (struct _channelid_xid *)_PyCrossInterpreterData_DATA(data);
+    PyObject *cidobj = NULL;
 
     // It might not be imported yet, so we can't use _get_current_module().
     PyObject *mod = PyImport_ImportModule(MODULE_NAME_STR);
@@ -2562,11 +2563,10 @@ _channelid_from_xid(_PyCrossInterpreterData *data)
     assert(mod != Py_None);
     module_state *state = get_module_state(mod);
     if (state == NULL) {
-        return NULL;
+        goto done;
     }
 
     // Note that we do not preserve the "resolve" flag.
-    PyObject *cidobj = NULL;
     int err = newchannelid(state->ChannelIDType, xid->cid, xid->end,
                            _global_channels(), 0, 0,
                            (channelid **)&cidobj);
diff --git a/Modules/_interpqueuesmodule.c b/Modules/_interpqueuesmodule.c
index d84b53d9021a53..7a89e2f13a1c72 100644
--- a/Modules/_interpqueuesmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_interpqueuesmodule.c
@@ -1355,6 +1355,7 @@ _queueobj_from_xid(_PyCrossInterpreterData *data)
         // XXX import it?
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
                         MODULE_NAME_STR " module not imported yet");
+        Py_DECREF(qidobj);
         return NULL;
     }