Index: generic/tcl.decls
==================================================================
--- generic/tcl.decls
+++ generic/tcl.decls
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@
 	    const char *file, int line)
 }
 declare 29 {
     Tcl_Obj *Tcl_DuplicateObj(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
 }
-declare 30 {
+declare 30 {deprecated {Kept only for deployed refcounting macros}} {
     void TclFreeObj(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
 }
 declare 31 {
     int Tcl_GetBoolean(Tcl_Interp *interp, const char *src, int *boolPtr)
 }
@@ -2362,10 +2362,24 @@
 	    const Tcl_ObjIntRep *irPtr)
 }
 declare 640 {
     int Tcl_HasStringRep(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
 }
+
+# TIP #506
+declare 641 {
+    void Tcl_IncrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
+}
+
+declare 642 {
+    void Tcl_DecrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
+}
+
+declare 643 {
+    int Tcl_IsShared(Tcl_Obj *objPtr)
+}
+
 # ----- BASELINE -- FOR -- 8.7.0 ----- #
 
 ##############################################################################
 
 # Define the platform specific public Tcl interface. These functions are only

Index: generic/tcl.h
==================================================================
--- generic/tcl.h
+++ generic/tcl.h
@@ -799,21 +799,10 @@
 				 * internal rep. NULL indicates the object has
 				 * no internal rep (has no type). */
     Tcl_ObjIntRep internalRep;	/* The internal representation: */
 } Tcl_Obj;
 
-/*
- * Macros to increment and decrement a Tcl_Obj's reference count, and to test
- * whether an object is shared (i.e. has reference count > 1). Note: clients
- * should use Tcl_DecrRefCount() when they are finished using an object, and
- * should never call TclFreeObj() directly. TclFreeObj() is only defined and
- * made public in tcl.h to support Tcl_DecrRefCount's macro definition.
- */
-
-void		Tcl_IncrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
-void		Tcl_DecrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
-int		Tcl_IsShared(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
 
 /*
  *----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  * The following structure contains the state needed by Tcl_SaveResult. No-one
  * outside of Tcl should access any of these fields. This structure is
@@ -2483,32 +2472,19 @@
 #   define Tcl_ValidateAllMemory(x,y)
 
 #endif /* !TCL_MEM_DEBUG */
 
 #ifdef TCL_MEM_DEBUG
+#   undef Tcl_IncrRefCount
 #   define Tcl_IncrRefCount(objPtr) \
 	Tcl_DbIncrRefCount(objPtr, __FILE__, __LINE__)
+#   undef Tcl_DecrRefCount
 #   define Tcl_DecrRefCount(objPtr) \
 	Tcl_DbDecrRefCount(objPtr, __FILE__, __LINE__)
+#   undef Tcl_IsShared
 #   define Tcl_IsShared(objPtr) \
 	Tcl_DbIsShared(objPtr, __FILE__, __LINE__)
-#else
-#   define Tcl_IncrRefCount(objPtr) \
-	++(objPtr)->refCount
-    /*
-     * Use do/while0 idiom for optimum correctness without compiler warnings.
-     * http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?TrivialDoWhileLoop
-     */
-#   define Tcl_DecrRefCount(objPtr) \
-	do { \
-	    Tcl_Obj *_objPtr = (objPtr); \
-	    if ((_objPtr)->refCount-- <= 1) { \
-		TclFreeObj(_objPtr); \
-	    } \
-	} while(0)
-#   define Tcl_IsShared(objPtr) \
-	((objPtr)->refCount > 1)
 #endif
 
 /*
  * Macros and definitions that help to debug the use of Tcl objects. When
  * TCL_MEM_DEBUG is defined, the Tcl_New declarations are overridden to call

Index: generic/tclDecls.h
==================================================================
--- generic/tclDecls.h
+++ generic/tclDecls.h
@@ -141,11 +141,12 @@
 EXTERN Tcl_Obj *	Tcl_DbNewStringObj(const char *bytes, int length,
 				const char *file, int line);
 /* 29 */
 EXTERN Tcl_Obj *	Tcl_DuplicateObj(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
 /* 30 */
-EXTERN void		TclFreeObj(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
+TCL_DEPRECATED("Kept only for deployed refcounting macros")
+void			TclFreeObj(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
 /* 31 */
 EXTERN int		Tcl_GetBoolean(Tcl_Interp *interp, const char *src,
 				int *boolPtr);
 /* 32 */
 EXTERN int		Tcl_GetBooleanFromObj(Tcl_Interp *interp,
@@ -1887,10 +1888,16 @@
 EXTERN void		Tcl_StoreIntRep(Tcl_Obj *objPtr,
 				const Tcl_ObjType *typePtr,
 				const Tcl_ObjIntRep *irPtr);
 /* 640 */
 EXTERN int		Tcl_HasStringRep(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
+/* 641 */
+EXTERN void		Tcl_IncrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
+/* 642 */
+EXTERN void		Tcl_DecrRefCount(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
+/* 643 */
+EXTERN int		Tcl_IsShared(Tcl_Obj *objPtr);
 
 typedef struct {
     const struct TclPlatStubs *tclPlatStubs;
     const struct TclIntStubs *tclIntStubs;
     const struct TclIntPlatStubs *tclIntPlatStubs;
@@ -1944,11 +1951,11 @@
     Tcl_Obj * (*tcl_DbNewListObj) (int objc, Tcl_Obj *const *objv, const char *file, int line); /* 25 */
     TCL_DEPRECATED_API("No longer in use, changed to macro") Tcl_Obj * (*tcl_DbNewLongObj) (long longValue, const char *file, int line); /* 26 */
     Tcl_Obj * (*tcl_DbNewObj) (const char *file, int line); /* 27 */
     Tcl_Obj * (*tcl_DbNewStringObj) (const char *bytes, int length, const char *file, int line); /* 28 */
     Tcl_Obj * (*tcl_DuplicateObj) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 29 */
-    void (*tclFreeObj) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 30 */
+    TCL_DEPRECATED_API("Kept only for deployed refcounting macros") void (*tclFreeObj) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 30 */
     int (*tcl_GetBoolean) (Tcl_Interp *interp, const char *src, int *boolPtr); /* 31 */
     int (*tcl_GetBooleanFromObj) (Tcl_Interp *interp, Tcl_Obj *objPtr, int *boolPtr); /* 32 */
     unsigned char * (*tcl_GetByteArrayFromObj) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr, int *lengthPtr); /* 33 */
     int (*tcl_GetDouble) (Tcl_Interp *interp, const char *src, double *doublePtr); /* 34 */
     int (*tcl_GetDoubleFromObj) (Tcl_Interp *interp, Tcl_Obj *objPtr, double *doublePtr); /* 35 */
@@ -2563,10 +2570,13 @@
     void (*tcl_FreeIntRep) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 636 */
     char * (*tcl_InitStringRep) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr, const char *bytes, unsigned int numBytes); /* 637 */
     Tcl_ObjIntRep * (*tcl_FetchIntRep) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr, const Tcl_ObjType *typePtr); /* 638 */
     void (*tcl_StoreIntRep) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr, const Tcl_ObjType *typePtr, const Tcl_ObjIntRep *irPtr); /* 639 */
     int (*tcl_HasStringRep) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 640 */
+    void (*tcl_IncrRefCount) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 641 */
+    void (*tcl_DecrRefCount) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 642 */
+    int (*tcl_IsShared) (Tcl_Obj *objPtr); /* 643 */
 } TclStubs;
 
 extern const TclStubs *tclStubsPtr;
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
@@ -3875,10 +3885,16 @@
 	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_FetchIntRep) /* 638 */
 #define Tcl_StoreIntRep \
 	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_StoreIntRep) /* 639 */
 #define Tcl_HasStringRep \
 	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_HasStringRep) /* 640 */
+#define Tcl_IncrRefCount \
+	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_IncrRefCount) /* 641 */
+#define Tcl_DecrRefCount \
+	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_DecrRefCount) /* 642 */
+#define Tcl_IsShared \
+	(tclStubsPtr->tcl_IsShared) /* 643 */
 
 #endif /* defined(USE_TCL_STUBS) */
 
 /* !END!: Do not edit above this line. */
 

Index: generic/tclObj.c
==================================================================
--- generic/tclObj.c
+++ generic/tclObj.c
@@ -3853,10 +3853,72 @@
 	}
     } while (TCL_OK ==
 	    TclParseNumber(interp, objPtr, "number", NULL, -1, NULL, 0));
     return TCL_ERROR;
 }
+
+/*
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * Tcl_IncrRefCount --
+ *
+ *	Increments the reference count of the object.
+ *
+ * Results:
+ *	None.
+ *
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+void
+Tcl_IncrRefCount(
+    Tcl_Obj *objPtr)	/* The object we are registering a reference to. */
+{
+    ++(objPtr)->refCount;
+}
+
+/*
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * Tcl_DecrRefCount --
+ *
+ *	Decrements the reference count of the object.
+ *
+ * Results:
+ *	None.
+ *
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+void
+Tcl_DecrRefCount(
+    Tcl_Obj *objPtr)	/* The object we are releasing a reference to. */
+{
+    if (objPtr->refCount-- <= 1) {
+	TclFreeObj(objPtr);
+    }
+}
+
+/*
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * Tcl_IsShared --
+ *
+ *	Tests if the object has a ref count greater than one.
+ *
+ * Results:
+ *	Boolean value that is the result of the test.
+ *
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+int
+Tcl_IsShared(
+    Tcl_Obj *objPtr)	/* The object to test for being shared. */
+{
+    return ((objPtr)->refCount > 1);
+}
 
 /*
  *----------------------------------------------------------------------
  *
  * Tcl_DbIncrRefCount --

Index: generic/tclStubInit.c
==================================================================
--- generic/tclStubInit.c
+++ generic/tclStubInit.c
@@ -1584,8 +1584,11 @@
     Tcl_FreeIntRep, /* 636 */
     Tcl_InitStringRep, /* 637 */
     Tcl_FetchIntRep, /* 638 */
     Tcl_StoreIntRep, /* 639 */
     Tcl_HasStringRep, /* 640 */
+    Tcl_IncrRefCount, /* 641 */
+    Tcl_DecrRefCount, /* 642 */
+    Tcl_IsShared, /* 643 */
 };
 
 /* !END!: Do not edit above this line. */