diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/index.js b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/index.js
index eb099abc85f6..69cd126a68c3 100644
--- a/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/src/path/inference/index.js
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ export function getTypeAnnotation(): Object {
   return (this.typeAnnotation = type);
 }
 
+// Used to avoid infinite recursion in cases like
+//   var b, c; if (0) { c = 1; b = c; } c = b;
+// It also works with indirect recursion.
+const typeAnnotationInferringNodes = new WeakSet();
+
 /**
  * todo: split up this method
  */
@@ -47,14 +52,24 @@ export function _getTypeAnnotation(): ?Object {
     return node.typeAnnotation;
   }
 
-  let inferer = inferers[node.type];
-  if (inferer) {
-    return inferer.call(this, node);
+  if (typeAnnotationInferringNodes.has(node)) {
+    // Bail out from type inference to avoid infinite loops
+    return;
   }
+  typeAnnotationInferringNodes.add(node);
+
+  try {
+    let inferer = inferers[node.type];
+    if (inferer) {
+      return inferer.call(this, node);
+    }
 
-  inferer = inferers[this.parentPath.type];
-  if (inferer?.validParent) {
-    return this.parentPath.getTypeAnnotation();
+    inferer = inferers[this.parentPath.type];
+    if (inferer?.validParent) {
+      return this.parentPath.getTypeAnnotation();
+    }
+  } finally {
+    typeAnnotationInferringNodes.delete(node);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/babel-traverse/test/inference.js b/packages/babel-traverse/test/inference.js
index 111475df4262..dde8bd22746e 100644
--- a/packages/babel-traverse/test/inference.js
+++ b/packages/babel-traverse/test/inference.js
@@ -289,5 +289,21 @@ describe("inference", function () {
       const type = path.getTypeAnnotation();
       expect(t.isAnyTypeAnnotation(type)).toBeTruthy();
     });
+    it("should not cause a stack overflow when two variable depend on eachother", function () {
+      const path = getPath(`
+        var b, c;
+        while (0) {
+          c = 1;
+          b = c;
+        }
+        c = b;
+      `).get("body.2.expression");
+
+      expect(path.toString()).toBe("c = b");
+
+      // Note: this could technically be "number | void", but the cycle detection
+      // logic just bails out to "any" to avoid infinite loops.
+      expect(path.getTypeAnnotation()).toEqual({ type: "AnyTypeAnnotation" });
+    });
   });
 });