diff --git a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice.mm b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice.mm
index 552c99c7e873b4..dbc602155f2741 100644
--- a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice.mm
+++ b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice.mm
@@ -282,12 +282,14 @@ @implementation MTRDevice {
     NSNumber * _Nullable _allNetworkFeatures;
 }
 
+// deviceController getter is implemented by subclasses.
+@dynamic deviceController;
+
 - (instancetype)initForSubclassesWithNodeID:(NSNumber *)nodeID controller:(MTRDeviceController *)controller
 {
     if (self = [super init]) {
         _lock = OS_UNFAIR_LOCK_INIT;
         _delegates = [NSMutableSet set];
-        _deviceController = controller;
         _nodeID = nodeID;
         _state = MTRDeviceStateUnknown;
     }
@@ -606,7 +608,7 @@ - (void)_persistClusterData
     // storage implementation, which will try to read them later.  Make sure
     // we snapshot the state here instead of handing out live copies.
     NSDictionary<MTRClusterPath *, MTRDeviceClusterData *> * clusterData = [self _clusterDataToPersistSnapshot];
-    [_deviceController.controllerDataStore storeClusterData:clusterData forNodeID:_nodeID];
+    [self.deviceController.controllerDataStore storeClusterData:clusterData forNodeID:_nodeID];
     for (MTRClusterPath * clusterPath in _clusterDataToPersist) {
         [_persistedClusterData setObject:_clusterDataToPersist[clusterPath] forKey:clusterPath];
         [_persistedClusters addObject:clusterPath];
@@ -849,7 +851,7 @@ - (void)_reconcilePersistedClustersWithStorage
 
     NSMutableSet * clusterPathsToRemove = [NSMutableSet set];
     for (MTRClusterPath * clusterPath in _persistedClusters) {
-        MTRDeviceClusterData * data = [_deviceController.controllerDataStore getStoredClusterDataForNodeID:_nodeID endpointID:clusterPath.endpoint clusterID:clusterPath.cluster];
+        MTRDeviceClusterData * data = [self.deviceController.controllerDataStore getStoredClusterDataForNodeID:_nodeID endpointID:clusterPath.endpoint clusterID:clusterPath.cluster];
         if (!data) {
             [clusterPathsToRemove addObject:clusterPath];
         }
@@ -884,13 +886,13 @@ - (nullable MTRDeviceClusterData *)_clusterDataForPath:(MTRClusterPath *)cluster
         return nil;
     }
 
-    NSAssert(_deviceController.controllerDataStore != nil,
+    NSAssert(self.deviceController.controllerDataStore != nil,
         @"How can _persistedClusters have an entry if we have no persistence?");
     NSAssert(_persistedClusterData != nil,
         @"How can _persistedClusterData not exist if we have persisted clusters?");
 
     // Page in the stored value for the data.
-    MTRDeviceClusterData * data = [_deviceController.controllerDataStore getStoredClusterDataForNodeID:_nodeID endpointID:clusterPath.endpoint clusterID:clusterPath.cluster];
+    MTRDeviceClusterData * data = [self.deviceController.controllerDataStore getStoredClusterDataForNodeID:_nodeID endpointID:clusterPath.endpoint clusterID:clusterPath.cluster];
     MTR_LOG("%@ cluster path %@ cache miss - load from storage success %@", self, clusterPath, MTR_YES_NO(data));
     if (data != nil) {
         [_persistedClusterData setObject:data forKey:clusterPath];
diff --git a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Concrete.mm b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Concrete.mm
index a2dbb2dcbaf35d..e1d25f24b167ed 100644
--- a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Concrete.mm
+++ b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Concrete.mm
@@ -272,6 +272,8 @@ - (BOOL)unitTestSuppressTimeBasedReachabilityChanges:(MTRDevice *)device;
 #endif
 
 @implementation MTRDevice_Concrete {
+    MTRDeviceController_Concrete * _deviceController;
+
 #ifdef DEBUG
     NSUInteger _unitTestAttributesReportedSinceLastCheck;
 #endif
@@ -365,6 +367,7 @@ - (instancetype)initWithNodeID:(NSNumber *)nodeID controller:(MTRDeviceControlle
 {
     // `super` was NSObject, is now MTRDevice.  MTRDevice hides its `init`
     if (self = [super initForSubclassesWithNodeID:nodeID controller:controller]) {
+        _deviceController = controller;
         _timeSyncLock = OS_UNFAIR_LOCK_INIT;
         _descriptionLock = OS_UNFAIR_LOCK_INIT;
         _fabricIndex = controller.fabricIndex;
@@ -465,6 +468,11 @@ - (NSString *)description
         stringWithFormat:@"<%@: %p, node: %016llX-%016llX (%llu), VID: %@, PID: %@, WiFi: %@, Thread: %@, state: %@, last subscription attempt wait: %lus, queued work: %lu, last report: %@%@, last subscription failure: %@%@, controller: %@>", NSStringFromClass(self.class), self, _deviceController.compressedFabricID.unsignedLongLongValue, _nodeID.unsignedLongLongValue, _nodeID.unsignedLongLongValue, vid, pid, wifi, thread, InternalDeviceStateString(internalDeviceState), static_cast<unsigned long>(lastSubscriptionAttemptWait), static_cast<unsigned long>(_asyncWorkQueue.itemCount), mostRecentReportTime, reportAge, lastSubscriptionFailureTime, subscriptionFailureAge, _deviceController.uniqueIdentifier];
 }
 
+- (nullable MTRDeviceController *)deviceController
+{
+    return _deviceController;
+}
+
 - (NSDictionary *)_internalProperties
 {
     NSMutableDictionary * properties = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];
diff --git a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Internal.h b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Internal.h
index 6aea99eeda1ffb..70840224b8868d 100644
--- a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Internal.h
+++ b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_Internal.h
@@ -116,10 +116,6 @@ MTR_DIRECT_MEMBERS
     // Our node ID, with the ivar declared explicitly so it's accessible to
     // subclasses.
     NSNumber * _nodeID;
-
-    // Our controller.  Declared nullable because our property is, though in
-    // practice it does not look like we ever set it to nil.
-    MTRDeviceController * _Nullable _deviceController;
 }
 
 - (instancetype)initForSubclassesWithNodeID:(NSNumber *)nodeID controller:(MTRDeviceController *)controller;
diff --git a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_XPC.mm b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_XPC.mm
index 015736e179c2c4..2ca00d2c09720a 100644
--- a/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_XPC.mm
+++ b/src/darwin/Framework/CHIP/MTRDevice_XPC.mm
@@ -80,14 +80,16 @@
                                   : [[self deviceController] uniqueIdentifier] nodeID                                                                           \
                                   : [self nodeID])
 
-@implementation MTRDevice_XPC
+@implementation MTRDevice_XPC {
+    MTRDeviceController_XPC * _deviceController;
+}
 
 @synthesize _internalState;
 
 - (instancetype)initWithNodeID:(NSNumber *)nodeID controller:(MTRDeviceController_XPC *)controller
 {
     if (self = [super initForSubclassesWithNodeID:nodeID controller:controller]) {
-        // Nothing else to do, all set.
+        _deviceController = controller;
     }
 
     return self;
@@ -131,6 +133,11 @@ - (NSString *)description
         _deviceController.uniqueIdentifier];
 }
 
+- (nullable MTRDeviceController *)deviceController
+{
+    return _deviceController;
+}
+
 #pragma mark - Client Callbacks (MTRDeviceDelegate)
 
 // required methods for MTRDeviceDelegates