diff --git a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/parser.py b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/parser.py
index cba242fd533..6e52d286085 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/parser.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/parser.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 from pants.engine.env_vars import EnvironmentVars
 from pants.engine.internals.defaults import BuildFileDefaultsParserState, SetDefaultsT
 from pants.engine.internals.dep_rules import BuildFileDependencyRulesParserState
-from pants.engine.internals.target_adaptor import TargetAdaptor
+from pants.engine.internals.target_adaptor import TargetAdaptor, SyntheticTargetAdaptor
 from pants.engine.target import Field, ImmutableValue, RegisteredTargetTypes
 from pants.engine.unions import UnionMembership
 from pants.util.docutil import doc_url
@@ -334,7 +334,10 @@ def __call__(self, **kwargs: Any) -> TargetAdaptor:
         kwargs["__description_of_origin__"] = f"{self._parse_state.filepath()}:{source_line}"
         raw_values = dict(self._parse_state.defaults.get(self._type_alias))
         raw_values.update(kwargs)
-        target_adaptor = TargetAdaptor(self._type_alias, **raw_values)
+        if not raw_values.pop("_extend_synthetic", False):
+            target_adaptor = TargetAdaptor(self._type_alias, **raw_values)
+        else:
+            target_adaptor = SyntheticTargetAdaptor(self._type_alias, **raw_values)
         self._parse_state.add(target_adaptor)
         return target_adaptor
 
diff --git a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/synthetic_targets.py b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/synthetic_targets.py
index 0a773f33c58..8b9bb48e9a8 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/synthetic_targets.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/synthetic_targets.py
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ def rules(cls) -> Iterator[UnionRule]:
 class SyntheticAddressMap(AddressMap):
     def process_declared_targets(self, address_map: AddressMap) -> None:
         for name, target_adaptor in address_map.name_to_target_adaptor.items():
-            extend_synthetic = target_adaptor.kwargs.pop("_extend_synthetic", False)
+            extend_synthetic = isinstance(target_adaptor, SyntheticTargetAdaptor)
             if name not in self.name_to_target_adaptor:
                 if extend_synthetic:
                     raise InvalidTargetException(
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ def process_declared_targets(self, address_map: AddressMap) -> None:
 
             # Pop synthetic target to let the explicit target declared in BUILD file take
             # precedence.
-            synthetic_target_adaptor = self.name_to_target_adaptor.pop(name)
+            synthetic_target_adaptor = self.name_to_target_adaptor.pop(name)  # TODO: this here is another mutating operation!
 
             if not extend_synthetic:
                 # The explicitly declared target should replace the synthetic one.
diff --git a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/target_adaptor.py b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/target_adaptor.py
index 2ecf485ba3a..17355cdcaa1 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/engine/internals/target_adaptor.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/engine/internals/target_adaptor.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def debug_hint(self) -> str:
         return self.address.spec
 
 
-@final
+# @final -- we mark this class final further down.
 class TargetAdaptor:
     """A light-weight object to store target information before being converted into the Target
     API."""
@@ -124,3 +124,12 @@ def __eq__(self, other: Any | TargetAdaptor) -> bool:
     @property
     def name_explicitly_set(self) -> bool:
         return self.name is not None
+
+
+@final
+class SyntheticTargetAdaptor(TargetAdaptor):
+    """Subclass to indicate this target is used to extend a synthetic target only."""
+
+
+TargetAdaptor = final(TargetAdaptor)
+