diff --git a/python/core/auto_generated/qgsapplication.sip.in b/python/core/auto_generated/qgsapplication.sip.in
index 02eecdd764b..4e129854448 100644
--- a/python/core/auto_generated/qgsapplication.sip.in
+++ b/python/core/auto_generated/qgsapplication.sip.in
@@ -731,7 +731,7 @@ Returns the application's authentication manager instance
 .. versionadded:: 3.0
 %End
 
-    static QgsProcessingRegistry *processingRegistry() /KeepReference/;
+    static QgsProcessingRegistry *processingRegistry();
 %Docstring
 Returns the application's processing registry, used for managing processing providers,
 algorithms, and various parameters and outputs.
diff --git a/src/core/qgsapplication.h b/src/core/qgsapplication.h
index e5aa82bb4fb..f6d1be1d63a 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsapplication.h
+++ b/src/core/qgsapplication.h
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsApplication : public QApplication
      * algorithms, and various parameters and outputs.
      * \since QGIS 3.0
      */
-    static QgsProcessingRegistry *processingRegistry() SIP_KEEPREFERENCE;
+    static QgsProcessingRegistry *processingRegistry();
 
     /**
      * Returns the application's page size registry, used for managing layout page sizes.