diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-08-13-13-41-04.gh-issue-137573.r6uwRf.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-08-13-13-41-04.gh-issue-137573.r6uwRf.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..dcf0e643dc1ed3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-08-13-13-41-04.gh-issue-137573.r6uwRf.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Mark ``_PyOptimizer_Optimize`` as :c:macro:`Py_NO_INLINE` to
+prevent stack overflow crashes on macOS.
diff --git a/Python/optimizer.c b/Python/optimizer.c
index f06df9644a1614..1d899ee8971368 100644
--- a/Python/optimizer.c
+++ b/Python/optimizer.c
@@ -109,7 +109,8 @@ uop_optimize(_PyInterpreterFrame *frame, _Py_CODEUNIT *instr,
 /* Returns 1 if optimized, 0 if not optimized, and -1 for an error.
  * If optimized, *executor_ptr contains a new reference to the executor
  */
-int
+// gh-137573: inlining this function causes stack overflows
+Py_NO_INLINE int
 _PyOptimizer_Optimize(
     _PyInterpreterFrame *frame, _Py_CODEUNIT *start,
     _PyExecutorObject **executor_ptr, int chain_depth)