diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/boilerplate/akka/stream/scaladsl/GraphApply.scala.template b/akka-stream/src/main/boilerplate/akka/stream/scaladsl/GraphApply.scala.template
index 7d790c457f..1037087c06 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/boilerplate/akka/stream/scaladsl/GraphApply.scala.template
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/boilerplate/akka/stream/scaladsl/GraphApply.scala.template
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ trait GraphApply {
     val builder = new GraphDSL.Builder
     val s = buildBlock(builder)
 
-    new GraphApply.GraphImpl(s, builder.traversalBuilder)
+    createGraph(s, builder)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ trait GraphApply {
     val s1 = builder.add(g1, Keep.right)
     val s = buildBlock(builder)(s1)
 
-    new GraphApply.GraphImpl(s, builder.traversalBuilder)
+    createGraph(s, builder)
   }
 
 
@@ -45,25 +45,11 @@ trait GraphApply {
     ]
     val s = buildBlock(builder)([#s1#])
 
-    new GraphApply.GraphImpl(s, builder.traversalBuilder)
+    createGraph(s, builder)
   }#
 
   ]
+
+  private def createGraph[S <: Shape, Mat](shape: S, graphBuilder: GraphDSL.Builder[Mat]): Graph[S, Mat] =
+    new GenericGraph(shape, graphBuilder.traversalBuilder)
 }
-
-/**
- * INTERNAL API
- */
-object GraphApply {
-  final class GraphImpl[S <: Shape, Mat](override val shape: S, override val traversalBuilder: TraversalBuilder)
-    extends Graph[S, Mat] {
-    
-    override def toString: String = s"Graph($shape)"
-
-    override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes): Graph[S, Mat] =
-      new GraphImpl(shape, traversalBuilder.setAttributes(attr))
-
-    override def named(name: String): Graph[S, Mat] = addAttributes(Attributes.name(name))
-  }
-}
-
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/Graph.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/Graph.scala
index 42c0bbdb62..23aa573e26 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/Graph.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/Graph.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,37 @@ import scala.collection.immutable
 import scala.concurrent.Promise
 import scala.util.control.{ NoStackTrace, NonFatal }
 
+/**
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * The implementation of a graph with an arbitrary shape.
+ */
+private[stream] final class GenericGraph[S <: Shape, Mat](override val shape: S, override val traversalBuilder: TraversalBuilder)
+  extends Graph[S, Mat] { outer ⇒
+
+  override def toString: String = s"GenericGraph($shape)"
+
+  override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes): Graph[S, Mat] =
+    new GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes(shape, traversalBuilder, attr)
+}
+
+/**
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * The implementation of a graph with an arbitrary shape with changed attributes. Changing attributes again
+ * prevents building up a chain of changes.
+ */
+private[stream] final class GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes[S <: Shape, Mat](override val shape: S, originalTraversalBuilder: TraversalBuilder, newAttributes: Attributes)
+  extends Graph[S, Mat] { outer ⇒
+
+  private[stream] def traversalBuilder: TraversalBuilder = originalTraversalBuilder.setAttributes(newAttributes)
+
+  override def toString: String = s"GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes($shape)"
+
+  override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes): Graph[S, Mat] =
+    new GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes(shape, originalTraversalBuilder, attr)
+}
+
 object Merge {
   /**
    * Create a new `Merge` with the specified number of input ports.
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
index 911775ee2a..5586cb75c7 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import scala.collection.mutable.ArrayBuffer
 import scala.collection.{ immutable, mutable }
 import scala.concurrent.duration.FiniteDuration
 import akka.stream.actor.ActorSubscriberMessage
+import akka.stream.scaladsl.{ GenericGraph, GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes }
 
 abstract class GraphStageWithMaterializedValue[+S <: Shape, +M] extends Graph[S, M] {
 
@@ -33,12 +34,8 @@ abstract class GraphStageWithMaterializedValue[+S <: Shape, +M] extends Graph[S,
     TraversalBuilder.atomic(GraphStageModule(shape, attr, this), attr)
   }
 
-  final override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes): Graph[S, M] = new Graph[S, M] {
-    override def shape = GraphStageWithMaterializedValue.this.shape
-    override def traversalBuilder = GraphStageWithMaterializedValue.this.traversalBuilder.setAttributes(attr)
-
-    override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes) = GraphStageWithMaterializedValue.this.withAttributes(attr)
-  }
+  final override def withAttributes(attr: Attributes): Graph[S, M] =
+    new GenericGraphWithChangedAttributes(shape, GraphStageWithMaterializedValue.this.traversalBuilder, attr)
 }
 
 /**