diff --git a/libs/gst/base/gstadapter.c b/libs/gst/base/gstadapter.c
index d76290c6ef..07a5bb182b 100644
--- a/libs/gst/base/gstadapter.c
+++ b/libs/gst/base/gstadapter.c
@@ -880,6 +880,7 @@ gst_adapter_masked_scan_uint32_peek (GstAdapter * adapter, guint32 mask,
 
   g_return_val_if_fail (size > 0, -1);
   g_return_val_if_fail (offset + size <= adapter->size, -1);
+  g_return_val_if_fail (((~mask) & pattern) == 0, -1);
 
   /* we can't find the pattern with less than 4 bytes */
   if (G_UNLIKELY (size < 4))