diff --git a/cache-tree.c b/cache-tree.c
index fb729f3db6e3a1..c595e8612044c7 100644
--- a/cache-tree.c
+++ b/cache-tree.c
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
 
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
+#include "gettext.h"
 #include "hex.h"
 #include "lockfile.h"
 #include "tree.h"
@@ -865,15 +866,15 @@ int cache_tree_matches_traversal(struct cache_tree *root,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void verify_one_sparse(struct index_state *istate,
-			      struct strbuf *path,
-			      int pos)
+static int verify_one_sparse(struct index_state *istate,
+			     struct strbuf *path,
+			     int pos)
 {
 	struct cache_entry *ce = istate->cache[pos];
-
 	if (!S_ISSPARSEDIR(ce->ce_mode))
-		BUG("directory '%s' is present in index, but not sparse",
-		    path->buf);
+		return error(_("directory '%s' is present in index, but not sparse"),
+			     path->buf);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -882,6 +883,7 @@ static void verify_one_sparse(struct index_state *istate,
  *  1 - Restart verification - a call to ensure_full_index() freed the cache
  *      tree that is being verified and verification needs to be restarted from
  *      the new toplevel cache tree.
+ *  -1 - Verification failed.
  */
 static int verify_one(struct repository *r,
 		      struct index_state *istate,
@@ -891,18 +893,23 @@ static int verify_one(struct repository *r,
 	int i, pos, len = path->len;
 	struct strbuf tree_buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct object_id new_oid;
+	int ret;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < it->subtree_nr; i++) {
 		strbuf_addf(path, "%s/", it->down[i]->name);
-		if (verify_one(r, istate, it->down[i]->cache_tree, path))
-			return 1;
+		ret = verify_one(r, istate, it->down[i]->cache_tree, path);
+		if (ret)
+			goto out;
+
 		strbuf_setlen(path, len);
 	}
 
 	if (it->entry_count < 0 ||
 	    /* no verification on tests (t7003) that replace trees */
-	    lookup_replace_object(r, &it->oid) != &it->oid)
-		return 0;
+	    lookup_replace_object(r, &it->oid) != &it->oid) {
+		ret = 0;
+		goto out;
+	}
 
 	if (path->len) {
 		/*
@@ -912,12 +919,14 @@ static int verify_one(struct repository *r,
 		 */
 		int is_sparse = istate->sparse_index;
 		pos = index_name_pos(istate, path->buf, path->len);
-		if (is_sparse && !istate->sparse_index)
-			return 1;
+		if (is_sparse && !istate->sparse_index) {
+			ret = 1;
+			goto out;
+		}
 
 		if (pos >= 0) {
-			verify_one_sparse(istate, path, pos);
-			return 0;
+			ret = verify_one_sparse(istate, path, pos);
+			goto out;
 		}
 
 		pos = -pos - 1;
@@ -940,16 +949,23 @@ static int verify_one(struct repository *r,
 		unsigned mode;
 		int entlen;
 
-		if (ce->ce_flags & (CE_STAGEMASK | CE_INTENT_TO_ADD | CE_REMOVE))
-			BUG("%s with flags 0x%x should not be in cache-tree",
-			    ce->name, ce->ce_flags);
+		if (ce->ce_flags & (CE_STAGEMASK | CE_INTENT_TO_ADD | CE_REMOVE)) {
+			ret = error(_("%s with flags 0x%x should not be in cache-tree"),
+				    ce->name, ce->ce_flags);
+			goto out;
+		}
+
 		name = ce->name + path->len;
 		slash = strchr(name, '/');
 		if (slash) {
 			entlen = slash - name;
+
 			sub = find_subtree(it, ce->name + path->len, entlen, 0);
-			if (!sub || sub->cache_tree->entry_count < 0)
-				BUG("bad subtree '%.*s'", entlen, name);
+			if (!sub || sub->cache_tree->entry_count < 0) {
+				ret = error(_("bad subtree '%.*s'"), entlen, name);
+				goto out;
+			}
+
 			oid = &sub->cache_tree->oid;
 			mode = S_IFDIR;
 			i += sub->cache_tree->entry_count;
@@ -962,27 +978,50 @@ static int verify_one(struct repository *r,
 		strbuf_addf(&tree_buf, "%o %.*s%c", mode, entlen, name, '\0');
 		strbuf_add(&tree_buf, oid->hash, r->hash_algo->rawsz);
 	}
+
 	hash_object_file(r->hash_algo, tree_buf.buf, tree_buf.len, OBJ_TREE,
 			 &new_oid);
-	if (!oideq(&new_oid, &it->oid))
-		BUG("cache-tree for path %.*s does not match. "
-		    "Expected %s got %s", len, path->buf,
-		    oid_to_hex(&new_oid), oid_to_hex(&it->oid));
+
+	if (!oideq(&new_oid, &it->oid)) {
+		ret = error(_("cache-tree for path %.*s does not match. "
+			      "Expected %s got %s"), len, path->buf,
+			    oid_to_hex(&new_oid), oid_to_hex(&it->oid));
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	ret = 0;
+out:
 	strbuf_setlen(path, len);
 	strbuf_release(&tree_buf);
-	return 0;
+	return ret;
 }
 
-void cache_tree_verify(struct repository *r, struct index_state *istate)
+int cache_tree_verify(struct repository *r, struct index_state *istate)
 {
 	struct strbuf path = STRBUF_INIT;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (!istate->cache_tree)
-		return;
-	if (verify_one(r, istate, istate->cache_tree, &path)) {
+	if (!istate->cache_tree) {
+		ret = 0;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	ret = verify_one(r, istate, istate->cache_tree, &path);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		goto out;
+	if (ret > 0) {
 		strbuf_reset(&path);
-		if (verify_one(r, istate, istate->cache_tree, &path))
+
+		ret = verify_one(r, istate, istate->cache_tree, &path);
+		if (ret < 0)
+			goto out;
+		if (ret > 0)
 			BUG("ensure_full_index() called twice while verifying cache tree");
 	}
+
+	ret = 0;
+
+out:
 	strbuf_release(&path);
+	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/cache-tree.h b/cache-tree.h
index faae88be63c2ce..b82c4963e7c805 100644
--- a/cache-tree.h
+++ b/cache-tree.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ struct cache_tree *cache_tree_read(const char *buffer, unsigned long size);
 
 int cache_tree_fully_valid(struct cache_tree *);
 int cache_tree_update(struct index_state *, int);
-void cache_tree_verify(struct repository *, struct index_state *);
+int cache_tree_verify(struct repository *, struct index_state *);
 
 /* bitmasks to write_index_as_tree flags */
 #define WRITE_TREE_MISSING_OK 1
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 3624f8c1d56371..1683c4be1a1ec5 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -3347,8 +3347,9 @@ int write_locked_index(struct index_state *istate, struct lock_file *lock,
 	int new_shared_index, ret, test_split_index_env;
 	struct split_index *si = istate->split_index;
 
-	if (git_env_bool("GIT_TEST_CHECK_CACHE_TREE", 0))
-		cache_tree_verify(the_repository, istate);
+	if (git_env_bool("GIT_TEST_CHECK_CACHE_TREE", 0) &&
+	    cache_tree_verify(the_repository, istate) < 0)
+		return -1;
 
 	if ((flags & SKIP_IF_UNCHANGED) && !istate->cache_changed) {
 		if (flags & COMMIT_LOCK)
diff --git a/unpack-trees.c b/unpack-trees.c
index c844132bd8465c..2c08aad168b847 100644
--- a/unpack-trees.c
+++ b/unpack-trees.c
@@ -2074,9 +2074,13 @@ int unpack_trees(unsigned len, struct tree_desc *t, struct unpack_trees_options
 	if (o->dst_index) {
 		move_index_extensions(&o->internal.result, o->src_index);
 		if (!ret) {
-			if (git_env_bool("GIT_TEST_CHECK_CACHE_TREE", 0))
-				cache_tree_verify(the_repository,
-						  &o->internal.result);
+			if (git_env_bool("GIT_TEST_CHECK_CACHE_TREE", 0) &&
+			    cache_tree_verify(the_repository,
+					      &o->internal.result) < 0) {
+				ret = -1;
+				goto done;
+			}
+
 			if (!o->skip_cache_tree_update &&
 			    !cache_tree_fully_valid(o->internal.result.cache_tree))
 				cache_tree_update(&o->internal.result,