diff --git a/compiler/ccgexprs.nim b/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
index 10b17663e6825..632e4bb31cc6d 100644
--- a/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
+++ b/compiler/ccgexprs.nim
@@ -2974,7 +2974,7 @@ proc genBracedInit(p: BProc, n: PNode; isConst: bool): Rope =
     of tyObject:
       result = genConstObjConstr(p, n, isConst)
     of tyString, tyCString:
-      if optSeqDestructors in p.config.globalOptions and n.kind != nkNilLit:
+      if optSeqDestructors in p.config.globalOptions and n.kind != nkNilLit and ty == tyString:
         result = genStringLiteralV2Const(p.module, n, isConst)
       else:
         var d: TLoc
diff --git a/tests/arc/tcstring.nim b/tests/arc/tcstring.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..79c8a7fcf0317
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/arc/tcstring.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+discard """
+  cmd: "nim c --gc:arc -r $file"
+  nimout: '''hello
+h
+o
+'''
+"""
+
+# Issue #13321: [codegen] --gc:arc does not properly emit cstring, results in SIGSEGV
+
+let a = "hello".cstring
+echo a
+echo a[0]
+echo a[4]
+doAssert a[a.len] == '\0'
+