diff --git a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.result b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.result
index 40d33359a5c..43b4528a864 100644
--- a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.result
+++ b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.result
@@ -3327,4 +3327,17 @@ ERROR HY000: Illegal parameter data types geometry and int for operation '='
 EXECUTE stmt;
 ERROR HY000: Illegal parameter data types geometry and int for operation '='
 DROP TABLE t1, t2;
+#
+# MDEV-28871: Assert ... failed in JOIN::dbug_verify_sj_inner_tables with low optimizer_search_depth
+#
+set @tmp_28871=@@optimizer_search_depth;
+CREATE TABLE t1 (a INT);
+CREATE TABLE t2 (b INT);
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (1),(2);
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (3),(4);
+SET optimizer_search_depth= 1;
+SELECT * FROM t1 WHERE a IN (SELECT b FROM t2 JOIN t1);
+a
+DROP TABLE t1, t2;
+set optimizer_search_depth= @tmp_28871;
 set optimizer_switch=@subselect_sj_tmp;
diff --git a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.test b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.test
index 236116d0018..f9c087e87f0 100644
--- a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.test
+++ b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj.test
@@ -3016,5 +3016,22 @@ EXECUTE stmt;
  
 DROP TABLE t1, t2;
 
+--echo #
+--echo # MDEV-28871: Assert ... failed in JOIN::dbug_verify_sj_inner_tables with low optimizer_search_depth
+--echo #
+set @tmp_28871=@@optimizer_search_depth;
+CREATE TABLE t1 (a INT);
+CREATE TABLE t2 (b INT);
+ 
+# Data is optional, fails either way
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (1),(2);
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (3),(4);
+ 
+SET optimizer_search_depth= 1;
+ 
+SELECT * FROM t1 WHERE a IN (SELECT b FROM t2 JOIN t1);
+DROP TABLE t1, t2;
+set optimizer_search_depth= @tmp_28871;
+
 # The following command must be the last one the file 
 set optimizer_switch=@subselect_sj_tmp;
diff --git a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj_jcl6.result b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj_jcl6.result
index 6c7aaa4a9d4..cdc0899477a 100644
--- a/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj_jcl6.result
+++ b/mysql-test/main/subselect_sj_jcl6.result
@@ -3338,6 +3338,19 @@ ERROR HY000: Illegal parameter data types geometry and int for operation '='
 EXECUTE stmt;
 ERROR HY000: Illegal parameter data types geometry and int for operation '='
 DROP TABLE t1, t2;
+#
+# MDEV-28871: Assert ... failed in JOIN::dbug_verify_sj_inner_tables with low optimizer_search_depth
+#
+set @tmp_28871=@@optimizer_search_depth;
+CREATE TABLE t1 (a INT);
+CREATE TABLE t2 (b INT);
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (1),(2);
+INSERT INTO t1 VALUES (3),(4);
+SET optimizer_search_depth= 1;
+SELECT * FROM t1 WHERE a IN (SELECT b FROM t2 JOIN t1);
+a
+DROP TABLE t1, t2;
+set optimizer_search_depth= @tmp_28871;
 set optimizer_switch=@subselect_sj_tmp;
 #
 # BUG#49129: Wrong result with IN-subquery with join_cache_level=6 and firstmatch=off
diff --git a/sql/opt_subselect.cc b/sql/opt_subselect.cc
index 6e89fe400d3..6b085117132 100644
--- a/sql/opt_subselect.cc
+++ b/sql/opt_subselect.cc
@@ -2894,6 +2894,7 @@ void optimize_semi_joins(JOIN *join, table_map remaining_tables, uint idx,
 void update_sj_state(JOIN *join, const JOIN_TAB *new_tab,
                      uint idx, table_map remaining_tables)
 {
+  DBUG_ASSERT(!join->emb_sjm_nest);
   if (TABLE_LIST *emb_sj_nest= new_tab->emb_sj_nest)
   {
     join->cur_sj_inner_tables |= emb_sj_nest->sj_inner_tables;
diff --git a/sql/sql_select.cc b/sql/sql_select.cc
index 87144bd2d7d..cceb50dc9ab 100644
--- a/sql/sql_select.cc
+++ b/sql/sql_select.cc
@@ -8210,7 +8210,8 @@ greedy_search(JOIN      *join,
       picked semi-join operation is in best_pos->...picker, but we need to
       update the global state in the JOIN object, too.
     */
-    update_sj_state(join, best_table, idx, remaining_tables);
+    if (!join->emb_sjm_nest)
+      update_sj_state(join, best_table, idx, remaining_tables);
 
     /* find the position of 'best_table' in 'join->best_ref' */
     best_idx= idx;