diff --git a/src/borg/archive.py b/src/borg/archive.py
index 00a32902eb..733b96122c 100644
--- a/src/borg/archive.py
+++ b/src/borg/archive.py
@@ -3204,6 +3204,16 @@ def check_order(info):
                 archive = ArchiveItem(internal_dict=archive)
                 if archive.version != 2:
                     raise Exception("Unknown archive metadata version")
+                if "item_ptrs" not in archive or "items" in archive:
+                    logger.error(f"Archive metadata block {archive_id_hex} is invalid: needs item_ptrs and no items")
+                    self.error_found = True
+                    if self.repair:
+                        logger.error(f"Deleting broken archive {info.name} {archive_id_hex}.")
+                        self.manifest.archives.delete_by_id(archive_id)
+                    else:
+                        logger.error(f"Would delete broken archive {info.name} {archive_id_hex}.")
+                    record_result(archive_id, found_before)
+                    continue
                 items_buffer = ChunkBuffer(self.key)
                 items_buffer.write_chunk = add_callback
                 complete = False
diff --git a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/check_cmd_test.py b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/check_cmd_test.py
index c2d6b50147..4fb0eb9db1 100644
--- a/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/check_cmd_test.py
+++ b/src/borg/testsuite/archiver/check_cmd_test.py
@@ -653,6 +653,34 @@ def test_damaged_archive_item_ptrs_chunk(archivers, request, damage):
     cmd(archiver, "check", "--archives-only", exit_code=0)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("ptrs_keys", [[], ["item_ptrs", "items"]], ids=["no-item-ptrs", "items-too"])
+def test_archive_metadata_invalid_item_ptrs(archivers, request, ptrs_keys):
+    # authenticated v2 archive metadata needs item_ptrs and no items: check treats it as broken metadata.
+    archiver = request.getfixturevalue(archivers)
+    check_cmd_setup(archiver)
+    archive, repository = open_archive(archiver.repository_path, "archive1")
+    repo_objs = archive.repo_objs
+    with repository:
+        archive_dict = archive.metadata.as_dict()
+        archive_dict["name"] = "archive_broken"
+        del archive_dict["item_ptrs"]
+        for key in ptrs_keys:
+            archive_dict[key] = []
+        data = repo_objs.key.pack_metadata(archive_dict)
+        archive_id = repo_objs.id_hash(data)
+        repository.put(archive_id, repo_objs.format(archive_id, {}, data, ro_type=ROBJ_ARCHIVE_META))
+        archive.manifest.archives.create("archive_broken", archive_id, archive.ts)
+    archive_id_hex = bin_to_hex(archive_id)
+    output = cmd(archiver, "check", "-v", "--archives-only", exit_code=1)
+    assert f"Archive metadata block {archive_id_hex} is invalid: " in output
+    assert f"Would delete broken archive archive_broken {archive_id_hex}." in output
+    assert "archive2" in output  # the check continued with the next archive
+    output = cmd(archiver, "check", "--archives-only", "--repair", exit_code=0)
+    assert f"Deleting broken archive archive_broken {archive_id_hex}." in output
+    cmd(archiver, "check", "--archives-only", exit_code=0)
+    assert "archive_broken" not in cmd(archiver, "repo-list")
+
+
 # checker_builds: per index build in ArchiveChecker, whether repository.chunks was loaded at that time.
 # A full check without --repair uses the index the repository check loaded. --repair builds once: finish()
 # re-reads only the packs the repair wrote, see test_repair_finish_reads_only_the_packs_put_wrote.