diff --git a/python/change-notes/2021-03-18-yaml-handle-C-based-loaders.md b/python/change-notes/2021-03-18-yaml-handle-C-based-loaders.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..054d10dbb0bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/change-notes/2021-03-18-yaml-handle-C-based-loaders.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+lgtm,codescanning
+* Improved modeling of the `PyYAML` PyPI package, so we now correctly treat `CSafeLoader` and `CBaseLoader` as being safe loaders that can not lead to code execution.
diff --git a/python/ql/src/semmle/python/frameworks/Yaml.qll b/python/ql/src/semmle/python/frameworks/Yaml.qll
index 7e9d7f100e9d..f7ac0a9fda74 100644
--- a/python/ql/src/semmle/python/frameworks/Yaml.qll
+++ b/python/ql/src/semmle/python/frameworks/Yaml.qll
@@ -1,119 +1,72 @@
 /**
- * Provides classes modeling security-relevant aspects of the PyYAML package
- * https://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation (obtained via `import yaml`).
+ * Provides classes modeling security-relevant aspects of the PyYAML package (obtained
+ * via `import yaml`)
+ *
+ * See
+ * - https://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation
+ * - https://pyyaml.docsforge.com/master/documentation/
  */
 
 private import python
 private import semmle.python.dataflow.new.DataFlow
 private import semmle.python.dataflow.new.RemoteFlowSources
 private import semmle.python.Concepts
+private import semmle.python.ApiGraphs
 
+/**
+ * Provides classes modeling security-relevant aspects of the PyYAML package (obtained
+ * via `import yaml`)
+ *
+ * See
+ * - https://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation
+ * - https://pyyaml.docsforge.com/master/documentation/
+ */
 private module Yaml {
-  /** Gets a reference to the `yaml` module. */
-  private DataFlow::Node yaml(DataFlow::TypeTracker t) {
-    t.start() and
-    result = DataFlow::importNode("yaml")
-    or
-    exists(DataFlow::TypeTracker t2 | result = yaml(t2).track(t2, t))
-  }
-
-  /** Gets a reference to the `yaml` module. */
-  DataFlow::Node yaml() { result = yaml(DataFlow::TypeTracker::end()) }
+  /**
+   * A call to any of the loading functions in `yaml` (`load`, `load_all`, `full_load`,
+   * `full_load_all`, `unsafe_load`, `unsafe_load_all`, `safe_load`, `safe_load_all`)
+   *
+   * See https://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation (you will have to scroll down).
+   */
+  private class YamlLoadCall extends Decoding::Range, DataFlow::CallCfgNode {
+    override CallNode node;
+    string func_name;
 
-  /** Provides models for the `yaml` module. */
-  module yaml {
-    /**
-     * Gets a reference to the attribute `attr_name` of the `yaml` module.
-     * WARNING: Only holds for a few predefined attributes.
-     *
-     * For example, using `attr_name = "load"` will get all uses of `yaml.load`.
-     */
-    private DataFlow::Node yaml_attr(DataFlow::TypeTracker t, string attr_name) {
-      attr_name in [
-          // functions
+    YamlLoadCall() {
+      func_name in [
           "load", "load_all", "full_load", "full_load_all", "unsafe_load", "unsafe_load_all",
-          "safe_load", "safe_load_all",
-          // Classes
-          "SafeLoader", "BaseLoader"
+          "safe_load", "safe_load_all"
         ] and
-      (
-        t.start() and
-        result = DataFlow::importNode("yaml." + attr_name)
-        or
-        t.startInAttr(attr_name) and
-        result = yaml()
-      )
-      or
-      // Due to bad performance when using normal setup with `yaml_attr(t2, attr_name).track(t2, t)`
-      // we have inlined that code and forced a join
-      exists(DataFlow::TypeTracker t2 |
-        exists(DataFlow::StepSummary summary |
-          yaml_attr_first_join(t2, attr_name, result, summary) and
-          t = t2.append(summary)
-        )
-      )
-    }
-
-    pragma[nomagic]
-    private predicate yaml_attr_first_join(
-      DataFlow::TypeTracker t2, string attr_name, DataFlow::Node res, DataFlow::StepSummary summary
-    ) {
-      DataFlow::StepSummary::step(yaml_attr(t2, attr_name), res, summary)
+      this = API::moduleImport("yaml").getMember(func_name).getACall()
     }
 
     /**
-     * Gets a reference to the attribute `attr_name` of the `yaml` module.
-     * WARNING: Only holds for a few predefined attributes.
-     *
-     * For example, using `attr_name = "load"` will get all uses of `yaml.load`.
+     * This function was thought safe from the 5.1 release in 2017, when the default loader was changed to `FullLoader`.
+     * In 2020 new exploits were found, meaning it's not safe. The Current plan is to change the default to `SafeLoader` in release 6.0
+     * (as explained in https://github.com/yaml/pyyaml/issues/420#issuecomment-696752389).
+     * Until 6.0 is released, we will mark `yaml.load` as possibly leading to arbitrary code execution.
+     * See https://github.com/yaml/pyyaml/wiki/PyYAML-yaml.load(input)-Deprecation for more details.
      */
-    DataFlow::Node yaml_attr(string attr_name) {
-      result = yaml_attr(DataFlow::TypeTracker::end(), attr_name)
+    override predicate mayExecuteInput() {
+      func_name in ["full_load", "full_load_all", "unsafe_load", "unsafe_load_all"]
+      or
+      func_name in ["load", "load_all"] and
+      // If the `Loader` is not set to either `SafeLoader` or `BaseLoader` or not set at all,
+      // then the default loader will be used, which is not safe.
+      not exists(DataFlow::Node loader_arg |
+        loader_arg in [this.getArg(1), this.getArgByName("Loader")]
+      |
+        loader_arg =
+          API::moduleImport("yaml")
+              .getMember(["SafeLoader", "BaseLoader", "CSafeLoader", "CBaseLoader"])
+              .getAUse()
+      )
     }
-  }
-}
 
-/**
- * A call to any of the loading functions in `yaml` (`load`, `load_all`, `full_load`,
- * `full_load_all`, `unsafe_load`, `unsafe_load_all`, `safe_load`, `safe_load_all`)
- *
- * See https://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation (you will have to scroll down).
- */
-private class YamlLoadCall extends Decoding::Range, DataFlow::CfgNode {
-  override CallNode node;
-  string func_name;
+    override DataFlow::Node getAnInput() { result = this.getArg(0) }
 
-  YamlLoadCall() {
-    func_name in [
-        "load", "load_all", "full_load", "full_load_all", "unsafe_load", "unsafe_load_all",
-        "safe_load", "safe_load_all"
-      ] and
-    node.getFunction() = Yaml::yaml::yaml_attr(func_name).asCfgNode()
-  }
+    override DataFlow::Node getOutput() { result = this }
 
-  /**
-   * This function was thought safe from the 5.1 release in 2017, when the default loader was changed to `FullLoader`.
-   * In 2020 new exploits were found, meaning it's not safe. The Current plan is to change the default to `SafeLoader` in release 6.0
-   * (as explained in https://github.com/yaml/pyyaml/issues/420#issuecomment-696752389).
-   * Until 6.0 is released, we will mark `yaml.load` as possibly leading to arbitrary code execution.
-   * See https://github.com/yaml/pyyaml/wiki/PyYAML-yaml.load(input)-Deprecation for more details.
-   */
-  override predicate mayExecuteInput() {
-    func_name in ["full_load", "full_load_all", "unsafe_load", "unsafe_load_all"]
-    or
-    func_name in ["load", "load_all"] and
-    // If the `Loader` is not set to either `SafeLoader` or `BaseLoader` or not set at all,
-    // then the default loader will be used, which is not safe.
-    not exists(DataFlow::Node loader_arg |
-      loader_arg.asCfgNode() in [node.getArg(1), node.getArgByName("Loader")]
-    |
-      loader_arg = Yaml::yaml::yaml_attr(["SafeLoader", "BaseLoader"])
-    )
+    override string getFormat() { result = "YAML" }
   }
-
-  override DataFlow::Node getAnInput() { result.asCfgNode() = node.getArg(0) }
-
-  override DataFlow::Node getOutput() { result = this }
-
-  override string getFormat() { result = "YAML" }
 }
diff --git a/python/ql/test/experimental/library-tests/frameworks/yaml/Decoding.py b/python/ql/test/experimental/library-tests/frameworks/yaml/Decoding.py
index 816d91d90689..987ea76552a7 100644
--- a/python/ql/test/experimental/library-tests/frameworks/yaml/Decoding.py
+++ b/python/ql/test/experimental/library-tests/frameworks/yaml/Decoding.py
@@ -1,16 +1,37 @@
 import yaml
-from yaml import SafeLoader
 
+# Unsafe:
 yaml.load(payload)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
-yaml.load(payload, SafeLoader)  # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
-yaml.load(payload, Loader=SafeLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
-yaml.load(payload, Loader=yaml.BaseLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
-
-yaml.safe_load(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.Loader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
 yaml.unsafe_load(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
 yaml.full_load(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
 
+# Safe:
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.SafeLoader)  # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+yaml.load(payload, Loader=yaml.SafeLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.BaseLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+yaml.safe_load(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+
+################################################################################
+# load_all variants
+################################################################################
+
+# Unsafe:
 yaml.load_all(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
-yaml.safe_load_all(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
 yaml.unsafe_load_all(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
 yaml.full_load_all(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
+
+# Safe:
+yaml.safe_load_all(payload) # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+
+################################################################################
+# C-based loaders with `libyaml`
+################################################################################
+
+# Unsafe:
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.CLoader)  # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.CFullLoader)  # $ decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML decodeMayExecuteInput
+
+# Safe:
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.CSafeLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML
+yaml.load(payload, yaml.CBaseLoader)  # $decodeInput=payload decodeOutput=Attribute() decodeFormat=YAML