diff --git a/Lib/test/test_capi/test_opt.py b/Lib/test/test_capi/test_opt.py
index f1ab72180d714d..c352325ff3d08a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_capi/test_opt.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_capi/test_opt.py
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 
 import _opcode
 
-from test.support import script_helper, requires_specialization, import_helper
+from test.support import (script_helper, requires_specialization,
+                          import_helper, Py_GIL_DISABLED)
 
 _testinternalcapi = import_helper.import_module("_testinternalcapi")
 
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ def clear_executors(func):
 
 
 @requires_specialization
+@unittest.skipIf(Py_GIL_DISABLED, "optimizer not yet supported in free-threaded builds")
 @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(_testinternalcapi, "get_optimizer"),
                      "Requires optimizer infrastructure")
 class TestOptimizerAPI(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -138,6 +140,7 @@ def get_opnames(ex):
 
 
 @requires_specialization
+@unittest.skipIf(Py_GIL_DISABLED, "optimizer not yet supported in free-threaded builds")
 @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(_testinternalcapi, "get_optimizer"),
                      "Requires optimizer infrastructure")
 class TestExecutorInvalidation(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -219,6 +222,7 @@ def f():
 
 
 @requires_specialization
+@unittest.skipIf(Py_GIL_DISABLED, "optimizer not yet supported in free-threaded builds")
 @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(_testinternalcapi, "get_optimizer"),
                      "Requires optimizer infrastructure")
 @unittest.skipIf(os.getenv("PYTHON_UOPS_OPTIMIZE") == "0", "Needs uop optimizer to run.")
@@ -586,6 +590,7 @@ def testfunc(n):
 
 
 @requires_specialization
+@unittest.skipIf(Py_GIL_DISABLED, "optimizer not yet supported in free-threaded builds")
 @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(_testinternalcapi, "get_optimizer"),
                      "Requires optimizer infrastructure")
 @unittest.skipIf(os.getenv("PYTHON_UOPS_OPTIMIZE") == "0", "Needs uop optimizer to run.")
diff --git a/Python/bytecodes.c b/Python/bytecodes.c
index 3ef67d5491250c..5c04d0e452be13 100644
--- a/Python/bytecodes.c
+++ b/Python/bytecodes.c
@@ -2558,7 +2558,7 @@ dummy_func(
             assert(oparg <= INSTR_OFFSET());
             JUMPBY(-oparg);
             #ifdef _Py_TIER2
-            #if ENABLE_SPECIALIZATION
+            #if ENABLE_SPECIALIZATION && !Py_GIL_DISABLED
             _Py_BackoffCounter counter = this_instr[1].counter;
             if (backoff_counter_triggers(counter) && this_instr->op.code == JUMP_BACKWARD) {
                 _Py_CODEUNIT *start = this_instr;
diff --git a/Python/generated_cases.c.h b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
index 8b705df70a5232..05930c385c514c 100644
--- a/Python/generated_cases.c.h
+++ b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
@@ -4754,7 +4754,7 @@
                 assert(oparg <= INSTR_OFFSET());
                 JUMPBY(-oparg);
                 #ifdef _Py_TIER2
-                #if ENABLE_SPECIALIZATION
+                #if ENABLE_SPECIALIZATION && !Py_GIL_DISABLED
                 _Py_BackoffCounter counter = this_instr[1].counter;
                 if (backoff_counter_triggers(counter) && this_instr->op.code == JUMP_BACKWARD) {
                     _Py_CODEUNIT *start = this_instr;