diff --git a/mautrix/types/util/obj.py b/mautrix/types/util/obj.py
index b1359ebe..dcdbc667 100644
--- a/mautrix/types/util/obj.py
+++ b/mautrix/types/util/obj.py
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@ def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         }
 
     def __getattr__(self, name):
+        # Refuse to auto-vivify dunder (__name__) and sunder (_name_)
+        # attributes. Python tooling that probes for them (e.g.
+        # ``inspect.unwrap`` looking for ``__wrapped__``, or IPython's
+        # ``_ipython_canary_method_should_not_exist``) would otherwise
+        # cause ``Obj`` to grow recursive children and serialize() to
+        # raise RecursionError. See issue #176.
+        if name.startswith("_") and name.endswith("_"):
+            raise AttributeError(name)
         name = name.rstrip("_")
         obj = self.__dict__.get(name)
         if obj is None:
diff --git a/mautrix/types/util/obj_test.py b/mautrix/types/util/obj_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc264b9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mautrix/types/util/obj_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2026 Tulir Asokan
+#
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+import inspect
+
+import pytest
+
+from .obj import Obj
+
+
+def test_obj_basic_attribute_access():
+    o = Obj(name="hello", count=3)
+    assert o.name == "hello"
+    assert o.count == 3
+
+
+def test_obj_trailing_underscore_keyword_escape():
+    # The single trailing underscore is the documented escape hatch for
+    # Python keywords (e.g. ``obj.from_``); rstrip("_") still maps it to
+    # the same backing key.
+    o = Obj(**{"from": "@user"})
+    assert o.from_ == "@user"
+
+
+def test_obj_dunder_attribute_raises():
+    # Regression for issue #176: probing tools like ``inspect.unwrap``
+    # would auto-vivify ``__wrapped__`` and put the object into a state
+    # where repr/serialize recurses until RecursionError.
+    o = Obj()
+    with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+        o.__wrapped__
+    with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+        o.__custom_thing__
+    # The attribute must NOT have been stored.
+    assert "__wrapped__" not in o.__dict__
+    assert "__wrapped" not in o.__dict__
+
+
+def test_obj_sunder_attribute_raises():
+    # IPython's ``_ipython_canary_method_should_not_exist_`` (a sunder
+    # name) used to leak into the object's dict via __getattr__.
+    o = Obj()
+    with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+        o._ipython_canary_method_should_not_exist_
+    assert "_ipython_canary_method_should_not_exist" not in o.__dict__
+
+
+def test_obj_inspect_unwrap_does_not_recurse():
+    # End-to-end version of the original report.
+    o = Obj()
+    # inspect.unwrap probes ``__wrapped__``; with the dunder guard in
+    # place it gets an AttributeError on the first try and returns the
+    # original object instead of looping until RecursionError.
+    assert inspect.unwrap(o) is o
+    # And the object must still be safely serializable / printable
+    # afterwards.
+    assert o.serialize() == {}
+    assert repr(o) == "{}"