diff --git a/t/t5616-partial-clone.sh b/t/t5616-partial-clone.sh
index f4d49d8335..2ea66205cf 100755
--- a/t/t5616-partial-clone.sh
+++ b/t/t5616-partial-clone.sh
@@ -251,6 +251,14 @@ test_expect_success 'implicitly construct combine: filter with repeated flags' '
 	test_cmp unique_types.expected unique_types.actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'upload-pack complains of bogus filter config' '
+	printf 0000 |
+	test_must_fail git \
+		-c uploadpackfilter.tree.maxdepth \
+		upload-pack . >/dev/null 2>err &&
+	test_i18ngrep "unable to parse.*tree.maxdepth" err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'upload-pack fails banned object filters' '
 	test_config -C srv.bare uploadpackfilter.blob:none.allow false &&
 	test_must_fail ok=sigpipe git clone --no-checkout --filter=blob:none \
diff --git a/upload-pack.c b/upload-pack.c
index 3b858eb457..1dd8afbbcb 100644
--- a/upload-pack.c
+++ b/upload-pack.c
@@ -1307,7 +1307,8 @@ static int upload_pack_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb_data)
 			return git_config_string(&data->pack_objects_hook, var, value);
 	}
 
-	parse_object_filter_config(var, value, data);
+	if (parse_object_filter_config(var, value, data) < 0)
+		return -1;
 
 	return parse_hide_refs_config(var, value, "uploadpack");
 }