diff --git a/qobject/json-parser.c b/qobject/json-parser.c
index d083810d37..c0f521b56b 100644
--- a/qobject/json-parser.c
+++ b/qobject/json-parser.c
@@ -257,8 +257,9 @@ static JSONToken *parser_context_peek_token(JSONParserContext *ctxt)
  */
 static int parse_pair(JSONParserContext *ctxt, QDict *dict)
 {
+    QObject *key_obj = NULL;
+    QString *key;
     QObject *value;
-    QString *key = NULL;
     JSONToken *peek, *token;
 
     peek = parser_context_peek_token(ctxt);
@@ -267,7 +268,8 @@ static int parse_pair(JSONParserContext *ctxt, QDict *dict)
         goto out;
     }
 
-    key = qobject_to(QString, parse_value(ctxt));
+    key_obj = parse_value(ctxt);
+    key = qobject_to(QString, key_obj);
     if (!key) {
         parse_error(ctxt, peek, "key is not a string in object");
         goto out;
@@ -297,13 +299,11 @@ static int parse_pair(JSONParserContext *ctxt, QDict *dict)
 
     qdict_put_obj(dict, qstring_get_str(key), value);
 
-    qobject_unref(key);
-
+    qobject_unref(key_obj);
     return 0;
 
 out:
-    qobject_unref(key);
-
+    qobject_unref(key_obj);
     return -1;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/check-qjson.c b/tests/check-qjson.c
index 07a773e653..9a02079099 100644
--- a/tests/check-qjson.c
+++ b/tests/check-qjson.c
@@ -1415,6 +1415,14 @@ static void invalid_dict_comma(void)
     g_assert(obj == NULL);
 }
 
+static void invalid_dict_key(void)
+{
+    Error *err = NULL;
+    QObject *obj = qobject_from_json("{32:'abc'}", &err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
+    g_assert(obj == NULL);
+}
+
 static void unterminated_literal(void)
 {
     Error *err = NULL;
@@ -1500,6 +1508,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     g_test_add_func("/errors/unterminated/dict_comma", unterminated_dict_comma);
     g_test_add_func("/errors/invalid_array_comma", invalid_array_comma);
     g_test_add_func("/errors/invalid_dict_comma", invalid_dict_comma);
+    g_test_add_func("/errors/invalid_dict_key", invalid_dict_key);
     g_test_add_func("/errors/unterminated/literal", unterminated_literal);
     g_test_add_func("/errors/limits/nesting", limits_nesting);
     g_test_add_func("/errors/multiple_values", multiple_values);