diff --git a/src/nvim/api/win_config.c b/src/nvim/api/win_config.c
index 238ec5df1e..3959e74af9 100644
--- a/src/nvim/api/win_config.c
+++ b/src/nvim/api/win_config.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "nvim/ascii_defs.h"
 #include "nvim/autocmd.h"
 #include "nvim/autocmd_defs.h"
+#include "nvim/buffer.h"
 #include "nvim/buffer_defs.h"
 #include "nvim/decoration.h"
 #include "nvim/decoration_defs.h"
@@ -279,6 +280,9 @@ Window nvim_open_win(Buffer buffer, Boolean enter, Dict(win_config) *config, Err
 
   // Autocommands may close `wp` or move it to another tabpage, so update and check `tp` after each
   // event. In each case, `wp` should already be valid in `tp`, so switch_win should not fail.
+  // Also, autocommands may free the `buf` to switch to, so store a bufref to check.
+  bufref_T bufref;
+  set_bufref(&bufref, buf);
   switchwin_T switchwin;
   {
     const int result = switch_win_noblock(&switchwin, wp, tp, true);
@@ -293,7 +297,7 @@ Window nvim_open_win(Buffer buffer, Boolean enter, Dict(win_config) *config, Err
     goto_tabpage_win(tp, wp);
     tp = win_find_tabpage(wp);
   }
-  if (tp && buf != wp->w_buffer) {
+  if (tp && bufref_valid(&bufref) && buf != wp->w_buffer) {
     const bool noautocmd = curwin != wp || fconfig.noautocmd;
     win_set_buf(wp, buf, noautocmd, err);
     if (!noautocmd) {
diff --git a/test/functional/api/window_spec.lua b/test/functional/api/window_spec.lua
index e0cb66de41..2f6a02b5d5 100644
--- a/test/functional/api/window_spec.lua
+++ b/test/functional/api/window_spec.lua
@@ -1581,6 +1581,14 @@ describe('API/win', function()
       api.nvim_open_win(api.nvim_create_buf(true, true), false, { split = 'left' })
       eq(true, eval('fired'))
     end)
+
+    it('no heap-use-after-free if target buffer deleted by autocommands', function()
+      local cur_buf = api.nvim_get_current_buf()
+      local new_buf = api.nvim_create_buf(true, true)
+      command('autocmd WinNew * ++once call nvim_buf_delete(' .. new_buf .. ', #{force: 1})')
+      api.nvim_open_win(new_buf, true, { split = 'left' })
+      eq(cur_buf, api.nvim_get_current_buf())
+    end)
   end)
 
   describe('set_config', function()