diff --git a/mlir/lib/Transforms/Utils/GreedyPatternRewriteDriver.cpp b/mlir/lib/Transforms/Utils/GreedyPatternRewriteDriver.cpp
index 7decbce018a878..eca13f52f53dc4 100644
--- a/mlir/lib/Transforms/Utils/GreedyPatternRewriteDriver.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/Transforms/Utils/GreedyPatternRewriteDriver.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "mlir/Config/mlir-config.h"
 #include "mlir/IR/Action.h"
 #include "mlir/IR/Matchers.h"
+#include "mlir/IR/Verifier.h"
 #include "mlir/Interfaces/SideEffectInterfaces.h"
 #include "mlir/Rewrite/PatternApplicator.h"
 #include "mlir/Transforms/FoldUtils.h"
@@ -432,6 +433,10 @@ bool GreedyPatternRewriteDriver::processWorklist() {
     if (succeeded(folder.tryToFold(op))) {
       LLVM_DEBUG(logResultWithLine("success", "operation was folded"));
       changed = true;
+#if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+      if (config.scope && failed(verify(config.scope->getParentOp())))
+        llvm::report_fatal_error("IR failed to verify after folding");
+#endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
       continue;
     }
 
@@ -464,8 +469,9 @@ bool GreedyPatternRewriteDriver::processWorklist() {
 #endif
 
 #if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
-    debugFingerPrints.computeFingerPrints(
-        /*topLevel=*/config.scope ? config.scope->getParentOp() : op);
+    if (config.scope) {
+      debugFingerPrints.computeFingerPrints(config.scope->getParentOp());
+    }
     auto clearFingerprints =
         llvm::make_scope_exit([&]() { debugFingerPrints.clear(); });
 #endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
@@ -473,17 +479,24 @@ bool GreedyPatternRewriteDriver::processWorklist() {
     LogicalResult matchResult =
         matcher.matchAndRewrite(op, *this, canApply, onFailure, onSuccess);
 
+#if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+    if (config.scope && failed(verify(config.scope->getParentOp())))
+      llvm::report_fatal_error("IR failed to verify after pattern application");
+#endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+
     if (succeeded(matchResult)) {
       LLVM_DEBUG(logResultWithLine("success", "pattern matched"));
 #if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
-      debugFingerPrints.notifyRewriteSuccess();
+      if (config.scope)
+        debugFingerPrints.notifyRewriteSuccess();
 #endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
       changed = true;
       ++numRewrites;
     } else {
       LLVM_DEBUG(logResultWithLine("failure", "pattern failed to match"));
 #if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
-      debugFingerPrints.notifyRewriteFailure();
+      if (config.scope)
+        debugFingerPrints.notifyRewriteFailure();
 #endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
     }
   }
@@ -562,6 +575,18 @@ void GreedyPatternRewriteDriver::notifyOperationRemoved(Operation *op) {
     logger.startLine() << "** Erase   : '" << op->getName() << "'(" << op
                        << ")\n";
   });
+
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+  // Only ops that are within the configured scope are added to the worklist of
+  // the greedy pattern rewriter. Moreover, the parent op of the scope region is
+  // the part of the IR that is taken into account for the "expensive checks".
+  // A greedy pattern rewrite is not allowed to erase the parent op of the scope
+  // region, as that would break the worklist handling and the expensive checks.
+  if (config.scope && config.scope->getParentOp() == op)
+    llvm_unreachable(
+        "scope region must not be erased during greedy pattern rewrite");
+#endif // NDEBUG
+
   if (config.listener)
     config.listener->notifyOperationRemoved(op);
 
@@ -721,6 +746,12 @@ mlir::applyPatternsAndFoldGreedily(Region &region,
   if (!config.scope)
     config.scope = &region;
 
+#if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+  if (failed(verify(config.scope->getParentOp())))
+    llvm::report_fatal_error(
+        "greedy pattern rewriter input IR failed to verify");
+#endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+
   // Start the pattern driver.
   RegionPatternRewriteDriver driver(region.getContext(), patterns, config,
                                     region);
@@ -846,6 +877,12 @@ LogicalResult mlir::applyOpPatternsAndFold(
 #endif // NDEBUG
   }
 
+#if MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+  if (config.scope && failed(verify(config.scope->getParentOp())))
+    llvm::report_fatal_error(
+        "greedy pattern rewriter input IR failed to verify");
+#endif // MLIR_ENABLE_EXPENSIVE_PATTERN_API_CHECKS
+
   // Start the pattern driver.
   llvm::SmallDenseSet<Operation *, 4> surviving;
   MultiOpPatternRewriteDriver driver(ops.front()->getContext(), patterns,