diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index b3223478bc..8405d7c3fc 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "shallow.h"
 #include "tree.h"
 #include "hook.h"
+#include "parse.h"
 
 static struct commit_extra_header *read_commit_extra_header_lines(const char *buf, size_t len, const char **);
 
@@ -572,8 +573,21 @@ int repo_parse_commit_internal(struct repository *r,
 		return -1;
 	if (item->object.parsed)
 		return 0;
-	if (use_commit_graph && parse_commit_in_graph(r, item))
+	if (use_commit_graph && parse_commit_in_graph(r, item)) {
+		static int commit_graph_paranoia = -1;
+
+		if (commit_graph_paranoia == -1)
+			commit_graph_paranoia = git_env_bool(GIT_COMMIT_GRAPH_PARANOIA, 1);
+
+		if (commit_graph_paranoia && !has_object(r, &item->object.oid, 0)) {
+			unparse_commit(r, &item->object.oid);
+			return quiet_on_missing ? -1 :
+				error(_("commit %s exists in commit-graph but not in the object database"),
+				      oid_to_hex(&item->object.oid));
+		}
+
 		return 0;
+	}
 
 	if (oid_object_info_extended(r, &item->object.oid, &oi, flags) < 0)
 		return quiet_on_missing ? -1 :
diff --git a/t/t5318-commit-graph.sh b/t/t5318-commit-graph.sh
index 087e6ac3b8..2c62b91ef9 100755
--- a/t/t5318-commit-graph.sh
+++ b/t/t5318-commit-graph.sh
@@ -836,4 +836,31 @@ test_expect_success 'stale commit cannot be parsed when given directly' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'stale commit cannot be parsed when traversing graph' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf repo" &&
+	git init repo &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+
+		test_commit A &&
+		test_commit B &&
+		test_commit C &&
+		git commit-graph write --reachable &&
+
+		# Corrupt the repository by deleting the intermediate commit
+		# object. Commands should notice that this object is absent and
+		# thus that the repository is corrupt even if the commit graph
+		# exists.
+		oid=$(git rev-parse B) &&
+		rm .git/objects/"$(test_oid_to_path "$oid")" &&
+
+		# Again, we should be able to parse the commit when not
+		# being paranoid about commit graph staleness...
+		GIT_COMMIT_GRAPH_PARANOIA=false git rev-parse HEAD~2 &&
+		# ... but fail when we are paranoid.
+		test_must_fail git rev-parse HEAD~2 2>error &&
+		grep "error: commit $oid exists in commit-graph but not in the object database" error
+	)
+'
+
 test_done