diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/unpickleScala2/Scala2Unpickler.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/unpickleScala2/Scala2Unpickler.scala
index d90e7b03e3f9..8684d7316963 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/unpickleScala2/Scala2Unpickler.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/core/unpickleScala2/Scala2Unpickler.scala
@@ -495,7 +495,27 @@ class Scala2Unpickler(bytes: Array[Byte], classRoot: ClassDenotation, moduleClas
         sym.setFlag(Scala2x)
       if (!(isRefinementClass(sym) || isUnpickleRoot(sym) || sym.is(Scala2Existential))) {
         val owner = sym.owner
-        if (owner.isClass)
+        val canEnter =
+          owner.isClass &&
+          (!sym.is(TypeParam) ||
+            owner.infoOrCompleter.match
+              case completer: ClassUnpickler =>
+                // Type parameters seen after class initialization are not
+                // actually type parameters of the current class but of some
+                // external class because of the bizarre way in which Scala 2
+                // pickles them (see
+                // https://github.com/scala/scala/blob/aa31e3e6bb945f5d69740d379ede1cd514904109/src/compiler/scala/tools/nsc/symtab/classfile/Pickler.scala#L181-L197).
+                // Make sure we don't enter them in the class otherwise the
+                // compiler will get very confused (testcase in sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641).
+                // Note: I don't actually know if these stray type parameters
+                // can also show up before initialization, if that's the case
+                // we'll need to study more closely how Scala 2 handles type
+                // parameter unpickling and try to emulate it.
+                !completer.isInitialized
+              case _ =>
+                true)
+
+        if (canEnter)
           owner.asClass.enter(sym, symScope(owner))
       }
       sym
@@ -625,23 +645,30 @@ class Scala2Unpickler(bytes: Array[Byte], classRoot: ClassDenotation, moduleClas
   object localMemberUnpickler extends LocalUnpickler
 
   class ClassUnpickler(infoRef: Int) extends LocalUnpickler with TypeParamsCompleter {
-    private def readTypeParams()(using Context): List[TypeSymbol] = {
+    private var myTypeParams: List[TypeSymbol] = null
+
+    private def readTypeParams()(using Context): Unit = {
       val tag = readByte()
       val end = readNat() + readIndex
-      if (tag == POLYtpe) {
-        val unusedRestpeRef = readNat()
-        until(end, () => readSymbolRef()(using ctx)).asInstanceOf[List[TypeSymbol]]
-      }
-      else Nil
+      myTypeParams =
+        if (tag == POLYtpe) {
+          val unusedRestpeRef = readNat()
+          until(end, () => readSymbolRef()(using ctx)).asInstanceOf[List[TypeSymbol]]
+        } else Nil
     }
-    private def loadTypeParams(using Context) =
+    private def loadTypeParams()(using Context) =
       atReadPos(index(infoRef), () => readTypeParams()(using ctx))
 
+    /** Have the type params of this class already been unpickled? */
+    def isInitialized: Boolean = myTypeParams ne null
+
     /** Force reading type params early, we need them in setClassInfo of subclasses. */
-    def init()(using Context): List[TypeSymbol] = loadTypeParams
+    def init()(using Context): List[TypeSymbol] =
+      if !isInitialized then loadTypeParams()
+      myTypeParams
 
     override def completerTypeParams(sym: Symbol)(using Context): List[TypeSymbol] =
-      loadTypeParams
+      init()
   }
 
   def rootClassUnpickler(start: Coord, cls: Symbol, module: Symbol, infoRef: Int): ClassUnpickler =
diff --git a/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/app/App.scala b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/app/App.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ad94f2d8ac83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/app/App.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import cek.Async
+
+
+object demo {
+
+  def test1[F[_]](ev: Async[F]): Unit = ???
+  def test2[F[_]](ev: Async[F]): Unit = ???
+
+}
diff --git a/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/build.sbt b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/build.sbt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..433a5e8baddf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/build.sbt
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+val scala3Version = sys.props("plugin.scalaVersion")
+val scala2Version = sys.props("plugin.scala2Version")
+
+lazy val lib = project.in(file("lib"))
+  .settings(
+    scalaVersion := scala2Version
+  )
+
+lazy val app = project.in(file("app"))
+  .dependsOn(lib)
+  .settings(
+    scalaVersion := scala3Version
+  )
diff --git a/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/lib/Lib.scala b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/lib/Lib.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f58697edf4f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/lib/Lib.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package cek
+
+trait Async[F[_]]
+
+object Async {
+  trait WriterTAsync[F[_], L1]
+      extends Async[({ type LL[A] = WriterT[F, L1, A] })#LL]
+      with MonadCancel.WriterTMonadCancel[F, L1] {
+
+    override def delegate = super.delegate
+  }
+
+}
+
+case class WriterT[F[_], L0, V]()
+
+trait MonadError[F[_]]
+trait MonadCancel[F[_]]
+
+object MonadCancel {
+
+  trait WriterTMonadCancel[F[_], L2]
+      extends MonadCancel[({ type LL[A] = WriterT[F, L2, A] })#LL] {
+
+    def delegate: MonadError[({ type LL[A] = WriterT[F, L2, A] })#LL] =
+      ???
+
+  }
+}
diff --git a/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/test b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/test
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..19aca297fdcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sbt-test/scala2-compat/i12641/test
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+> app/compile