diff --git a/src/execution/incremental/WorkQueue.ts b/src/execution/incremental/WorkQueue.ts
index ade8b3dc6f..b23a642520 100644
--- a/src/execution/incremental/WorkQueue.ts
+++ b/src/execution/incremental/WorkQueue.ts
@@ -584,7 +584,12 @@ export function createWorkQueue<
     for (const group of task.groups) {
       const groupNode = groupNodes.get(group);
       if (groupNode) {
-        groupFailureEvents.push(finishGroupFailure(group, groupNode, error));
+        // A shared task can fail in a child group before it is released.
+        const isReleased = rootGroups.has(group);
+        const failureEvent = finishGroupFailure(group, groupNode, error);
+        if (isReleased) {
+          groupFailureEvents.push(failureEvent);
+        }
       }
     }
     return groupFailureEvents;
diff --git a/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/WorkQueue-test.ts b/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/WorkQueue-test.ts
index d70e40b2ff..781c1b2500 100644
--- a/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/WorkQueue-test.ts
+++ b/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/WorkQueue-test.ts
@@ -262,6 +262,41 @@ describe('WorkQueue', () => {
     expect(childRanSpy.callCount).to.equal(1);
   });
 
+  it('does not emit failure for an unannounced group sharing a failed task', async () => {
+    const failingRoot: TestGroup = { parent: undefined };
+    const otherRoot: TestGroup = { parent: undefined };
+    const child: TestGroup = { parent: otherRoot };
+    const error = new Error('shared failure');
+    const sharedTask = makeTask([failingRoot, child], () => {
+      throw error;
+    });
+    const otherTask = makeTask([otherRoot], async () => {
+      await resolveOnNextTick();
+      return { value: 'other' };
+    });
+
+    const workQueue = await collectWorkRun({
+      groups: [failingRoot, otherRoot, child],
+      tasks: [sharedTask, otherTask],
+    });
+
+    expect(workQueue).to.deep.equal({
+      initialGroups: [failingRoot, otherRoot],
+      initialStreams: [],
+      events: [
+        { kind: 'GROUP_FAILURE', group: failingRoot, error },
+        { kind: 'GROUP_VALUES', group: otherRoot, values: ['other'] },
+        {
+          kind: 'GROUP_SUCCESS',
+          group: otherRoot,
+          newGroups: [],
+          newStreams: [],
+        },
+        { kind: 'WORK_QUEUE_TERMINATION' },
+      ],
+    });
+  });
+
   it('integrates work object returned by task', async () => {
     const root: TestGroup = { parent: undefined };
     const child: TestGroup = { parent: root };
diff --git a/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/defer-test.ts b/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/defer-test.ts
index 4b9676398c..a9a3b6c6fa 100644
--- a/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/defer-test.ts
+++ b/src/execution/incremental/__tests__/defer-test.ts
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ const query = new GraphQLObjectType({
     },
     a: { type: a },
     g: { type: g },
+    slow: { type: GraphQLString },
+    bad: { type: new GraphQLNonNull(GraphQLString) },
   },
   name: 'Query',
 });
@@ -1889,6 +1891,50 @@ describe('Execute: defer directive', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('Does not complete an unannounced nested group when a shared task fails', async () => {
+    const document = parse(`
+      {
+        ... @defer(label: "R") { bad }
+        ... @defer(label: "P") {
+          slow
+          ... @defer(label: "C") { bad }
+        }
+      }
+    `);
+    const result = await complete(document, { slow: 'ok', bad: null });
+
+    expectJSON(result).toDeepEqual([
+      {
+        data: {},
+        pending: [
+          { id: '0', path: [], label: 'R' },
+          { id: '1', path: [], label: 'P' },
+        ],
+        hasNext: true,
+      },
+      {
+        incremental: [{ id: '1', data: { slow: 'ok' } }],
+        completed: [
+          {
+            id: '0',
+            errors: [
+              {
+                message: 'Cannot return null for non-nullable field Query.bad.',
+                locations: [
+                  { line: 3, column: 34 },
+                  { line: 6, column: 36 },
+                ],
+                path: ['bad'],
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+          { id: '1' },
+        ],
+        hasNext: false,
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it('Handles cancelling child deferred fragments if parent fragment fails', async () => {
     const document = parse(`
       query {