diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index db1a2d4e746..1e6e13c91c2 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -3221,7 +3221,7 @@ restore_command = 'copy "C:\\server\\archivedir\\%f" "%p"'  # Windows
       <varname>recovery_target_lsn</varname>, <varname>recovery_target_name</varname>,
       <varname>recovery_target_time</varname>, or <varname>recovery_target_xid</varname>
       can be used; if more than one of these is specified in the configuration
-      file, the last entry will be used.
+      file, an error will be raised.
       These parameters can only be set at server start.
      </para>
 
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
index 6497393c032..d469de73e97 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
@@ -11051,6 +11051,28 @@ assign_recovery_target_timeline(const char *newval, void *extra)
 		recoveryTargetTLIRequested = 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Recovery target settings: Only one of the several recovery_target* settings
+ * may be set.  Setting a second one results in an error.  The global variable
+ * recoveryTarget tracks which kind of recovery target was chosen.  Other
+ * variables store the actual target value (for example a string or a xid).
+ * The assign functions of the parameters check whether a competing parameter
+ * was already set.  But we want to allow setting the same parameter multiple
+ * times.  We also want to allow unsetting a parameter and setting a different
+ * one, so we unset recoveryTarget when the parameter is set to an empty
+ * string.
+ */
+
+static void
+pg_attribute_noreturn()
+error_multiple_recovery_targets(void)
+{
+	ereport(ERROR,
+			(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
+			 errmsg("multiple recovery targets specified"),
+			 errdetail("At most one of recovery_target, recovery_target_lsn, recovery_target_name, recovery_target_time, recovery_target_xid may be set.")));
+}
+
 static bool
 check_recovery_target(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 {
@@ -11065,13 +11087,13 @@ check_recovery_target(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 static void
 assign_recovery_target(const char *newval, void *extra)
 {
+	if (recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET &&
+		recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_IMMEDIATE)
+		error_multiple_recovery_targets();
+
 	if (newval && strcmp(newval, "") != 0)
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_IMMEDIATE;
 	else
-		/*
-		 * Reset recoveryTarget to RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET to proper handle user
-		 * setting multiple recovery_target with blank value on last.
-		 */
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET;
 }
 
@@ -11098,6 +11120,10 @@ check_recovery_target_xid(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 static void
 assign_recovery_target_xid(const char *newval, void *extra)
 {
+	if (recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET &&
+		recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_XID)
+		error_multiple_recovery_targets();
+
 	if (newval && strcmp(newval, "") != 0)
 	{
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_XID;
@@ -11161,6 +11187,10 @@ check_recovery_target_time(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 static void
 assign_recovery_target_time(const char *newval, void *extra)
 {
+	if (recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET &&
+		recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_TIME)
+		error_multiple_recovery_targets();
+
 	if (newval && strcmp(newval, "") != 0)
 	{
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_TIME;
@@ -11186,6 +11216,10 @@ check_recovery_target_name(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 static void
 assign_recovery_target_name(const char *newval, void *extra)
 {
+	if (recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET &&
+		recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_NAME)
+		error_multiple_recovery_targets();
+
 	if (newval && strcmp(newval, "") != 0)
 	{
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_NAME;
@@ -11240,6 +11274,10 @@ check_recovery_target_lsn(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 static void
 assign_recovery_target_lsn(const char *newval, void *extra)
 {
+	if (recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_UNSET &&
+		recoveryTarget != RECOVERY_TARGET_LSN)
+		error_multiple_recovery_targets();
+
 	if (newval && strcmp(newval, "") != 0)
 	{
 		recoveryTarget = RECOVERY_TARGET_LSN;
diff --git a/src/test/recovery/t/003_recovery_targets.pl b/src/test/recovery/t/003_recovery_targets.pl
index f6f2e8b745b..b46b318f5a3 100644
--- a/src/test/recovery/t/003_recovery_targets.pl
+++ b/src/test/recovery/t/003_recovery_targets.pl
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use strict;
 use warnings;
 use PostgresNode;
 use TestLib;
-use Test::More tests => 9;
+use Test::More tests => 8;
 
 # Create and test a standby from given backup, with a certain recovery target.
 # Choose $until_lsn later than the transaction commit that causes the row
@@ -116,30 +116,22 @@ test_recovery_standby('LSN', 'standby_5', $node_master, \@recovery_params,
 	"5000", $lsn5);
 
 # Multiple targets
-# Last entry has priority (note that an array respects the order of items
-# not hashes).
+#
+# Multiple conflicting settings are not allowed, but setting the same
+# parameter multiple times or unsetting a parameter and setting a
+# different one is allowed.
+
 @recovery_params = (
-	"recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'",
-	"recovery_target_xid  = '$recovery_txid'",
-	"recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'");
-test_recovery_standby('name + XID + time',
-	'standby_6', $node_master, \@recovery_params, "3000", $lsn3);
-@recovery_params = (
-	"recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'",
-	"recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'",
-	"recovery_target_xid  = '$recovery_txid'");
-test_recovery_standby('time + name + XID',
-	'standby_7', $node_master, \@recovery_params, "2000", $lsn2);
-@recovery_params = (
-	"recovery_target_xid  = '$recovery_txid'",
-	"recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'",
-	"recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'");
-test_recovery_standby('XID + time + name',
-	'standby_8', $node_master, \@recovery_params, "4000", $lsn4);
-@recovery_params = (
-	"recovery_target_xid  = '$recovery_txid'",
-	"recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'",
-	"recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'",
-	"recovery_target_lsn = '$recovery_lsn'",);
-test_recovery_standby('XID + time + name + LSN',
-	'standby_9', $node_master, \@recovery_params, "5000", $lsn5);
+   "recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'",
+   "recovery_target_name = ''",
+   "recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'");
+test_recovery_standby('multiple overriding settings',
+   'standby_6', $node_master, \@recovery_params, "3000", $lsn3);
+
+my $node_standby = get_new_node('standby_7');
+$node_standby->init_from_backup($node_master, 'my_backup', has_restoring => 1);
+$node_standby->append_conf('postgresql.conf', "recovery_target_name = '$recovery_name'
+recovery_target_time = '$recovery_time'");
+command_fails_like(['postgres', '-D', $node_standby->data_dir],
+				   qr/multiple recovery targets specified/,
+				   'multiple conflicting settings');