diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
index 50a664a9324273..56c706252fbca8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.RootedPath;
 import com.google.devtools.common.options.OptionsBase;
 import com.google.devtools.common.options.OptionsParsingResult;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
 import java.time.Instant;
@@ -376,6 +377,50 @@ public void beforeCommand(CommandEnvironment env) throws AbruptExitException {
         repositoryCache.getRepoContentsCache().setPath(toPath(repoOptions.repoContentsCache, env));
       }
       Path repoContentsCachePath = repositoryCache.getRepoContentsCache().getPath();
+      if (repoContentsCachePath != null) {
+        // Check that the repo contents cache directory, which is managed by a garbage collecting
+        // idle task, does not contain the output base. Since the specified output base path may be
+        // a symlink, we resolve it fully. Intermediate symlinks do not have to be checked as the
+        // garbage collector ignores symlinks. We also resolve the repo contents cache directory,
+        // where intermediate symlinks also don't matter since deletion only occurs under the fully
+        // resolved path.
+        Path resolvedOutputBase = env.getOutputBase();
+        try {
+          resolvedOutputBase = resolvedOutputBase.resolveSymbolicLinks();
+        } catch (FileNotFoundException ignored) {
+          // Will be created later.
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+          throw new AbruptExitException(
+              detailedExitCode(
+                  "could not resolve output base: %s".formatted(e.getMessage()),
+                  Code.BAD_REPO_CONTENTS_CACHE),
+              e);
+        }
+        Path resolvedRepoContentsCache = repoContentsCachePath;
+        try {
+          resolvedRepoContentsCache = resolvedRepoContentsCache.resolveSymbolicLinks();
+        } catch (FileNotFoundException ignored) {
+          // Will be created later.
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+          throw new AbruptExitException(
+              detailedExitCode(
+                  "could not resolve repo contents cache path: %s".formatted(e.getMessage()),
+                  Code.BAD_REPO_CONTENTS_CACHE),
+              e);
+        }
+        if (resolvedOutputBase.startsWith(resolvedRepoContentsCache)) {
+          // This is dangerous as the repo contents cache GC may delete files in the output base.
+          throw new AbruptExitException(
+              detailedExitCode(
+                  """
+                  The output base [%s] is inside the repo contents cache [%s]. This can cause \
+                  spurious failures. Disable the repo contents cache with `--repo_contents_cache=`, \
+                  or specify `--repo_contents_cache=<path that doesn't contain the output base>`.
+                  """
+                      .formatted(resolvedOutputBase, resolvedRepoContentsCache),
+                  Code.BAD_REPO_CONTENTS_CACHE));
+        }
+      }
       if (repoContentsCachePath != null
           && env.getWorkspace() != null
           && repoContentsCachePath.startsWith(env.getWorkspace())) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/RemoteModule.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/RemoteModule.java
index a220789d8a4ae5..55b795ba6415f2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/RemoteModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/RemoteModule.java
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@
 import io.netty.handler.codec.DecoderException;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpResponseStatus;
 import io.reactivex.rxjava3.plugins.RxJavaPlugins;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
@@ -344,6 +345,38 @@ public void beforeCommand(CommandEnvironment env) throws AbruptExitException {
     boolean enableRemoteDownloader = shouldEnableRemoteDownloader(remoteOptions);
 
     if (enableDiskCache) {
+      // Check that the disk cache directory, which is managed by a garbage collecting idle task,
+      // does not contain the output base. Since the specified output base path may be a symlink,
+      // we resolve it fully. Intermediate symlinks do not have to be checked as the garbage
+      // collector ignores symlinks. We also resolve the disk cache directory, where intermediate
+      // symlinks also don't matter since deletion only occurs under the fully resolved path.
+      Path resolvedOutputBase = env.getOutputBase();
+      try {
+        resolvedOutputBase = resolvedOutputBase.resolveSymbolicLinks();
+      } catch (FileNotFoundException ignored) {
+        // Will be created later.
+      } catch (IOException e) {
+        throw createOptionsExitException(
+            "Failed to resolve output base: %s".formatted(e.getMessage()),
+            FailureDetails.RemoteOptions.Code.EXECUTION_WITH_INVALID_CACHE);
+      }
+      Path resolvedDiskCache = env.getWorkingDirectory().getRelative(remoteOptions.diskCache);
+      try {
+        resolvedDiskCache = resolvedDiskCache.resolveSymbolicLinks();
+      } catch (FileNotFoundException ignored) {
+        // Will be created later.
+      } catch (IOException e) {
+        throw createOptionsExitException(
+            "Failed to resolve disk cache directory: %s".formatted(e.getMessage()),
+            FailureDetails.RemoteOptions.Code.EXECUTION_WITH_INVALID_CACHE);
+      }
+      if (resolvedOutputBase.startsWith(resolvedDiskCache)) {
+        // This is dangerous as the disk cache GC may delete files in the output base.
+        throw createOptionsExitException(
+            "The output base [%s] cannot be a subdirectory of the --disk_cache directory [%s]"
+                .formatted(resolvedOutputBase, resolvedDiskCache),
+            FailureDetails.RemoteOptions.Code.EXECUTION_WITH_INVALID_CACHE);
+      }
       var gcIdleTask =
           DiskCacheGarbageCollectorIdleTask.create(remoteOptions, env.getWorkingDirectory());
       if (gcIdleTask != null) {
@@ -1223,5 +1256,4 @@ static Credentials createCredentials(
   Downloader getRemoteDownloader() {
     return remoteDownloader;
   }
-
 }