diff --git a/src/Expr.cc b/src/Expr.cc
index 1e01d7bc39..27594c23e2 100644
--- a/src/Expr.cc
+++ b/src/Expr.cc
@@ -3757,8 +3757,7 @@ IntrusivePtr<Val> TableCoerceExpr::Fold(Val* v) const
 	if ( tv->Size() > 0 )
 		RuntimeErrorWithCallStack("coercion of non-empty table/set");
 
-	return make_intrusive<TableVal>(GetType<TableType>(),
-	                                IntrusivePtr{NewRef{}, tv->Attrs()});
+	return make_intrusive<TableVal>(GetType<TableType>(), tv->GetAttrs());
 	}
 
 VectorCoerceExpr::VectorCoerceExpr(IntrusivePtr<Expr> arg_op,
diff --git a/src/Val.h b/src/Val.h
index c00dc07afc..83c36b400c 100644
--- a/src/Val.h
+++ b/src/Val.h
@@ -915,8 +915,13 @@ public:
 
 	void SetAttrs(IntrusivePtr<Attributes> attrs);
 	Attr* FindAttr(attr_tag t) const;
+
+	[[deprecated("Remove in v4.1.  Use GetAttrs().")]]
 	Attributes* Attrs()	{ return attrs.get(); }
 
+	const IntrusivePtr<Attributes>& GetAttrs() const
+		{ return attrs; }
+
 	// Returns the size of the table.
 	int Size() const;
 	int RecursiveSize() const;
diff --git a/src/option.bif b/src/option.bif
index 27fd236fc2..9f3f359148 100644
--- a/src/option.bif
+++ b/src/option.bif
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ function Option::set%(ID: string, val: any, location: string &default=""%): bool
 			// Just coerce an empty/unspecified table to the right type.
 			auto tv = make_intrusive<TableVal>(
 			        cast_intrusive<TableType>(i->GetType()),
-			        IntrusivePtr{NewRef{}, i->GetVal()->AsTableVal()->Attrs()});
+			        i->GetVal()->AsTableVal()->GetAttrs());
 			auto rval = call_option_handlers_and_set_value(ID, i, std::move(tv), location);
 			return val_mgr->Bool(rval);
 			}