diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.js
index 93f2a476bd8bc..b7b17a080b172 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.js
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import {
   enableComponentPerformanceTrack,
   enableViewTransition,
   enableFragmentRefs,
+  enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup,
 } from 'shared/ReactFeatureFlags';
 import {
   FunctionComponent,
@@ -2170,6 +2171,20 @@ function commitMutationEffectsOnFiber(
             }
           }
         }
+      } else {
+        if (enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup) {
+          if (supportsPersistence) {
+            if (finishedWork.alternate !== null) {
+              // `finishedWork.alternate.stateNode` is pointing to a stale shadow
+              // node at this point, retaining it and its subtree. To reclaim
+              // memory, point `alternate.stateNode` to new shadow node. This
+              // prevents shadow node from staying in memory longer than it
+              // needs to. The correct behaviour of this is checked by test in
+              // React Native: ShadowNodeReferenceCounter-itest.js#L150
+              finishedWork.alternate.stateNode = finishedWork.stateNode;
+            }
+          }
+        }
       }
       break;
     }
diff --git a/packages/shared/ReactFeatureFlags.js b/packages/shared/ReactFeatureFlags.js
index 217b095a29aa2..13c1121c95eaa 100644
--- a/packages/shared/ReactFeatureFlags.js
+++ b/packages/shared/ReactFeatureFlags.js
@@ -141,6 +141,8 @@ export const enablePersistedModeClonedFlag = false;
 
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
 
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = true;
+
 /**
  * Enables an expiration time for retry lanes to avoid starvation.
  */
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb-dynamic.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb-dynamic.js
index 29a49ae366c81..aa413984e8f38 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb-dynamic.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb-dynamic.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const enableObjectFiber = __VARIANT__;
 export const enableHiddenSubtreeInsertionEffectCleanup = __VARIANT__;
 export const enablePersistedModeClonedFlag = __VARIANT__;
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = __VARIANT__;
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = __VARIANT__;
 export const passChildrenWhenCloningPersistedNodes = __VARIANT__;
 export const enableFastAddPropertiesInDiffing = __VARIANT__;
 export const enableLazyPublicInstanceInFabric = __VARIANT__;
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb.js
index 8383c0dc351b5..d885f9f71642e 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-fb.js
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const {
   enableObjectFiber,
   enablePersistedModeClonedFlag,
   enableShallowPropDiffing,
+  enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup,
   passChildrenWhenCloningPersistedNodes,
   enableFastAddPropertiesInDiffing,
   enableLazyPublicInstanceInFabric,
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-oss.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-oss.js
index acc04dfb055bb..301552857f870 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-oss.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.native-oss.js
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ export const enableSchedulingProfiler = __PROFILE__;
 export const enableComponentPerformanceTrack = false;
 export const enableScopeAPI = false;
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = false;
 export const enableSuspenseAvoidThisFallback = false;
 export const enableSuspenseCallback = false;
 export const enableTaint = true;
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.js
index 4e51e7260e901..9d8a1808d9923 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.js
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ export const enableInfiniteRenderLoopDetection = false;
 
 export const renameElementSymbol = true;
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = false;
 
 export const enableYieldingBeforePassive = true;
 
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.native-fb.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.native-fb.js
index c9bd058f1fef8..4a9fb9737ac04 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.native-fb.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.native-fb.js
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ export const enableSchedulingProfiler = __PROFILE__;
 export const enableComponentPerformanceTrack = false;
 export const enableScopeAPI = false;
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = false;
 export const enableSuspenseAvoidThisFallback = false;
 export const enableSuspenseCallback = false;
 export const enableTaint = true;
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.www.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.www.js
index baceb1e6b727c..2858799494842 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.www.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.test-renderer.www.js
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ export const renameElementSymbol = false;
 
 export const enableObjectFiber = false;
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = false;
 
 export const enableHydrationLaneScheduling = true;
 
diff --git a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.www.js b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.www.js
index 5ecd0073edd3f..4869d77741d05 100644
--- a/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.www.js
+++ b/packages/shared/forks/ReactFeatureFlags.www.js
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ export const disableLegacyMode = true;
 
 export const enableShallowPropDiffing = false;
 
+export const enableEagerAlternateStateNodeCleanup = false;
+
 export const enableLazyPublicInstanceInFabric = false;
 
 export const enableGestureTransition = false;