diff --git a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/cpyext/test_thread.py b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/cpyext/test_thread.py
index f64b179663..4752645d7d 100644
--- a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/cpyext/test_thread.py
+++ b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python.test/src/tests/cpyext/test_thread.py
@@ -98,6 +98,48 @@ class TestPyThread(CPyExtTestCase):
 
 @unittest.skipIf(sys.platform == 'win32', "Needs pthread")
 class TestNativeThread(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_save_thread_in_native_thread(self):
+        NativeThread = CPyExtType(
+            name="SaveThreadInNativeThread",
+            includes="#include <pthread.h>",
+            code=r'''
+            static void* worker(void* arg) {
+                for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+                    PyGILState_STATE state = PyGILState_Ensure();
+                    /* Do not call PyThreadState_Get first: it can initialize
+                       the native thread state and hide the failure. */
+                    PyThreadState *saved = PyEval_SaveThread();
+                    PyEval_RestoreThread(saved);
+                    PyGILState_STATE nested = PyGILState_Ensure();
+                    PyGILState_Release(nested);
+                    if (PyThreadState_Get() != saved) {
+                        Py_FatalError("Nested GIL state acquisition changed the thread state");
+                    }
+                    PyGILState_Release(state);
+                }
+                return NULL;
+            }
+
+            static PyObject* run(PyObject* self, PyObject* ignored) {
+                pthread_t thread;
+                int error;
+                Py_BEGIN_ALLOW_THREADS
+                error = pthread_create(&thread, NULL, worker, NULL);
+                if (!error) {
+                    error = pthread_join(thread, NULL);
+                }
+                Py_END_ALLOW_THREADS
+                if (error) {
+                    PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "pthread_create/join failed");
+                    return NULL;
+                }
+                Py_RETURN_NONE;
+            }
+            ''',
+            tp_methods='{"run", (PyCFunction)run, METH_NOARGS | METH_STATIC, ""}'
+        )
+        NativeThread.run()
+
     def test_register_new_thread(self):
         TestThread = CPyExtType(
             name="TestThread",
diff --git a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/builtins/objects/cext/capi/CApiContext.java b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/builtins/objects/cext/capi/CApiContext.java
index b1b56d238c..922b244680 100644
--- a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/builtins/objects/cext/capi/CApiContext.java
+++ b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/builtins/objects/cext/capi/CApiContext.java
@@ -929,14 +929,25 @@ public void dispose() {
      */
     private int attachNativeThread() {
         CompilerAsserts.neverPartOfCompilation();
-        TruffleContext truffleContext = getContext().getEnv().getContext();
+        PythonContext context = getContext();
+        TruffleContext truffleContext = context.getEnv().getContext();
         if (truffleContext.isActive()) {
             return GRAALPY_ATTACH_NATIVE_FOREIGN;
         }
         try {
             Object previousContext = truffleContext.enter(null);
-            attachedThreadPreviousContext.set(previousContext);
-            return GRAALPY_ATTACH_NATIVE_OWNED;
+            try {
+                // Re-entering a still-alive thread reuses its ContextThreadLocal without calling
+                // PythonLanguage.initializeThread again. Restore state disposed by the last detach.
+                if (context.getThreadState(context.getLanguage()).isUnused()) {
+                    context.attachThread(Thread.currentThread(), context.getLanguage().getThreadStateLocal());
+                }
+                attachedThreadPreviousContext.set(previousContext);
+                return GRAALPY_ATTACH_NATIVE_OWNED;
+            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                truffleContext.leave(null, previousContext);
+                throw t;
+            }
         } catch (Throwable t) {
             LOGGER.severe("could not attach native thread to polyglot context: " + t.getMessage());
             return GRAALPY_ATTACH_NATIVE_FAILED;
diff --git a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/runtime/PythonContext.java b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/runtime/PythonContext.java
index a1da746666..6df48c68be 100644
--- a/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/runtime/PythonContext.java
+++ b/graalpython/com.oracle.graal.python/src/com/oracle/graal/python/runtime/PythonContext.java
@@ -360,6 +360,9 @@ public int[] getThresholds() {
     public static final class PythonThreadState {
         private volatile boolean shuttingDown = false;
 
+        /* A temporary native detach leaves this object cached in Truffle's ContextThreadLocal. */
+        private boolean unused;
+
         /*
          * The reference to the last top frame on the Python stack during interop calls. Initially,
          * this is EMPTY representing the top frame.
@@ -450,6 +453,10 @@ public boolean isShuttingDown() {
             return shuttingDown;
         }
 
+        public boolean isUnused() {
+            return unused;
+        }
+
         @TruffleBoundary
         boolean reprEnter(Object item) {
             if (reprObjectSet == null) {
@@ -568,6 +575,9 @@ public void dispose(boolean clearNativeThreadLocalVarPointer, boolean markShutti
                 NativeMemory.writePtr(nativeThreadLocalVarPointer, NULLPTR);
             }
             nativeThreadLocalVarPointer = NULLPTR;
+            if (!markShuttingDown) {
+                unused = true;
+            }
         }
 
         public Object getTraceFun() {
@@ -2459,6 +2469,7 @@ public void attachThread(Thread thread, ContextThreadLocal<PythonThreadState> th
                 // initialize this thread's native TLS slot eagerly instead of on first use
                 initializeNativeThreadState(pythonThreadState);
             }
+            pythonThreadState.unused = false;
         } catch (PException e) {
             synchronized (this) {
                 if (previousThreadState == null) {
@@ -2505,7 +2516,8 @@ public void disposeThread(Thread thread, boolean canRunGuestCode) {
      * for a still-alive thread, so a native thread that calls {@code PyGILState_Ensure} again after
      * {@code PyGILState_Release} may receive the same Java {@link PythonThreadState} object. Such a
      * detach must remove the thread from {@link #threadStateMapping} and free the native
-     * {@code PyThreadState}, but it must not mark the Java thread state as shutting down.
+     * {@code PyThreadState}, but it must not mark the Java thread state as shutting down. Instead,
+     * it marks the Java state as unused so that the next native attach can initialize it again.
      */
     public void disposeThread(Thread thread, boolean canRunGuestCode, boolean markShuttingDown) {
         CompilerAsserts.neverPartOfCompilation();