diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2023-08-26-04-33-18.gh-issue-108487.aUFxqf.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2023-08-26-04-33-18.gh-issue-108487.aUFxqf.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1117bcd7e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2023-08-26-04-33-18.gh-issue-108487.aUFxqf.rst	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Change an assert that would cause a spurious crash in a devious case that should only trigger deoptimization.
diff --git a/Python/bytecodes.c b/Python/bytecodes.c
index dc2ae221f0b..5e80e06205a 100644
--- a/Python/bytecodes.c
+++ b/Python/bytecodes.c
@@ -2992,9 +2992,9 @@ dummy_func(
         inst(CALL_NO_KW_LIST_APPEND, (unused/1, unused/2, method, self, args[oparg] -- unused)) {
             assert(kwnames == NULL);
             assert(oparg == 1);
-            assert(method != NULL);
             PyInterpreterState *interp = _PyInterpreterState_GET();
             DEOPT_IF(method != interp->callable_cache.list_append, CALL);
+            assert(self != NULL);
             DEOPT_IF(!PyList_Check(self), CALL);
             STAT_INC(CALL, hit);
             if (_PyList_AppendTakeRef((PyListObject *)self, args[0]) < 0) {
diff --git a/Python/generated_cases.c.h b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
index b0a363ce9aa..a3c04956926 100644
--- a/Python/generated_cases.c.h
+++ b/Python/generated_cases.c.h
@@ -4248,9 +4248,9 @@
             #line 2993 "Python/bytecodes.c"
             assert(kwnames == NULL);
             assert(oparg == 1);
-            assert(method != NULL);
             PyInterpreterState *interp = _PyInterpreterState_GET();
             DEOPT_IF(method != interp->callable_cache.list_append, CALL);
+            assert(self != NULL);
             DEOPT_IF(!PyList_Check(self), CALL);
             STAT_INC(CALL, hit);
             if (_PyList_AppendTakeRef((PyListObject *)self, args[0]) < 0) {