diff --git a/pyrefly/lib/alt/solve.rs b/pyrefly/lib/alt/solve.rs
index bb519fd536..72a5e96217 100644
--- a/pyrefly/lib/alt/solve.rs
+++ b/pyrefly/lib/alt/solve.rs
@@ -867,6 +867,17 @@ impl<'a, Ans: LookupAnswer> AnswersSolver<'a, Ans> {
             Type::Var(v) if let Some(_guard) = self.recurse(*v) => {
                 self.iterate(&self.solver().force_var(*v), range, errors, orig_context)
             }
+            Type::Quantified(q) if q.is_type_var() => {
+                // A TypeVar iterates like its upper bound: `Z: tuple[str, int]` must
+                // unpack positionally rather than collapse to the element join via the
+                // iterable protocol. Mirrors attribute access on a bounded TypeVar.
+                self.iterate(
+                    &q.upper_bound(self.stdlib, self.heap),
+                    range,
+                    errors,
+                    orig_context,
+                )
+            }
             Type::Union(f) => f
                 .members
                 .iter()
diff --git a/pyrefly/lib/test/tuple.rs b/pyrefly/lib/test/tuple.rs
index d5f87e41ac..ef3aefdc2a 100644
--- a/pyrefly/lib/test/tuple.rs
+++ b/pyrefly/lib/test/tuple.rs
@@ -370,6 +370,79 @@ def test[*Ts](x1: tuple[int, *tuple[str, ...]], x2: tuple[*Ts]) -> None:
 "#,
 );
 
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_bound_to_tuple,
+    r#"
+from typing import reveal_type
+def f[Z: tuple[str, int]](x: Z):
+    u, v = x
+    reveal_type(u)  # E: revealed type: str
+    reveal_type(v)  # E: revealed type: int
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_bound_to_tuple_three_elements,
+    r#"
+from typing import reveal_type
+def f[Z: tuple[str, int, bytes]](x: Z):
+    a, b, c = x
+    reveal_type(a)  # E: revealed type: str
+    reveal_type(b)  # E: revealed type: int
+    reveal_type(c)  # E: revealed type: bytes
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_bound_to_unbounded_tuple,
+    r#"
+from typing import reveal_type
+def f[Z: tuple[int, ...]](x: Z):
+    a, b = x
+    reveal_type(a)  # E: revealed type: int
+    reveal_type(b)  # E: revealed type: int
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_bound_to_tuple_starred,
+    r#"
+from typing import reveal_type
+def f[Z: tuple[str, int, bytes]](x: Z):
+    a, *b = x
+    reveal_type(a)  # E: revealed type: str
+    reveal_type(b)  # E: revealed type: list[bytes | int]
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_constrained_typevar_tuple,
+    r#"
+from typing import TypeVar, reveal_type
+Z = TypeVar("Z", tuple[str, int], tuple[bool, bytes])
+def f(x: Z):
+    a, b = x
+    reveal_type(a)  # E: revealed type: bool | str
+    reveal_type(b)  # E: revealed type: bytes | int
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_unbounded_not_iterable,
+    r#"
+def f[Z](x: Z):
+    a, b = x  # E: Type `object` is not iterable
+"#,
+);
+
+testcase!(
+    test_unpack_typevar_bound_not_iterable,
+    r#"
+def f[Z: int](x: Z):
+    a, b = x  # E: Type `int` is not iterable
+"#,
+);
+
 testcase!(
     test_tuple_slice_non_literal,
     r#"