diff --git a/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc b/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
index acac9683af..76609321f6 100644
--- a/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/fsck-msgids.adoc
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@
 `badRefName`::
 	(ERROR) A ref has an invalid format.
 
+`badRefOid`::
+	(ERROR) A ref points to an invalid object ID.
+
 `badReferentName`::
 	(ERROR) The referent name of a symref is invalid.
 
diff --git a/builtin/fsck.c b/builtin/fsck.c
index 4979bc795e..4dd4d74d1e 100644
--- a/builtin/fsck.c
+++ b/builtin/fsck.c
@@ -564,9 +564,9 @@ static int fsck_handle_ref(const struct reference *ref, void *cb_data UNUSED)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int fsck_head_link(const char *head_ref_name,
-			  const char **head_points_at,
-			  struct object_id *head_oid);
+static void fsck_head_link(const char *head_ref_name,
+			   const char **head_points_at,
+			   struct object_id *head_oid);
 
 static void get_default_heads(void)
 {
@@ -713,12 +713,10 @@ static void fsck_source(struct odb_source *source)
 	stop_progress(&progress);
 }
 
-static int fsck_head_link(const char *head_ref_name,
-			  const char **head_points_at,
-			  struct object_id *head_oid)
+static void fsck_head_link(const char *head_ref_name,
+			   const char **head_points_at,
+			   struct object_id *head_oid)
 {
-	int null_is_error = 0;
-
 	if (verbose)
 		fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Checking %s link"), head_ref_name);
 
@@ -727,27 +725,18 @@ static int fsck_head_link(const char *head_ref_name,
 						  NULL);
 	if (!*head_points_at) {
 		errors_found |= ERROR_REFS;
-		return error(_("invalid %s"), head_ref_name);
+		error(_("invalid %s"), head_ref_name);
+		return;
 	}
-	if (!strcmp(*head_points_at, head_ref_name))
-		/* detached HEAD */
-		null_is_error = 1;
-	else if (!starts_with(*head_points_at, "refs/heads/")) {
+	if (strcmp(*head_points_at, head_ref_name) &&
+	    !starts_with(*head_points_at, "refs/heads/")) {
 		errors_found |= ERROR_REFS;
-		return error(_("%s points to something strange (%s)"),
-			     head_ref_name, *head_points_at);
+		error(_("%s points to something strange (%s)"),
+		      head_ref_name, *head_points_at);
+		return;
 	}
-	if (is_null_oid(head_oid)) {
-		if (null_is_error) {
-			errors_found |= ERROR_REFS;
-			return error(_("%s: detached HEAD points at nothing"),
-				     head_ref_name);
-		}
-		fprintf_ln(stderr,
-			   _("notice: %s points to an unborn branch (%s)"),
-			   head_ref_name, *head_points_at + 11);
-	}
-	return 0;
+
+	return;
 }
 
 static int fsck_cache_tree(struct cache_tree *it, const char *index_path)
diff --git a/fsck.h b/fsck.h
index bfe0d9c6d2..1f472b7daa 100644
--- a/fsck.h
+++ b/fsck.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ enum fsck_msg_type {
 	FUNC(BAD_REF_CONTENT, ERROR) \
 	FUNC(BAD_REF_FILETYPE, ERROR) \
 	FUNC(BAD_REF_NAME, ERROR) \
+	FUNC(BAD_REF_OID, ERROR) \
 	FUNC(BAD_TIMEZONE, ERROR) \
 	FUNC(BAD_TREE, ERROR) \
 	FUNC(BAD_TREE_SHA1, ERROR) \
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 4fc1317cb3..c3528862c6 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -320,10 +320,15 @@ int check_refname_format(const char *refname, int flags)
 	return check_or_sanitize_refname(refname, flags, NULL);
 }
 
-int refs_fsck_ref(struct ref_store *refs UNUSED, struct fsck_options *o UNUSED,
-		  struct fsck_ref_report *report UNUSED,
-		  const char *refname UNUSED, const struct object_id *oid UNUSED)
+int refs_fsck_ref(struct ref_store *refs UNUSED, struct fsck_options *o,
+		  struct fsck_ref_report *report,
+		  const char *refname UNUSED, const struct object_id *oid)
 {
+	if (is_null_oid(oid))
+		return fsck_report_ref(o, report, FSCK_MSG_BAD_REF_OID,
+				       "points to invalid object ID '%s'",
+				       oid_to_hex(oid));
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/t/t1450-fsck.sh b/t/t1450-fsck.sh
index c4b651c2dc..900c1b2eb2 100755
--- a/t/t1450-fsck.sh
+++ b/t/t1450-fsck.sh
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ test_expect_success REFFILES 'HEAD link pointing at a funny object' '
 	echo $ZERO_OID >.git/HEAD &&
 	# avoid corrupt/broken HEAD from interfering with repo discovery
 	test_must_fail env GIT_DIR=.git git fsck 2>out &&
-	test_grep "detached HEAD points" out
+	test_grep "HEAD: badRefOid: points to invalid object ID ${SQ}$ZERO_OID${SQ}" out
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'HEAD link pointing at a funny place' '
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ test_expect_success REFFILES 'HEAD link pointing at a funny object (from differe
 	echo $ZERO_OID >.git/HEAD &&
 	# avoid corrupt/broken HEAD from interfering with repo discovery
 	test_must_fail git -C wt fsck 2>out &&
-	test_grep "main-worktree/HEAD: detached HEAD points" out
+	test_grep "HEAD: badRefOid: points to invalid object ID ${SQ}$ZERO_OID${SQ}" out
 '
 
 test_expect_success REFFILES 'other worktree HEAD link pointing at a funny object' '
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ test_expect_success REFFILES 'other worktree HEAD link pointing at a funny objec
 	git worktree add other &&
 	echo $ZERO_OID >.git/worktrees/other/HEAD &&
 	test_must_fail git fsck 2>out &&
-	test_grep "worktrees/other/HEAD: detached HEAD points" out
+	test_grep "worktrees/other/HEAD: badRefOid: points to invalid object ID ${SQ}$ZERO_OID${SQ}" out
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'other worktree HEAD link pointing at missing object' '