diff --git a/changes/bug7164_downgrade b/changes/bug7164_downgrade
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d75586bb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug7164_downgrade
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes:
+    - Downgrade the warning severity for the the "md was still referenced 1
+      node(s)" warning. Tor 0.2.5.4-alpha has better code for trying to
+      diagnose this bug, and the current warning in earlier versions of
+      tor achieves nothing useful. Addresses warning from bug 7164.
+
diff --git a/src/or/microdesc.c b/src/or/microdesc.c
index 90ac0ac649..0e72c0b89b 100644
--- a/src/or/microdesc.c
+++ b/src/or/microdesc.c
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ microdesc_free_(microdesc_t *md, const char *fname, int lineno)
         }
       });
     if (found) {
-      log_warn(LD_BUG, "microdesc_free() called from %s:%d, but md was still "
+      log_info(LD_BUG, "microdesc_free() called from %s:%d, but md was still "
                "referenced %d node(s); held_by_nodes == %u",
                fname, lineno, found, md->held_by_nodes);
     } else {