diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt
index abace9eac2..d63c65e67d 100644
--- a/Documentation/git.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git.txt
@@ -867,15 +867,16 @@ for full details.
 	end user, to be recorded in the body of the reflog.
 
 `GIT_REF_PARANOIA`::
-	If set to `1`, include broken or badly named refs when iterating
-	over lists of refs. In a normal, non-corrupted repository, this
-	does nothing. However, enabling it may help git to detect and
-	abort some operations in the presence of broken refs. Git sets
-	this variable automatically when performing destructive
-	operations like linkgit:git-prune[1]. You should not need to set
-	it yourself unless you want to be paranoid about making sure
-	an operation has touched every ref (e.g., because you are
-	cloning a repository to make a backup).
+	If set to `0`, ignore broken or badly named refs when iterating
+	over lists of refs. Normally Git will try to include any such
+	refs, which may cause some operations to fail. This is usually
+	preferable, as potentially destructive operations (e.g.,
+	linkgit:git-prune[1]) are better off aborting rather than
+	ignoring broken refs (and thus considering the history they
+	point to as not worth saving). The default value is `1` (i.e.,
+	be paranoid about detecting and aborting all operations). You
+	should not normally need to set this to `0`, but it may be
+	useful when trying to salvage data from a corrupted repository.
 
 `GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL`::
 	If set to a colon-separated list of protocols, behave as if
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 03c7b7253a..0b7ed82654 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ static void print_ref_list(struct ref_filter *filter, struct ref_sorting *sortin
 
 	memset(&array, 0, sizeof(array));
 
-	filter_refs(&array, filter, filter->kind | FILTER_REFS_INCLUDE_BROKEN);
+	filter_refs(&array, filter, filter->kind);
 
 	if (filter->verbose)
 		maxwidth = calc_maxwidth(&array, strlen(remote_prefix));
diff --git a/builtin/for-each-ref.c b/builtin/for-each-ref.c
index 89cb6307d4..642b4b888f 100644
--- a/builtin/for-each-ref.c
+++ b/builtin/for-each-ref.c
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ int cmd_for_each_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	filter.name_patterns = argv;
 	filter.match_as_path = 1;
-	filter_refs(&array, &filter, FILTER_REFS_ALL | FILTER_REFS_INCLUDE_BROKEN);
+	filter_refs(&array, &filter, FILTER_REFS_ALL);
 	ref_array_sort(sorting, &array);
 
 	if (!maxcount || array.nr < maxcount)
diff --git a/builtin/prune.c b/builtin/prune.c
index 02c6ab7cba..485c9a3c56 100644
--- a/builtin/prune.c
+++ b/builtin/prune.c
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ int cmd_prune(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	expire = TIME_MAX;
 	save_commit_buffer = 0;
 	read_replace_refs = 0;
-	ref_paranoia = 1;
 	repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &revs, prefix);
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, prune_usage, 0);
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index c1a209013b..cb9f4bfed3 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -586,15 +586,12 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				strvec_pushf(&cmd.args,
 					     "--unpack-unreachable=%s",
 					     unpack_unreachable);
-				strvec_push(&cmd.env_array, "GIT_REF_PARANOIA=1");
 			} else if (pack_everything & LOOSEN_UNREACHABLE) {
 				strvec_push(&cmd.args,
 					    "--unpack-unreachable");
 			} else if (keep_unreachable) {
 				strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--keep-unreachable");
 				strvec_push(&cmd.args, "--pack-loose-unreachable");
-			} else {
-				strvec_push(&cmd.env_array, "GIT_REF_PARANOIA=1");
 			}
 		}
 	} else if (geometry) {
diff --git a/builtin/rev-parse.c b/builtin/rev-parse.c
index 22c4e1a4ff..8480a59f57 100644
--- a/builtin/rev-parse.c
+++ b/builtin/rev-parse.c
@@ -863,8 +863,8 @@ int cmd_rev_parse(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				continue;
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(arg, "--bisect")) {
-				for_each_fullref_in("refs/bisect/bad", show_reference, NULL, 0);
-				for_each_fullref_in("refs/bisect/good", anti_reference, NULL, 0);
+				for_each_fullref_in("refs/bisect/bad", show_reference, NULL);
+				for_each_fullref_in("refs/bisect/good", anti_reference, NULL);
 				continue;
 			}
 			if (opt_with_value(arg, "--branches", &arg)) {
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 3e5658c6dd..1e2e6ee8cb 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -994,14 +994,6 @@ extern const char *core_fsmonitor;
 extern int core_apply_sparse_checkout;
 extern int core_sparse_checkout_cone;
 
-/*
- * Include broken refs in all ref iterations, which will
- * generally choke dangerous operations rather than letting
- * them silently proceed without taking the broken ref into
- * account.
- */
-extern int ref_paranoia;
-
 /*
  * Returns the boolean value of $GIT_OPTIONAL_LOCKS (or the default value).
  */
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 43bb1b35ff..9da7f3c1a1 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ int prefer_symlink_refs;
 int is_bare_repository_cfg = -1; /* unspecified */
 int warn_ambiguous_refs = 1;
 int warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity = 1;
-int ref_paranoia = -1;
 int repository_format_precious_objects;
 int repository_format_worktree_config;
 const char *git_commit_encoding;
diff --git a/ls-refs.c b/ls-refs.c
index 73eb7da528..54078323dc 100644
--- a/ls-refs.c
+++ b/ls-refs.c
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ int ls_refs(struct repository *r, struct packet_reader *request)
 	if (!data.prefixes.nr)
 		strvec_push(&data.prefixes, "");
 	for_each_fullref_in_prefixes(get_git_namespace(), data.prefixes.v,
-				     send_ref, &data, 0);
+				     send_ref, &data);
 	packet_fflush(stdout);
 	strvec_clear(&data.prefixes);
 	strbuf_release(&data.buf);
diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index 93ce2a6ef2..e15f0c4bac 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -2100,8 +2100,7 @@ static int filter_pattern_match(struct ref_filter *filter, const char *refname)
  */
 static int for_each_fullref_in_pattern(struct ref_filter *filter,
 				       each_ref_fn cb,
-				       void *cb_data,
-				       int broken)
+				       void *cb_data)
 {
 	if (!filter->match_as_path) {
 		/*
@@ -2109,7 +2108,7 @@ static int for_each_fullref_in_pattern(struct ref_filter *filter,
 		 * prefixes like "refs/heads/" etc. are stripped off,
 		 * so we have to look at everything:
 		 */
-		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data, broken);
+		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data);
 	}
 
 	if (filter->ignore_case) {
@@ -2118,16 +2117,16 @@ static int for_each_fullref_in_pattern(struct ref_filter *filter,
 		 * so just return everything and let the caller
 		 * sort it out.
 		 */
-		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data, broken);
+		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data);
 	}
 
 	if (!filter->name_patterns[0]) {
 		/* no patterns; we have to look at everything */
-		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data, broken);
+		return for_each_fullref_in("", cb, cb_data);
 	}
 
 	return for_each_fullref_in_prefixes(NULL, filter->name_patterns,
-					    cb, cb_data, broken);
+					    cb, cb_data);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -2405,13 +2404,10 @@ int filter_refs(struct ref_array *array, struct ref_filter *filter, unsigned int
 {
 	struct ref_filter_cbdata ref_cbdata;
 	int ret = 0;
-	unsigned int broken = 0;
 
 	ref_cbdata.array = array;
 	ref_cbdata.filter = filter;
 
-	if (type & FILTER_REFS_INCLUDE_BROKEN)
-		broken = 1;
 	filter->kind = type & FILTER_REFS_KIND_MASK;
 
 	init_contains_cache(&ref_cbdata.contains_cache);
@@ -2428,13 +2424,13 @@ int filter_refs(struct ref_array *array, struct ref_filter *filter, unsigned int
 		 * of filter_ref_kind().
 		 */
 		if (filter->kind == FILTER_REFS_BRANCHES)
-			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/heads/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata, broken);
+			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/heads/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata);
 		else if (filter->kind == FILTER_REFS_REMOTES)
-			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/remotes/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata, broken);
+			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/remotes/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata);
 		else if (filter->kind == FILTER_REFS_TAGS)
-			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/tags/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata, broken);
+			ret = for_each_fullref_in("refs/tags/", ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata);
 		else if (filter->kind & FILTER_REFS_ALL)
-			ret = for_each_fullref_in_pattern(filter, ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata, broken);
+			ret = for_each_fullref_in_pattern(filter, ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata);
 		if (!ret && (filter->kind & FILTER_REFS_DETACHED_HEAD))
 			head_ref(ref_filter_handler, &ref_cbdata);
 	}
diff --git a/ref-filter.h b/ref-filter.h
index c15dee8d6b..b636f4389d 100644
--- a/ref-filter.h
+++ b/ref-filter.h
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 #define QUOTE_PYTHON 4
 #define QUOTE_TCL 8
 
-#define FILTER_REFS_INCLUDE_BROKEN 0x0001
 #define FILTER_REFS_TAGS           0x0002
 #define FILTER_REFS_BRANCHES       0x0004
 #define FILTER_REFS_REMOTES        0x0008
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 9339e99fae..2166f37399 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1409,14 +1409,21 @@ int head_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 
 struct ref_iterator *refs_ref_iterator_begin(
 		struct ref_store *refs,
-		const char *prefix, int trim, int flags)
+		const char *prefix, int trim,
+		enum do_for_each_ref_flags flags)
 {
 	struct ref_iterator *iter;
 
-	if (ref_paranoia < 0)
-		ref_paranoia = git_env_bool("GIT_REF_PARANOIA", 0);
-	if (ref_paranoia)
-		flags |= DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN;
+	if (!(flags & DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN)) {
+		static int ref_paranoia = -1;
+
+		if (ref_paranoia < 0)
+			ref_paranoia = git_env_bool("GIT_REF_PARANOIA", 1);
+		if (ref_paranoia) {
+			flags |= DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN;
+			flags |= DO_FOR_EACH_OMIT_DANGLING_SYMREFS;
+		}
+	}
 
 	iter = refs->be->iterator_begin(refs, prefix, flags);
 
@@ -1475,7 +1482,8 @@ static int do_for_each_ref_helper(struct repository *r,
 }
 
 static int do_for_each_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *prefix,
-			   each_ref_fn fn, int trim, int flags, void *cb_data)
+			   each_ref_fn fn, int trim,
+			   enum do_for_each_ref_flags flags, void *cb_data)
 {
 	struct ref_iterator *iter;
 	struct do_for_each_ref_help hp = { fn, cb_data };
@@ -1510,25 +1518,16 @@ int for_each_ref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 	return refs_for_each_ref_in(get_main_ref_store(the_repository), prefix, fn, cb_data);
 }
 
-int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data, unsigned int broken)
+int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
-	unsigned int flag = 0;
-
-	if (broken)
-		flag = DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN;
 	return do_for_each_ref(get_main_ref_store(the_repository),
-			       prefix, fn, 0, flag, cb_data);
+			       prefix, fn, 0, 0, cb_data);
 }
 
 int refs_for_each_fullref_in(struct ref_store *refs, const char *prefix,
-			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-			     unsigned int broken)
+			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
-	unsigned int flag = 0;
-
-	if (broken)
-		flag = DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN;
-	return do_for_each_ref(refs, prefix, fn, 0, flag, cb_data);
+	return do_for_each_ref(refs, prefix, fn, 0, 0, cb_data);
 }
 
 int for_each_replace_ref(struct repository *r, each_repo_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
@@ -1620,8 +1619,7 @@ static void find_longest_prefixes(struct string_list *out,
 
 int for_each_fullref_in_prefixes(const char *namespace,
 				 const char **patterns,
-				 each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-				 unsigned int broken)
+				 each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
 	struct string_list prefixes = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	struct string_list_item *prefix;
@@ -1636,7 +1634,7 @@ int for_each_fullref_in_prefixes(const char *namespace,
 
 	for_each_string_list_item(prefix, &prefixes) {
 		strbuf_addstr(&buf, prefix->string);
-		ret = for_each_fullref_in(buf.buf, fn, cb_data, broken);
+		ret = for_each_fullref_in(buf.buf, fn, cb_data);
 		if (ret)
 			break;
 		strbuf_setlen(&buf, namespace_len);
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 654310d3e2..d5099d4984 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -342,10 +342,8 @@ int for_each_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 int for_each_ref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 
 int refs_for_each_fullref_in(struct ref_store *refs, const char *prefix,
-			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-			     unsigned int broken);
-int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-			unsigned int broken);
+			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
+int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 
 /**
  * iterate all refs in "patterns" by partitioning patterns into disjoint sets
@@ -354,8 +352,7 @@ int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
  * callers should be prepared to ignore references that they did not ask for.
  */
 int for_each_fullref_in_prefixes(const char *namespace, const char **patterns,
-				 each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-				 unsigned int broken);
+				 each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 /**
  * iterate refs from the respective area.
  */
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index 8d627adf99..6a6ead0b99 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -744,6 +744,11 @@ static int files_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 		    ref_type(iter->iter0->refname) != REF_TYPE_PER_WORKTREE)
 			continue;
 
+		if ((iter->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_OMIT_DANGLING_SYMREFS) &&
+		    (iter->iter0->flags & REF_ISSYMREF) &&
+		    (iter->iter0->flags & REF_ISBROKEN))
+			continue;
+
 		if (!(iter->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN) &&
 		    !ref_resolves_to_object(iter->iter0->refname,
 					    iter->iter0->oid,
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index ddd6d7f8eb..72746407fc 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -245,8 +245,36 @@ int refs_rename_ref_available(struct ref_store *refs,
 /* We allow "recursive" symbolic refs. Only within reason, though */
 #define SYMREF_MAXDEPTH 5
 
-/* Include broken references in a do_for_each_ref*() iteration: */
-#define DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN 0x01
+/*
+ * These flags are passed to refs_ref_iterator_begin() (and do_for_each_ref(),
+ * which feeds it).
+ */
+enum do_for_each_ref_flags {
+	/*
+	 * Include broken references in a do_for_each_ref*() iteration, which
+	 * would normally be omitted. This includes both refs that point to
+	 * missing objects (a true repository corruption), ones with illegal
+	 * names (which we prefer not to expose to callers), as well as
+	 * dangling symbolic refs (i.e., those that point to a non-existent
+	 * ref; this is not a corruption, but as they have no valid oid, we
+	 * omit them from normal iteration results).
+	 */
+	DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN = (1 << 0),
+
+	/*
+	 * Only include per-worktree refs in a do_for_each_ref*() iteration.
+	 * Normally this will be used with a files ref_store, since that's
+	 * where all reference backends will presumably store their
+	 * per-worktree refs.
+	 */
+	DO_FOR_EACH_PER_WORKTREE_ONLY = (1 << 1),
+
+	/*
+	 * Omit dangling symrefs from output; this only has an effect with
+	 * INCLUDE_BROKEN, since they are otherwise not included at all.
+	 */
+	DO_FOR_EACH_OMIT_DANGLING_SYMREFS = (1 << 2),
+};
 
 /*
  * Reference iterators
@@ -349,16 +377,12 @@ int is_empty_ref_iterator(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator);
  * Return an iterator that goes over each reference in `refs` for
  * which the refname begins with prefix. If trim is non-zero, then
  * trim that many characters off the beginning of each refname.
- * The output is ordered by refname. The following flags are supported:
- *
- * DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN: include broken references in
- *         the iteration.
- *
- * DO_FOR_EACH_PER_WORKTREE_ONLY: only produce REF_TYPE_PER_WORKTREE refs.
+ * The output is ordered by refname.
  */
 struct ref_iterator *refs_ref_iterator_begin(
 		struct ref_store *refs,
-		const char *prefix, int trim, int flags);
+		const char *prefix, int trim,
+		enum do_for_each_ref_flags flags);
 
 /*
  * A callback function used to instruct merge_ref_iterator how to
@@ -446,10 +470,8 @@ void base_ref_iterator_free(struct ref_iterator *iter);
 /*
  * backend-specific implementation of ref_iterator_advance. For symrefs, the
  * function should set REF_ISSYMREF, and it should also dereference the symref
- * to provide the OID referent. If DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN is set, symrefs
- * with non-existent referents and refs pointing to non-existent object names
- * should also be returned. If DO_FOR_EACH_PER_WORKTREE_ONLY, only
- * REF_TYPE_PER_WORKTREE refs should be returned.
+ * to provide the OID referent. It should respect do_for_each_ref_flags
+ * that were passed to refs_ref_iterator_begin().
  */
 typedef int ref_iterator_advance_fn(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator);
 
@@ -498,14 +520,6 @@ int do_for_each_repo_ref_iterator(struct repository *r,
 				  struct ref_iterator *iter,
 				  each_repo_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 
-/*
- * Only include per-worktree refs in a do_for_each_ref*() iteration.
- * Normally this will be used with a files ref_store, since that's
- * where all reference backends will presumably store their
- * per-worktree refs.
- */
-#define DO_FOR_EACH_PER_WORKTREE_ONLY 0x02
-
 struct ref_store;
 
 /* refs backends */
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index 7e7c41fedd..3ad217f2ff 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -2548,7 +2548,7 @@ static int for_each_bisect_ref(struct ref_store *refs, each_ref_fn fn,
 	struct strbuf bisect_refs = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int status;
 	strbuf_addf(&bisect_refs, "refs/bisect/%s", term);
-	status = refs_for_each_fullref_in(refs, bisect_refs.buf, fn, cb_data, 0);
+	status = refs_for_each_fullref_in(refs, bisect_refs.buf, fn, cb_data);
 	strbuf_release(&bisect_refs);
 	return status;
 }
diff --git a/t/t1430-bad-ref-name.sh b/t/t1430-bad-ref-name.sh
index b1839e0877..fa3aeb80f2 100755
--- a/t/t1430-bad-ref-name.sh
+++ b/t/t1430-bad-ref-name.sh
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ test_expect_success 'for-each-ref emits warnings for broken names' '
 	! grep -e "badname" output &&
 	! grep -e "broken\.\.\.symref" output &&
 	test_i18ngrep "ignoring ref with broken name refs/heads/broken\.\.\.ref" error &&
-	test_i18ngrep "ignoring broken ref refs/heads/badname" error &&
+	test_i18ngrep ! "ignoring broken ref refs/heads/badname" error &&
 	test_i18ngrep "ignoring ref with broken name refs/heads/broken\.\.\.symref" error
 '
 
diff --git a/t/t5312-prune-corruption.sh b/t/t5312-prune-corruption.sh
index 11423b3cb2..ea889c088a 100755
--- a/t/t5312-prune-corruption.sh
+++ b/t/t5312-prune-corruption.sh
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ if we see, for example, a ref with a bogus name, it is OK either to
 bail out or to proceed using it as a reachable tip, but it is _not_
 OK to proceed as if it did not exist. Otherwise we might silently
 delete objects that cannot be recovered.
+
+Note that we do assert command failure in these cases, because that is
+what currently happens. If that changes, these tests should be revisited.
 '
 GIT_TEST_DEFAULT_INITIAL_BRANCH_NAME=main
 export GIT_TEST_DEFAULT_INITIAL_BRANCH_NAME
@@ -18,39 +21,58 @@ test_expect_success 'disable reflogs' '
 	git reflog expire --expire=all --all
 '
 
+create_bogus_ref () {
+	test_when_finished 'rm -f .git/refs/heads/bogus..name' &&
+	echo $bogus >.git/refs/heads/bogus..name
+}
+
 test_expect_success 'create history reachable only from a bogus-named ref' '
 	test_tick && git commit --allow-empty -m main &&
 	base=$(git rev-parse HEAD) &&
 	test_tick && git commit --allow-empty -m bogus &&
 	bogus=$(git rev-parse HEAD) &&
 	git cat-file commit $bogus >saved &&
-	echo $bogus >.git/refs/heads/bogus..name &&
 	git reset --hard HEAD^
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pruning does not drop bogus object' '
 	test_when_finished "git hash-object -w -t commit saved" &&
-	test_might_fail git prune --expire=now &&
-	verbose git cat-file -e $bogus
+	create_bogus_ref &&
+	test_must_fail git prune --expire=now &&
+	git cat-file -e $bogus
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'put bogus object into pack' '
 	git tag reachable $bogus &&
 	git repack -ad &&
 	git tag -d reachable &&
-	verbose git cat-file -e $bogus
+	git cat-file -e $bogus
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'non-destructive repack bails on bogus ref' '
+	create_bogus_ref &&
+	test_must_fail git repack -adk
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'GIT_REF_PARANOIA=0 overrides safety' '
+	create_bogus_ref &&
+	GIT_REF_PARANOIA=0 git repack -adk
+'
+
+
 test_expect_success 'destructive repack keeps packed object' '
-	test_might_fail git repack -Ad --unpack-unreachable=now &&
-	verbose git cat-file -e $bogus &&
-	test_might_fail git repack -ad &&
-	verbose git cat-file -e $bogus
+	create_bogus_ref &&
+	test_must_fail git repack -Ad --unpack-unreachable=now &&
+	git cat-file -e $bogus &&
+	test_must_fail git repack -ad &&
+	git cat-file -e $bogus
 '
 
-# subsequent tests will have different corruptions
-test_expect_success 'clean up bogus ref' '
-	rm .git/refs/heads/bogus..name
+test_expect_success 'destructive repack not confused by dangling symref' '
+	test_when_finished "git symbolic-ref -d refs/heads/dangling" &&
+	git symbolic-ref refs/heads/dangling refs/heads/does-not-exist &&
+	git repack -ad &&
+	test_must_fail git cat-file -e $bogus
 '
 
 # We create two new objects here, "one" and "two". Our
@@ -77,8 +99,8 @@ test_expect_success 'create history with missing tip commit' '
 
 test_expect_success 'pruning with a corrupted tip does not drop history' '
 	test_when_finished "git hash-object -w -t commit saved" &&
-	test_might_fail git prune --expire=now &&
-	verbose git cat-file -e $recoverable
+	test_must_fail git prune --expire=now &&
+	git cat-file -e $recoverable
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pack-refs does not silently delete broken loose ref' '
diff --git a/t/t5516-fetch-push.sh b/t/t5516-fetch-push.sh
index 4db8edd9c8..8212ca56dc 100755
--- a/t/t5516-fetch-push.sh
+++ b/t/t5516-fetch-push.sh
@@ -662,10 +662,10 @@ test_expect_success 'push does not update local refs on failure' '
 
 test_expect_success 'allow deleting an invalid remote ref' '
 
-	mk_test testrepo heads/main &&
+	mk_test testrepo heads/branch &&
 	rm -f testrepo/.git/objects/??/* &&
-	git push testrepo :refs/heads/main &&
-	(cd testrepo && test_must_fail git rev-parse --verify refs/heads/main)
+	git push testrepo :refs/heads/branch &&
+	(cd testrepo && test_must_fail git rev-parse --verify refs/heads/branch)
 
 '
 
@@ -706,25 +706,26 @@ test_expect_success 'pushing valid refs triggers post-receive and post-update ho
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'deleting dangling ref triggers hooks with correct args' '
-	mk_test_with_hooks testrepo heads/main &&
+	mk_test_with_hooks testrepo heads/branch &&
+	orig=$(git -C testrepo rev-parse refs/heads/branch) &&
 	rm -f testrepo/.git/objects/??/* &&
-	git push testrepo :refs/heads/main &&
+	git push testrepo :refs/heads/branch &&
 	(
 		cd testrepo/.git &&
 		cat >pre-receive.expect <<-EOF &&
-		$ZERO_OID $ZERO_OID refs/heads/main
+		$orig $ZERO_OID refs/heads/branch
 		EOF
 
 		cat >update.expect <<-EOF &&
-		refs/heads/main $ZERO_OID $ZERO_OID
+		refs/heads/branch $orig $ZERO_OID
 		EOF
 
 		cat >post-receive.expect <<-EOF &&
-		$ZERO_OID $ZERO_OID refs/heads/main
+		$orig $ZERO_OID refs/heads/branch
 		EOF
 
 		cat >post-update.expect <<-EOF &&
-		refs/heads/main
+		refs/heads/branch
 		EOF
 
 		test_cmp pre-receive.expect pre-receive.actual &&
diff --git a/t/t5600-clone-fail-cleanup.sh b/t/t5600-clone-fail-cleanup.sh
index 5bf10261d3..34b3df4027 100755
--- a/t/t5600-clone-fail-cleanup.sh
+++ b/t/t5600-clone-fail-cleanup.sh
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ test_expect_success 'create a repo to clone' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'create objects in repo for later corruption' '
-	test_commit -C foo file
+	test_commit -C foo file &&
+	git -C foo checkout --detach &&
+	test_commit -C foo detached
 '
 
 # source repository given to git clone should be relative to the
diff --git a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
index 6b4941980c..9b9f11a8e7 100755
--- a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
+++ b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ test_expect_success 'incremental-repack task' '
 
 	# Delete refs that have not been repacked in these packs.
 	git for-each-ref --format="delete %(refname)" \
-		refs/prefetch refs/tags >refs &&
+		refs/prefetch refs/tags refs/remotes >refs &&
 	git update-ref --stdin <refs &&
 
 	# Replace the object directory with this pack layout.
@@ -285,6 +285,10 @@ test_expect_success 'incremental-repack task' '
 	ls $packDir/*.pack >packs-before &&
 	test_line_count = 3 packs-before &&
 
+	# make sure we do not have any broken refs that were
+	# missed in the deletion above
+	git for-each-ref &&
+
 	# the job repacks the two into a new pack, but does not
 	# delete the old ones.
 	git maintenance run --task=incremental-repack &&