diff --git a/core/CMakeLists.txt b/core/CMakeLists.txt
index 93288362..591d4b95 100644
--- a/core/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/core/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -63,18 +63,20 @@ gz_msgs_generate_messages_impl(
     msgs_python
 )
 
+set(GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME "gz-msgs.gz_desc")
+
 gz_msgs_generate_desc_impl(
   PROTOC_EXEC ${${PROJECT_NAME}_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE}
   INPUT_PROTOS ${proto_files}
   PROTO_PATH ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/proto
   DEPENDENCY_DESCRIPTIONS ${depends_msgs_desc}
   OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/gz_msgs_gen
-  OUTPUT_FILENAME gz-msgs.gz_desc
+  OUTPUT_FILENAME ${GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME}
 )
 
 install(FILES ${msgs_headers} DESTINATION ${GZ_INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR_FULL}/gz/msgs)
 install(FILES ${msgs_detail_headers} DESTINATION ${GZ_INCLUDE_INSTALL_DIR_FULL}/gz/msgs/details)
-install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gz-msgs.gz_desc
+install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME}
   DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/gz/protos/)
 
 if (NOT GZ_PYTHON_INSTALL_PATH)
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@ gz_create_core_library(SOURCES
   src/MessageFactory.cc
   src/DynamicFactory.cc
   ${msgs_sources}
-  gz-msgs.gz_desc
+  ${GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME}
 )
 
 target_include_directories(${PROJECT_LIBRARY_TARGET_NAME} PUBLIC
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ set_target_properties(
     PROPERTIES
       SOVERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}
       VERSION ${PROJECT_VERSION_FULL}
-      GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILE "\$\{_IMPORT_PREFIX\}/share/gz/protos/gz-msgs.gz_desc"
+      GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILE "\$\{_IMPORT_PREFIX\}/share/gz/protos/${GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME}"
       )
 set_property(TARGET ${PROJECT_LIBRARY_TARGET_NAME} PROPERTY EXPORT_PROPERTIES "GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILE")
 
diff --git a/core/include/gz/msgs/config.hh.in b/core/include/gz/msgs/config.hh.in
index eef9e136..26554fe6 100644
--- a/core/include/gz/msgs/config.hh.in
+++ b/core/include/gz/msgs/config.hh.in
@@ -32,4 +32,6 @@
 
 #define GZ_MSGS_VERSION_HEADER "Gazebo Msgs, version ${PROJECT_VERSION_FULL}\nCopyright (C) 2016 Open Source Robotics Foundation.\nReleased under the Apache 2.0 License.\n\n"
 
+#define GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME "${GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME}"
+
 #endif
diff --git a/core/src/DynamicFactory.cc b/core/src/DynamicFactory.cc
index 279fdfd6..19d21c43 100644
--- a/core/src/DynamicFactory.cc
+++ b/core/src/DynamicFactory.cc
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "DynamicFactory.hh"
 #include "gz/utils/Environment.hh"
 
+#include <gz/msgs/config.hh>
 #include <gz/msgs/InstallationDirectories.hh>
 
 namespace {
@@ -121,6 +122,13 @@ void DynamicFactory::LoadDescriptors(const std::string &_paths)
     for (const google::protobuf::FileDescriptorProto &fileDescriptorProto :
          fileDescriptorSet.file())
     {
+      // Skip protos already loaded (e.g. same .gz_desc reached via
+      // both GZ_DESCRIPTOR_PATH and the global share directory).
+      if (this->pool.FindFileByName(fileDescriptorProto.name()) != nullptr)
+      {
+        continue;
+      }
+
       if (!static_cast<bool>(this->pool.BuildFile(fileDescriptorProto)))
       {
         std::cerr << "DynamicFactory(). Unable to place descriptors from ["
@@ -133,6 +141,8 @@ void DynamicFactory::LoadDescriptors(const std::string &_paths)
     }
   };
 
+  const std::string ownDescFile = GZ_MSGS_DESC_FILENAME;
+
   for (const std::string &descDir : descDirs)
   {
     if (!std::filesystem::is_directory(descDir))
@@ -141,8 +151,19 @@ void DynamicFactory::LoadDescriptors(const std::string &_paths)
     }
     else
     {
+      // Default to loading the descriptor file for this gz-msgs major
+      // version if it exists
+      auto ownDescPath = std::filesystem::path(descDir) / ownDescFile;
+      if (std::filesystem::exists(ownDescPath))
+      {
+        loadDescFile(ownDescPath.string());
+      }
+
       for (auto const &dirIter : std::filesystem::directory_iterator{descDir})
       {
+        auto filename = dirIter.path().filename().string();
+        if (filename == ownDescFile)  // Skip the ownDesc already loaded
+          continue;
         loadDescFile(dirIter.path().string());
       }
     }
diff --git a/test/integration/descriptors.cc b/test/integration/descriptors.cc
index 4cc62291..adb31669 100644
--- a/test/integration/descriptors.cc
+++ b/test/integration/descriptors.cc
@@ -93,3 +93,39 @@ TEST(FactoryTest, DynamicFactory)
   EXPECT_NE(nullptr, gz::msgs::Factory::New("testing.BarMessage"));
   EXPECT_NE(nullptr, gz::msgs::Factory::New("testing.BazMessage"));
 }
+
+TEST(FactoryTest, NoDuplicateDescriptors)
+{
+  // Regression test for https://github.com/gazebosim/gz-msgs/issues/460
+  // When the same .gz_desc file is reachable via both GZ_DESCRIPTOR_PATH
+  // and the global share directory, the DynamicFactory used to print:
+  //   [libprotobuf ERROR] File already exists in database: ...
+  // The fix silently skips proto definitions already present in the pool.
+
+  std::filesystem::path test_path(kMsgsTestPath);
+  std::string path = (test_path / "desc" / "stringmsg.desc").string();
+
+#ifdef _WIN32
+  std::string paths = path + ";" + path;
+#else
+  std::string paths = path + ":" + path;
+#endif
+
+  // Capture stderr to detect any "already exists in database" errors from
+  // libprotobuf.  Using gtest's CaptureStderr avoids depending on the
+  // protobuf-internal SetLogHandler API, which was removed in protobuf 4.x.
+  ::testing::internal::CaptureStderr();
+
+  // Loading the same descriptor twice must not cause protobuf errors.
+  // The second occurrence is skipped because the protos are already in the
+  // pool.
+  gz::msgs::Factory::LoadDescriptors(paths);
+
+  std::string stderr_output = ::testing::internal::GetCapturedStderr();
+  EXPECT_EQ(stderr_output.find("already exists in database"), std::string::npos)
+    << "libprotobuf ERROR emitted during duplicate descriptor load: "
+    << stderr_output;
+
+  // The message type must remain accessible after duplicate loading.
+  EXPECT_NE(nullptr, gz::msgs::Factory::New("example.msgs.StringMsg"));
+}