diff --git a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/hpack_encoder.c b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/hpack_encoder.c
index ae2055bc3e9..63df8e135f8 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/hpack_encoder.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/transport/chttp2/transport/hpack_encoder.c
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ static grpc_slice get_wire_value(grpc_mdelem elem, uint8_t *huffman_prefix) {
   }
   /* TODO(ctiller): opportunistically compress non-binary headers */
   *huffman_prefix = 0x00;
-  return grpc_slice_ref(GRPC_MDVALUE(elem));
+  return grpc_slice_ref_internal(GRPC_MDVALUE(elem));
 }
 
 static void emit_lithdr_incidx(grpc_chttp2_hpack_compressor *c,
diff --git a/src/core/lib/channel/http_server_filter.c b/src/core/lib/channel/http_server_filter.c
index 776eff456d1..da105d06fdb 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/channel/http_server_filter.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/channel/http_server_filter.c
@@ -199,12 +199,13 @@ static grpc_error *server_filter_incoming_metadata(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
   }
 
   if (b->idx.named.host != NULL) {
-    add_error(error_name, &error,
-              grpc_metadata_batch_substitute(
-                  exec_ctx, b, b->idx.named.host,
-                  grpc_mdelem_from_slices(
-                      exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_AUTHORITY,
-                      grpc_slice_ref(GRPC_MDVALUE(b->idx.named.host->md)))));
+    add_error(
+        error_name, &error,
+        grpc_metadata_batch_substitute(
+            exec_ctx, b, b->idx.named.host,
+            grpc_mdelem_from_slices(
+                exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_AUTHORITY,
+                grpc_slice_ref_internal(GRPC_MDVALUE(b->idx.named.host->md)))));
   }
 
   if (b->idx.named.authority == NULL) {
diff --git a/src/core/lib/security/credentials/plugin/plugin_credentials.c b/src/core/lib/security/credentials/plugin/plugin_credentials.c
index f98c9cd8ef2..c5e8d67039d 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/security/credentials/plugin/plugin_credentials.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/security/credentials/plugin/plugin_credentials.c
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ static void plugin_md_request_metadata_ready(void *request,
     } else if (num_md > 0) {
       md_array = gpr_malloc(num_md * sizeof(grpc_credentials_md));
       for (i = 0; i < num_md; i++) {
-        md_array[i].key = grpc_slice_ref(md[i].key);
-        md_array[i].value = grpc_slice_ref(md[i].value);
+        md_array[i].key = grpc_slice_ref_internal(md[i].key);
+        md_array[i].value = grpc_slice_ref_internal(md[i].value);
       }
       r->cb(&exec_ctx, r->user_data, md_array, num_md, GRPC_CREDENTIALS_OK,
             NULL);
diff --git a/src/core/lib/slice/slice_hash_table.c b/src/core/lib/slice/slice_hash_table.c
index 1f3ca72ce6b..46c109439b4 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/slice/slice_hash_table.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/slice/slice_hash_table.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ static void grpc_slice_hash_table_add(
       grpc_slice_hash_table_find_index(table, key, true /* find_empty */);
   GPR_ASSERT(idx != table->size);  // Table should never be full.
   grpc_slice_hash_table_entry* entry = &table->entries[idx];
-  entry->key = grpc_slice_ref(key);
+  entry->key = grpc_slice_ref_internal(key);
   entry->value = vtable->copy_value(value);
   entry->vtable = vtable;
 }
diff --git a/src/core/lib/surface/call_details.c b/src/core/lib/surface/call_details.c
index 5efa3b0141b..51e84c29459 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/surface/call_details.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/surface/call_details.c
@@ -47,6 +47,6 @@ void grpc_call_details_init(grpc_call_details* cd) {
 
 void grpc_call_details_destroy(grpc_call_details* cd) {
   GRPC_API_TRACE("grpc_call_details_destroy(cd=%p)", 1, (cd));
-  grpc_slice_unref(cd->method);
-  grpc_slice_unref(cd->host);
+  grpc_slice_unref_internal(exec_ctx, cd->method);
+  grpc_slice_unref_internal(exec_ctx, cd->host);
 }
diff --git a/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c b/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
index 1ef023ed628..1a257489779 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
@@ -234,9 +234,9 @@ grpc_call *grpc_channel_create_call(grpc_channel *channel,
   grpc_call *call = grpc_channel_create_call_internal(
       &exec_ctx, channel, parent_call, propagation_mask, cq, NULL,
       grpc_mdelem_from_slices(&exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_PATH,
-                              grpc_slice_ref(method)),
+                              grpc_slice_ref_internal(method)),
       host != NULL ? grpc_mdelem_from_slices(&exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_AUTHORITY,
-                                             grpc_slice_ref(*host))
+                                             grpc_slice_ref_internal(*host))
                    : GRPC_MDNULL,
       deadline);
   grpc_exec_ctx_finish(&exec_ctx);
@@ -251,9 +251,9 @@ grpc_call *grpc_channel_create_pollset_set_call(
   return grpc_channel_create_call_internal(
       exec_ctx, channel, parent_call, propagation_mask, NULL, pollset_set,
       grpc_mdelem_from_slices(exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_PATH,
-                              grpc_slice_ref(method)),
+                              grpc_slice_ref_internal(method)),
       host != NULL ? grpc_mdelem_from_slices(exec_ctx, GRPC_MDSTR_AUTHORITY,
-                                             grpc_slice_ref(*host))
+                                             grpc_slice_ref_internal(*host))
                    : GRPC_MDNULL,
       deadline);
 }
diff --git a/src/core/lib/surface/server.c b/src/core/lib/surface/server.c
index 7d0b30e97a6..3782b491226 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/surface/server.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/surface/server.c
@@ -748,9 +748,9 @@ static void server_on_recv_initial_metadata(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, void *ptr,
   if (error == GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
     GPR_ASSERT(calld->recv_initial_metadata->idx.named.path != NULL);
     GPR_ASSERT(calld->recv_initial_metadata->idx.named.authority != NULL);
-    calld->path = grpc_slice_ref(
+    calld->path = grpc_slice_ref_internal(
         GRPC_MDVALUE(calld->recv_initial_metadata->idx.named.path->md));
-    calld->host = grpc_slice_ref(
+    calld->host = grpc_slice_ref_internal(
         GRPC_MDVALUE(calld->recv_initial_metadata->idx.named.authority->md));
     calld->path_set = true;
     calld->host_set = true;
diff --git a/src/core/lib/transport/metadata_batch.c b/src/core/lib/transport/metadata_batch.c
index 18b0f161ab5..c11c797d394 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/transport/metadata_batch.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/transport/metadata_batch.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static void assert_valid_callouts(grpc_metadata_batch *batch) {
     if (callout_idx != GRPC_BATCH_CALLOUTS_COUNT) {
       GPR_ASSERT(batch->idx.array[callout_idx] == l);
     }
-    grpc_slice_unref(key_interned);
+    grpc_slice_unref_internal(exec_ctx, key_interned);
   }
 #endif
 }
@@ -242,8 +242,8 @@ void grpc_metadata_batch_set_value(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
                                    grpc_linked_mdelem *storage,
                                    grpc_slice value) {
   grpc_mdelem old = storage->md;
-  grpc_mdelem new =
-      grpc_mdelem_from_slices(exec_ctx, grpc_slice_ref(GRPC_MDKEY(old)), value);
+  grpc_mdelem new = grpc_mdelem_from_slices(
+      exec_ctx, grpc_slice_ref_internal(GRPC_MDKEY(old)), value);
   storage->md = new;
   GRPC_MDELEM_UNREF(exec_ctx, old);
 }