diff --git a/src/backend/commands/tablecmds.c b/src/backend/commands/tablecmds.c
index 47b29001d5..bf42587e38 100644
--- a/src/backend/commands/tablecmds.c
+++ b/src/backend/commands/tablecmds.c
@@ -15401,7 +15401,7 @@ ATExecAddOf(Relation rel, const TypeName *ofTypename, LOCKMODE lockmode)
 					 errmsg("table \"%s\" has different type for column \"%s\"",
 							RelationGetRelationName(rel), type_attname)));
 	}
-	DecrTupleDescRefCount(typeTupleDesc);
+	ReleaseTupleDesc(typeTupleDesc);
 
 	/* Any remaining columns at the end of the table had better be dropped. */
 	for (; table_attno <= tableTupleDesc->natts; table_attno++)
diff --git a/src/backend/executor/execExpr.c b/src/backend/executor/execExpr.c
index 892b4e17e0..7d343f0678 100644
--- a/src/backend/executor/execExpr.c
+++ b/src/backend/executor/execExpr.c
@@ -1465,7 +1465,7 @@ ExecInitExprRec(Expr *node, ExprState *state,
 				/* find out the number of columns in the composite type */
 				tupDesc = lookup_rowtype_tupdesc(fstore->resulttype, -1);
 				ncolumns = tupDesc->natts;
-				DecrTupleDescRefCount(tupDesc);
+				ReleaseTupleDesc(tupDesc);
 
 				/* create workspace for column values */
 				values = (Datum *) palloc(sizeof(Datum) * ncolumns);
diff --git a/src/backend/parser/parse_utilcmd.c b/src/backend/parser/parse_utilcmd.c
index 313d7b6ff0..2d857a301b 100644
--- a/src/backend/parser/parse_utilcmd.c
+++ b/src/backend/parser/parse_utilcmd.c
@@ -1484,7 +1484,7 @@ transformOfType(CreateStmtContext *cxt, TypeName *ofTypename)
 		n->location = -1;
 		cxt->columns = lappend(cxt->columns, n);
 	}
-	DecrTupleDescRefCount(tupdesc);
+	ReleaseTupleDesc(tupdesc);
 
 	ReleaseSysCache(tuple);
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/expandedrecord.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/expandedrecord.c
index e19491ecf7..38d5384c00 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/expandedrecord.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/expandedrecord.c
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ make_expanded_record_from_typeid(Oid type_id, int32 typmod,
 
 		/* If we called lookup_rowtype_tupdesc, release the pin it took */
 		if (type_id == RECORDOID)
-			DecrTupleDescRefCount(tupdesc);
+			ReleaseTupleDesc(tupdesc);
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -854,7 +854,7 @@ expanded_record_fetch_tupdesc(ExpandedRecordHeader *erh)
 		tupdesc->tdrefcount++;
 
 		/* Release the pin lookup_rowtype_tupdesc acquired */
-		DecrTupleDescRefCount(tupdesc);
+		ReleaseTupleDesc(tupdesc);
 	}
 	else
 	{
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/cache/typcache.c b/src/backend/utils/cache/typcache.c
index 70e5c51297..d140ef6655 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/cache/typcache.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/cache/typcache.c
@@ -1820,8 +1820,11 @@ lookup_rowtype_tupdesc_internal(Oid type_id, int32 typmod, bool noError)
  * for example from record_in().)
  *
  * Note: on success, we increment the refcount of the returned TupleDesc,
- * and log the reference in CurrentResourceOwner.  Caller should call
- * ReleaseTupleDesc or DecrTupleDescRefCount when done using the tupdesc.
+ * and log the reference in CurrentResourceOwner.  Caller must call
+ * ReleaseTupleDesc when done using the tupdesc.  (There are some
+ * cases in which the returned tupdesc is not refcounted, in which
+ * case PinTupleDesc/ReleaseTupleDesc are no-ops; but in these cases
+ * the tupdesc is guaranteed to live till process exit.)
  */
 TupleDesc
 lookup_rowtype_tupdesc(Oid type_id, int32 typmod)