diff --git a/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactWrongReturnPointer-test.js b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactWrongReturnPointer-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..688fb5c926ed5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react-dom/src/__tests__/ReactWrongReturnPointer-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @emails react-core
+ */
+
+let React;
+let ReactNoop;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  React = require('react');
+  ReactNoop = require('react-noop-renderer');
+});
+
+// Don't feel too guilty if you have to delete this test.
+// @gate new
+// @gate __DEV__
+test('warns in DEV if return pointer is inconsistent', async () => {
+  const {useRef, useLayoutEffect} = React;
+
+  let ref = null;
+  function App({text}) {
+    ref = useRef(null);
+    return (
+      <>
+        <Sibling text={text} />
+        <div ref={ref}>{text}</div>
+      </>
+    );
+  }
+
+  function Sibling({text}) {
+    useLayoutEffect(() => {
+      if (text === 'B') {
+        // Mutate the return pointer of the div to point to the wrong alternate.
+        // This simulates the most common type of return pointer inconsistency.
+        const current = ref.current.fiber;
+        const workInProgress = current.alternate;
+        workInProgress.return = current.return;
+      }
+    }, [text]);
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const root = ReactNoop.createRoot();
+  await ReactNoop.act(async () => {
+    root.render(<App text="A" />);
+  });
+
+  spyOnDev(console, 'error');
+  await ReactNoop.act(async () => {
+    root.render(<App text="B" />);
+  });
+  expect(console.error.calls.count()).toBe(1);
+  expect(console.error.calls.argsFor(0)[0]).toMatch(
+    'Internal React error: Return pointer is inconsistent with parent.',
+  );
+});
diff --git a/packages/react-noop-renderer/src/createReactNoop.js b/packages/react-noop-renderer/src/createReactNoop.js
index 386d040e90757..ec2a6d714b4f9 100644
--- a/packages/react-noop-renderer/src/createReactNoop.js
+++ b/packages/react-noop-renderer/src/createReactNoop.js
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ function createReactNoop(reconciler: Function, useMutation: boolean) {
       props: Props,
       rootContainerInstance: Container,
       hostContext: HostContext,
+      internalInstanceHandle: Object,
     ): Instance {
       if (type === 'errorInCompletePhase') {
         throw new Error('Error in host config.');
@@ -300,6 +301,10 @@ function createReactNoop(reconciler: Function, useMutation: boolean) {
         value: inst.context,
         enumerable: false,
       });
+      Object.defineProperty(inst, 'fiber', {
+        value: internalInstanceHandle,
+        enumerable: false,
+      });
       return inst;
     },
 
diff --git a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.new.js b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.new.js
index 55c7c986effc7..e45db46500faf 100644
--- a/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.new.js
+++ b/packages/react-reconciler/src/ReactFiberCommitWork.new.js
@@ -463,6 +463,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitBeforeMutationEffects_begin() {
       (fiber.subtreeFlags & BeforeMutationMask) !== NoFlags &&
       child !== null
     ) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber, child);
       nextEffect = child;
     } else {
       iterativelyCommitBeforeMutationEffects_complete();
@@ -496,6 +497,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitBeforeMutationEffects_complete() {
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -713,6 +715,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitMutationEffects_begin(
 
     const child = fiber.child;
     if ((fiber.subtreeFlags & MutationMask) !== NoFlags && child !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber, child);
       nextEffect = child;
     } else {
       iterativelyCommitMutationEffects_complete(root, renderPriorityLevel);
@@ -751,6 +754,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitMutationEffects_complete(
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -1172,12 +1176,14 @@ function iterativelyCommitLayoutEffects_begin(
         }
         const sibling = finishedWork.sibling;
         if (sibling !== null) {
+          warnIfWrongReturnPointer(finishedWork.return, sibling);
           nextEffect = sibling;
         } else {
           nextEffect = finishedWork.return;
           iterativelyCommitLayoutEffects_complete(subtreeRoot, finishedRoot);
         }
       } else {
+        warnIfWrongReturnPointer(finishedWork, firstChild);
         nextEffect = firstChild;
       }
     } else {
@@ -1224,6 +1230,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitLayoutEffects_complete(
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -1757,12 +1764,14 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveMountEffects_begin(
         }
         const sibling = fiber.sibling;
         if (sibling !== null) {
+          warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
           nextEffect = sibling;
         } else {
           nextEffect = fiber.return;
           iterativelyCommitPassiveMountEffects_complete(subtreeRoot, root);
         }
       } else {
+        warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber, firstChild);
         nextEffect = firstChild;
       }
     } else {
@@ -1808,6 +1817,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveMountEffects_complete(
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -1886,6 +1896,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffects_begin() {
     }
 
     if ((fiber.subtreeFlags & PassiveMask) !== NoFlags && child !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber, child);
       nextEffect = child;
     } else {
       iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffects_complete();
@@ -1904,6 +1915,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffects_complete() {
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -1941,6 +1953,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffectsInsideOfDeletedTree_begin(
     const fiber = nextEffect;
     const child = fiber.child;
     if ((fiber.subtreeFlags & PassiveStatic) !== NoFlags && child !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber, child);
       nextEffect = child;
     } else {
       iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffectsInsideOfDeletedTree_complete(
@@ -1968,6 +1981,7 @@ function iterativelyCommitPassiveUnmountEffectsInsideOfDeletedTree_complete(
 
     const sibling = fiber.sibling;
     if (sibling !== null) {
+      warnIfWrongReturnPointer(fiber.return, sibling);
       nextEffect = sibling;
       return;
     }
@@ -3178,3 +3192,16 @@ function invokeEffectsInDev(
     }
   }
 }
+
+let didWarnWrongReturnPointer = false;
+function warnIfWrongReturnPointer(returnFiber, child) {
+  if (__DEV__) {
+    if (!didWarnWrongReturnPointer && child.return !== returnFiber) {
+      didWarnWrongReturnPointer = true;
+      console.error(
+        'Internal React error: Return pointer is inconsistent ' +
+          'with parent.',
+      );
+    }
+  }
+}