diff --git a/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirs_multiset.rs b/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirs_multiset.rs
--- a/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirs_multiset.rs
+++ b/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirs_multiset.rs
@@ -16,10 +16,7 @@ use cpython::{
     Python,
 };
 
-use crate::{
-    dirstate::extract_dirstate,
-    ref_sharing::{PySharedRefCell, PySharedState},
-};
+use crate::{dirstate::extract_dirstate, ref_sharing::PySharedRefCell};
 use hg::{
     utils::hg_path::{HgPath, HgPathBuf},
     DirsMultiset, DirsMultisetIter, DirstateMapError, DirstateParseError,
@@ -28,7 +25,6 @@ use hg::{
 
 py_class!(pub class Dirs |py| {
     data inner: PySharedRefCell<DirsMultiset>;
-    data py_shared_state: PySharedState;
 
     // `map` is either a `dict` or a flat iterator (usually a `set`, sometimes
     // a `list`)
@@ -65,7 +61,6 @@ py_class!(pub class Dirs |py| {
         Self::create_instance(
             py,
             PySharedRefCell::new(inner),
-            PySharedState::default()
         )
     }
 
@@ -115,11 +110,7 @@ py_shared_ref!(Dirs, DirsMultiset, inner
 
 impl Dirs {
     pub fn from_inner(py: Python, d: DirsMultiset) -> PyResult<Self> {
-        Self::create_instance(
-            py,
-            PySharedRefCell::new(d),
-            PySharedState::default(),
-        )
+        Self::create_instance(py, PySharedRefCell::new(d))
     }
 
     fn translate_key(
diff --git a/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirstate_map.rs b/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirstate_map.rs
--- a/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirstate_map.rs
+++ b/rust/hg-cpython/src/dirstate/dirstate_map.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ use libc::c_char;
 use crate::{
     dirstate::copymap::{CopyMap, CopyMapItemsIterator, CopyMapKeysIterator},
     dirstate::{decapsule_make_dirstate_tuple, dirs_multiset::Dirs},
-    ref_sharing::{PySharedRefCell, PySharedState},
+    ref_sharing::PySharedRefCell,
 };
 use hg::{
     utils::hg_path::{HgPath, HgPathBuf},
@@ -44,14 +44,12 @@ use hg::{
 //     leaks, with all methods that go along for reference sharing.
 py_class!(pub class DirstateMap |py| {
     data inner: PySharedRefCell<RustDirstateMap>;
-    data py_shared_state: PySharedState;
 
     def __new__(_cls, _root: PyObject) -> PyResult<Self> {
         let inner = RustDirstateMap::default();
         Self::create_instance(
             py,
             PySharedRefCell::new(inner),
-            PySharedState::default()
         )
     }
 
diff --git a/rust/hg-cpython/src/ref_sharing.rs b/rust/hg-cpython/src/ref_sharing.rs
--- a/rust/hg-cpython/src/ref_sharing.rs
+++ b/rust/hg-cpython/src/ref_sharing.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ use cpython::{PyResult, Python};
 use std::cell::{Cell, Ref, RefCell, RefMut};
 
 /// Manages the shared state between Python and Rust
-#[derive(Default)]
+#[derive(Debug, Default)]
 pub struct PySharedState {
     leak_count: Cell<usize>,
     mutably_borrowed: Cell<bool>,
@@ -118,12 +118,14 @@ impl PySharedState {
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct PySharedRefCell<T> {
     inner: RefCell<T>,
+    pub py_shared_state: PySharedState, // TODO: remove pub
 }
 
 impl<T> PySharedRefCell<T> {
-    pub const fn new(value: T) -> PySharedRefCell<T> {
+    pub fn new(value: T) -> PySharedRefCell<T> {
         Self {
             inner: RefCell::new(value),
+            py_shared_state: PySharedState::default(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -193,12 +195,6 @@ impl<'a, T> Drop for PyRefMut<'a, T> {
 ///
 /// # Warning
 ///
-/// The targeted `py_class!` needs to have the
-/// `data py_shared_state: PySharedState;` data attribute to compile.
-/// A better, more complicated macro is needed to automatically insert it,
-/// but this one is not yet really battle tested (what happens when
-/// multiple references are needed?). See the example below.
-///
 /// TODO allow Python container types: for now, integration with the garbage
 ///     collector does not extend to Rust structs holding references to Python
 ///     objects. Should the need surface, `__traverse__` and `__clear__` will
@@ -223,7 +219,6 @@ impl<'a, T> Drop for PyRefMut<'a, T> {
 ///
 /// py_class!(pub class MyType |py| {
 ///     data inner: PySharedRefCell<MyStruct>;
-///     data py_shared_state: PySharedState;
 /// });
 ///
 /// py_shared_ref!(MyType, MyStruct, inner, MyTypeLeakedRef);
@@ -244,7 +239,7 @@ macro_rules! py_shared_ref {
                 // assert $data_member type
                 use crate::ref_sharing::PySharedRefCell;
                 let data: &PySharedRefCell<_> = self.$data_member(py);
-                self.py_shared_state(py)
+                data.py_shared_state
                     .borrow_mut(py, unsafe { data.borrow_mut() })
             }
 
@@ -263,7 +258,7 @@ macro_rules! py_shared_ref {
                 use crate::ref_sharing::PySharedRefCell;
                 let data: &PySharedRefCell<_> = self.$data_member(py);
                 let static_ref =
-                    self.py_shared_state(py).leak_immutable(py, data)?;
+                    data.py_shared_state.leak_immutable(py, data)?;
                 let leak_handle = $leaked::new(py, self);
                 Ok((leak_handle, static_ref))
             }
@@ -292,7 +287,7 @@ macro_rules! py_shared_ref {
             fn drop(&mut self) {
                 let gil = Python::acquire_gil();
                 let py = gil.python();
-                let state = self.inner.py_shared_state(py);
+                let state = &self.inner.$data_member(py).py_shared_state;
                 unsafe {
                     state.decrease_leak_count(py, false);
                 }
@@ -324,7 +319,6 @@ macro_rules! py_shared_ref {
 ///
 /// py_class!(pub class MyType |py| {
 ///     data inner: PySharedRefCell<MyStruct>;
-///     data py_shared_state: PySharedState;
 ///
 ///     def __iter__(&self) -> PyResult<MyTypeItemsIterator> {
 ///         let (leak_handle, leaked_ref) = unsafe { self.leak_immutable(py)? };