diff --git a/Lib/dataclasses.py b/Lib/dataclasses.py
index bd317aa9b0f2f37..77af910b4ad2c44 100644
--- a/Lib/dataclasses.py
+++ b/Lib/dataclasses.py
@@ -561,8 +561,7 @@ def __annotate__(format, /):
             case _:
                 raise NotImplementedError(format)
 
-    # This is a flag for _add_slots to know it needs to regenerate this method
-    # In order to remove references to the original class when it is replaced
+    # Mark the function as generated by dataclasses, for introspection.
     __annotate__.__generated_by_dataclasses__ = True
     __annotate__.__qualname__ = f"{__class__.__qualname__}.{method_name}.__annotate__"
 
@@ -1118,6 +1117,16 @@ def _process_class(cls, init, repr, eq, order, unsafe_hash, frozen,
     # also marks this class as being a dataclass.
     setattr(cls, _FIELDS, fields)
 
+    # It's an error to specify weakref_slot if slots is False.
+    if weakref_slot and not slots:
+        raise TypeError('weakref_slot is True but slots is False')
+    if slots:
+        # Create the slotted class before generating any methods, so that
+        # the generated methods are bound to the final class from the start
+        # and the __class__ cell fix-up in _add_slots only has to look at
+        # user-defined methods.
+        cls = _add_slots(cls, frozen, weakref_slot, fields)
+
     # Was this class defined with an explicit __hash__?  Note that if
     # __eq__ is defined in this class, then python will automatically
     # set __hash__ to None.  This is a heuristic, as it's possible
@@ -1235,12 +1244,6 @@ def _process_class(cls, init, repr, eq, order, unsafe_hash, frozen,
         _set_new_attribute(cls, '__match_args__',
                            tuple(f.name for f in std_init_fields))
 
-    # It's an error to specify weakref_slot if slots is False.
-    if weakref_slot and not slots:
-        raise TypeError('weakref_slot is True but slots is False')
-    if slots:
-        cls = _add_slots(cls, frozen, weakref_slot, fields)
-
     abc.update_abstractmethods(cls)
 
     return cls
@@ -1418,12 +1421,6 @@ def _add_slots(cls, is_frozen, weakref_slot, defined_fields):
         else:
             f.type = ann
 
-    # Fix the class reference in the __annotate__ method
-    init = newcls.__init__
-    if init_annotate := getattr(init, "__annotate__", None):
-        if getattr(init_annotate, "__generated_by_dataclasses__", False):
-            _update_func_cell_for__class__(init_annotate, cls, newcls)
-
     return newcls
 
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_dataclasses/__init__.py b/Lib/test/test_dataclasses/__init__.py
index a89999bb97938c0..3a895b1b0b15324 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_dataclasses/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_dataclasses/__init__.py
@@ -41,6 +41,22 @@ def test_lazy_import(self):
             "dataclasses", {"inspect", "re", "copy"}
         )
 
+    @cpython_only
+    def test_slots_does_not_import_inspect(self):
+        # inspect is only needed to unwrap user-defined methods
+        # that are wrapped by a decorator.
+        create_slotted_class = textwrap.dedent(
+            """
+            @dataclasses.dataclass(slots=True)
+            class C:
+                x: int = 0
+            """
+        )
+        import_helper.ensure_lazy_imports(
+            "dataclasses", {"inspect"},
+            additional_code=create_slotted_class,
+        )
+
 
 class TestCase(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_no_fields(self):
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-09-03-00-42-32.gh-issue-154675.NX8eYm.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-09-03-00-42-32.gh-issue-154675.NX8eYm.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..0cb6c2174b0dfb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2026-09-03-00-42-32.gh-issue-154675.NX8eYm.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+Creating a :func:`~dataclasses.dataclass` with ``slots=True`` no longer
+imports the :mod:`inspect` module, unless a user-defined method is wrapped
+by a decorator.