diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/analyzejoins.c b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/analyzejoins.c
index 42da62c1c6b..1ca554a6430 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/analyzejoins.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/analyzejoins.c
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ join_is_removable(PlannerInfo *root, SpecialJoinInfo *sjinfo)
 {
 	int			innerrelid;
 	RelOptInfo *innerrel;
+	Relids		inputrelids;
 	Relids		joinrelids;
 	List	   *clause_list = NIL;
 	ListCell   *l;
@@ -190,17 +191,16 @@ join_is_removable(PlannerInfo *root, SpecialJoinInfo *sjinfo)
 		return false;
 
 	/* Compute the relid set for the join we are considering */
-	joinrelids = bms_union(sjinfo->min_lefthand, sjinfo->min_righthand);
-	if (sjinfo->ojrelid != 0)
-		joinrelids = bms_add_member(joinrelids, sjinfo->ojrelid);
+	inputrelids = bms_union(sjinfo->min_lefthand, sjinfo->min_righthand);
+	Assert(sjinfo->ojrelid != 0);
+	joinrelids = bms_copy(inputrelids);
+	joinrelids = bms_add_member(joinrelids, sjinfo->ojrelid);
 
 	/*
 	 * We can't remove the join if any inner-rel attributes are used above the
-	 * join.
-	 *
-	 * Note that this test only detects use of inner-rel attributes in higher
-	 * join conditions and the target list.  There might be such attributes in
-	 * pushed-down conditions at this join, too.  We check that case below.
+	 * join.  Here, "above" the join includes pushed-down conditions, so we
+	 * should reject if attr_needed includes the OJ's own relid; therefore,
+	 * compare to inputrelids not joinrelids.
 	 *
 	 * As a micro-optimization, it seems better to start with max_attr and
 	 * count down rather than starting with min_attr and counting up, on the
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ join_is_removable(PlannerInfo *root, SpecialJoinInfo *sjinfo)
 		 attroff >= 0;
 		 attroff--)
 	{
-		if (!bms_is_subset(innerrel->attr_needed[attroff], joinrelids))
+		if (!bms_is_subset(innerrel->attr_needed[attroff], inputrelids))
 			return false;
 	}
 
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ join_is_removable(PlannerInfo *root, SpecialJoinInfo *sjinfo)
 
 		if (bms_overlap(phinfo->ph_lateral, innerrel->relids))
 			return false;		/* it references innerrel laterally */
-		if (bms_is_subset(phinfo->ph_needed, joinrelids))
+		if (bms_is_subset(phinfo->ph_needed, inputrelids))
 			continue;			/* PHV is not used above the join */
 		if (!bms_overlap(phinfo->ph_eval_at, innerrel->relids))
 			continue;			/* it definitely doesn't reference innerrel */
@@ -273,13 +273,11 @@ join_is_removable(PlannerInfo *root, SpecialJoinInfo *sjinfo)
 		{
 			/*
 			 * If such a clause actually references the inner rel then join
-			 * removal has to be disallowed.  We have to check this despite
-			 * the previous attr_needed checks because of the possibility of
-			 * pushed-down clauses referencing the rel.
+			 * removal has to be disallowed.  The previous attr_needed checks
+			 * should have caught this, though.
 			 */
-			if (bms_is_member(innerrelid, restrictinfo->clause_relids))
-				return false;
-			continue;			/* else, ignore; not useful here */
+			Assert(!bms_is_member(innerrelid, restrictinfo->clause_relids));
+			continue;			/* ignore; not useful here */
 		}
 
 		/* Ignore if it's not a mergejoinable clause */
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/initsplan.c b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/initsplan.c
index 7fa6f17382e..a19260f9bc4 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/initsplan.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/initsplan.c
@@ -494,9 +494,6 @@ extract_lateral_references(PlannerInfo *root, RelOptInfo *brel, Index rtindex)
  * create_lateral_join_info
  *	  Fill in the per-base-relation direct_lateral_relids, lateral_relids
  *	  and lateral_referencers sets.
- *
- * This has to run after deconstruct_jointree, because we need to know the
- * final ph_eval_at values for PlaceHolderVars.
  */
 void
 create_lateral_join_info(PlannerInfo *root)
@@ -509,6 +506,9 @@ create_lateral_join_info(PlannerInfo *root)
 	if (!root->hasLateralRTEs)
 		return;
 
+	/* We'll need to have the ph_eval_at values for PlaceHolderVars */
+	Assert(root->placeholdersFrozen);
+
 	/*
 	 * Examine all baserels (the rel array has been set up by now).
 	 */
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c b/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
index 8c9824e54d6..c55c5f805b3 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/util/var.c
@@ -198,16 +198,6 @@ pull_varnos_walker(Node *node, pull_varnos_context *context)
 			 * fall back to the conservative assumption that the PHV will be
 			 * evaluated at its syntactic level (phv->phrels).
 			 *
-			 * There is a second hazard: this code is also used to examine
-			 * qual clauses during deconstruct_jointree, when we may have a
-			 * PlaceHolderInfo but its ph_eval_at value is not yet final, so
-			 * that theoretically we could obtain a relid set that's smaller
-			 * than we'd see later on.  That should never happen though,
-			 * because we deconstruct the jointree working upwards.  Any outer
-			 * join that forces delay of evaluation of a given qual clause
-			 * will be processed before we examine that clause here, so the
-			 * ph_eval_at value should have been updated to include it.
-			 *
 			 * Another problem is that a PlaceHolderVar can appear in quals or
 			 * tlists that have been translated for use in a child appendrel.
 			 * Typically such a PHV is a parameter expression sourced by some
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/join.out b/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
index 8d7bd937a77..c520839bf7d 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/join.out
@@ -5150,6 +5150,21 @@ SELECT * FROM
  1 | 4567890123456789 | -4567890123456789 | 4567890123456789
 (5 rows)
 
+-- join removal bug #17769: can't remove if there's a pushed-down reference
+EXPLAIN (COSTS OFF)
+SELECT q2 FROM
+  (SELECT *
+   FROM int8_tbl LEFT JOIN innertab ON q2 = id) ss
+ WHERE COALESCE(dat1, 0) = q1;
+                           QUERY PLAN                           
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+ Nested Loop Left Join
+   Filter: (COALESCE(innertab.dat1, '0'::bigint) = int8_tbl.q1)
+   ->  Seq Scan on int8_tbl
+   ->  Index Scan using innertab_pkey on innertab
+         Index Cond: (id = int8_tbl.q2)
+(5 rows)
+
 rollback;
 -- another join removal bug: we must clean up correctly when removing a PHV
 begin;
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
index 9f55147be78..b0e8d559cdb 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/join.sql
@@ -1860,6 +1860,13 @@ SELECT * FROM
      FROM int8_tbl LEFT JOIN innertab ON q2 = id) ss2
   ON true;
 
+-- join removal bug #17769: can't remove if there's a pushed-down reference
+EXPLAIN (COSTS OFF)
+SELECT q2 FROM
+  (SELECT *
+   FROM int8_tbl LEFT JOIN innertab ON q2 = id) ss
+ WHERE COALESCE(dat1, 0) = q1;
+
 rollback;
 
 -- another join removal bug: we must clean up correctly when removing a PHV