diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/BUILD.bazel b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/BUILD.bazel
index ca7cd11a97f7e..ecc31bc3c7354 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/BUILD.bazel
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ go_library(
         "@com_github_tikv_pd_client//:client",
         "@io_etcd_go_etcd_client_v3//:client",
         "@org_golang_google_grpc//:grpc",
+        "@org_golang_google_grpc//codes",
+        "@org_golang_google_grpc//status",
         "@org_golang_x_exp//maps",
         "@org_golang_x_exp//slices",
         "@org_golang_x_sync//errgroup",
diff --git a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/table_import.go b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/table_import.go
index a44b1da35e5b0..0c0b21dfb28d8 100644
--- a/br/pkg/lightning/importer/table_import.go
+++ b/br/pkg/lightning/importer/table_import.go
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/multierr"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 	"golang.org/x/exp/slices"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 )
 
 // TableImporter is a helper struct to import a table.
@@ -1034,15 +1036,26 @@ func (tr *TableImporter) postProcess(
 
 			var remoteChecksum *local.RemoteChecksum
 			remoteChecksum, err = DoChecksum(ctx, tr.tableInfo)
+			failpoint.Inject("checksum-error", func() {
+				tr.logger.Info("failpoint checksum-error injected.")
+				remoteChecksum = nil
+				err = status.Error(codes.Unknown, "Checksum meets error.")
+			})
 			if err != nil {
-				return false, err
+				if rc.cfg.PostRestore.Checksum != config.OpLevelOptional {
+					return false, err
+				}
+				tr.logger.Warn("do checksum failed, will skip this error and go on", log.ShortError(err))
+				err = nil
 			}
-			err = tr.compareChecksum(remoteChecksum, localChecksum)
-			// with post restore level 'optional', we will skip checksum error
-			if rc.cfg.PostRestore.Checksum == config.OpLevelOptional {
-				if err != nil {
-					tr.logger.Warn("compare checksum failed, will skip this error and go on", log.ShortError(err))
-					err = nil
+			if remoteChecksum != nil {
+				err = tr.compareChecksum(remoteChecksum, localChecksum)
+				// with post restore level 'optional', we will skip checksum error
+				if rc.cfg.PostRestore.Checksum == config.OpLevelOptional {
+					if err != nil {
+						tr.logger.Warn("compare checksum failed, will skip this error and go on", log.ShortError(err))
+						err = nil
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		} else {
diff --git a/br/tests/lightning_routes/config.toml b/br/tests/lightning_routes/config.toml
index bb54609dd03b1..74913091c5916 100644
--- a/br/tests/lightning_routes/config.toml
+++ b/br/tests/lightning_routes/config.toml
@@ -8,3 +8,6 @@ schema-pattern = "routes_a*"
 table-pattern = "t*"
 target-schema = "routes_b"
 target-table = "u"
+
+[post-restore]
+checksum = "optional"
diff --git a/br/tests/lightning_routes/run.sh b/br/tests/lightning_routes/run.sh
index 1db0ce2035021..5ae757eb0bd43 100755
--- a/br/tests/lightning_routes/run.sh
+++ b/br/tests/lightning_routes/run.sh
@@ -4,12 +4,17 @@
 
 set -eux
 
+echo "testing checksum-error..."
+export GO_FAILPOINTS="github.com/pingcap/tidb/br/pkg/lightning/importer/checksum-error=1*return()"
+
 run_sql 'DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS routes_a0;'
 run_sql 'DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS routes_a1;'
 run_sql 'DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS routes_b;'
 
 run_lightning
 
+echo "test checksum-error success!"
+
 run_sql 'SELECT count(1), sum(x) FROM routes_b.u;'
 check_contains 'count(1): 4'
 check_contains 'sum(x): 259'
diff --git a/disttask/importinto/subtask_executor.go b/disttask/importinto/subtask_executor.go
index be6de9a75d0c0..ebf3c37ab26ac 100644
--- a/disttask/importinto/subtask_executor.go
+++ b/disttask/importinto/subtask_executor.go
@@ -120,21 +120,26 @@ func verifyChecksum(ctx context.Context, taskMeta *TaskMeta, subtaskMeta *PostPr
 	}
 	remoteChecksum, err := checksumTable(ctx, globalTaskManager, taskMeta, logger)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		if taskMeta.Plan.Checksum != config.OpLevelOptional {
+			return err
+		}
+		logger.Warn("checksumTable failed, will skip this error and go on", zap.Error(err))
 	}
-	if !remoteChecksum.IsEqual(&localChecksum) {
-		err2 := common.ErrChecksumMismatch.GenWithStackByArgs(
-			remoteChecksum.Checksum, localChecksum.Sum(),
-			remoteChecksum.TotalKVs, localChecksum.SumKVS(),
-			remoteChecksum.TotalBytes, localChecksum.SumSize(),
-		)
-		if taskMeta.Plan.Checksum == config.OpLevelOptional {
-			logger.Warn("verify checksum failed, but checksum is optional, will skip it", zap.Error(err2))
-			err2 = nil
+	if remoteChecksum != nil {
+		if !remoteChecksum.IsEqual(&localChecksum) {
+			err2 := common.ErrChecksumMismatch.GenWithStackByArgs(
+				remoteChecksum.Checksum, localChecksum.Sum(),
+				remoteChecksum.TotalKVs, localChecksum.SumKVS(),
+				remoteChecksum.TotalBytes, localChecksum.SumSize(),
+			)
+			if taskMeta.Plan.Checksum == config.OpLevelOptional {
+				logger.Warn("verify checksum failed, but checksum is optional, will skip it", zap.Error(err2))
+				err2 = nil
+			}
+			return err2
 		}
-		return err2
+		logger.Info("checksum pass", zap.Object("local", &localChecksum))
 	}
-	logger.Info("checksum pass", zap.Object("local", &localChecksum))
 	return nil
 }