diff --git a/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/Abstractions/IBranchConfigurationCalculator.cs b/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/Abstractions/IBranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
index ed49a4e085..92aeb7b74c 100644
--- a/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/Abstractions/IBranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/Abstractions/IBranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@ public interface IBranchConfigurationCalculator
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets the <see cref="BranchConfig"/> for the current commit.
     /// </summary>
-    BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches = null);
+        BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(int recursiveProtection, IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches = null);
 }
diff --git a/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/BranchConfigurationCalculator.cs b/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/BranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
index e83654615c..63191e0902 100644
--- a/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/BranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersion.Core/Configuration/BranchConfigurationCalculator.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 using GitVersion.Extensions;
 using GitVersion.Logging;
 using GitVersion.Model.Configuration;
+using GitVersion.Model.Exceptions;
 
 namespace GitVersion.Configuration;
 
@@ -13,6 +14,8 @@ public class BranchConfigurationCalculator : IBranchConfigurationCalculator
     private readonly ILog log;
     private readonly IRepositoryStore repositoryStore;
 
+        private readonly int _infiniteLoopProtectionLevel = 50;
+
     public BranchConfigurationCalculator(ILog log, IRepositoryStore repositoryStore)
     {
         this.log = log.NotNull();
@@ -22,8 +25,14 @@ public BranchConfigurationCalculator(ILog log, IRepositoryStore repositoryStore)
     /// <summary>
     /// Gets the <see cref="BranchConfig"/> for the current commit.
     /// </summary>
-    public BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches = null)
+        public BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(int recursiveLevel, IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches = null)
     {
+
+            if (recursiveLevel >= _infiniteLoopProtectionLevel)
+            {
+                throw new InfiniteLoopProtectionException("Inherited branch configuration caused an infinite loop...breaking.");
+            }
+
         var matchingBranches = configuration.GetConfigForBranch(targetBranch.Name.WithoutRemote);
 
         if (matchingBranches == null)
@@ -41,7 +50,7 @@ public BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? curren
 
         if (matchingBranches.Increment == IncrementStrategy.Inherit)
         {
-            matchingBranches = InheritBranchConfiguration(targetBranch, matchingBranches, currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches);
+                matchingBranches = InheritBranchConfiguration(recursiveLevel, targetBranch, matchingBranches, currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches);
             if (matchingBranches.Name!.IsEquivalentTo(FallbackConfigName) && matchingBranches.Increment == IncrementStrategy.Inherit)
             {
                 // We tried, and failed to inherit, just fall back to patch
@@ -53,10 +62,12 @@ public BranchConfig GetBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, ICommit? curren
     }
 
     // TODO I think we need to take a fresh approach to this.. it's getting really complex with heaps of edge cases
-    private BranchConfig InheritBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, BranchConfig branchConfiguration, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches)
+        private BranchConfig InheritBranchConfiguration(int recursiveLevel, IBranch targetBranch, BranchConfig branchConfiguration, ICommit? currentCommit, Config configuration, IList<IBranch>? excludedInheritBranches)
     {
         using (this.log.IndentLog("Attempting to inherit branch configuration from parent branch"))
         {
+                recursiveLevel += 1;
+
             var excludedBranches = new[] { targetBranch };
             // Check if we are a merge commit. If so likely we are a pull request
             var parentCount = currentCommit?.Parents.Count();
@@ -106,7 +117,7 @@ private BranchConfig InheritBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, BranchConf
 
             if (possibleParents.Count == 1)
             {
-                var branchConfig = GetBranchConfiguration(possibleParents[0], currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches);
+                    var branchConfig = GetBranchConfiguration(recursiveLevel, possibleParents[0], currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches);
                 // If we have resolved a fallback config we should not return that we have got config
                 if (branchConfig.Name != FallbackConfigName)
                 {
@@ -154,7 +165,7 @@ private BranchConfig InheritBranchConfiguration(IBranch targetBranch, BranchConf
                 };
             }
 
-            var inheritingBranchConfig = GetBranchConfiguration(chosenBranch, currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches)!;
+                var inheritingBranchConfig = GetBranchConfiguration(recursiveLevel, chosenBranch, currentCommit, configuration, excludedInheritBranches)!;
             var configIncrement = inheritingBranchConfig.Increment;
             if (inheritingBranchConfig.Name!.IsEquivalentTo(FallbackConfigName) && configIncrement == IncrementStrategy.Inherit)
             {
diff --git a/src/GitVersion.Core/Core/GitVersionContextFactory.cs b/src/GitVersion.Core/Core/GitVersionContextFactory.cs
index c249ce2c38..2ca5f61e7a 100644
--- a/src/GitVersion.Core/Core/GitVersionContextFactory.cs
+++ b/src/GitVersion.Core/Core/GitVersionContextFactory.cs
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ public GitVersionContext Create(GitVersionOptions? gitVersionOptions)
             currentBranch = branchForCommit ?? currentBranch;
         }
 
-        var currentBranchConfig = this.branchConfigurationCalculator.GetBranchConfiguration(currentBranch, currentCommit, configuration);
+            var currentBranchConfig = this.branchConfigurationCalculator.GetBranchConfiguration(0, currentBranch, currentCommit, configuration);
         var effectiveConfiguration = configuration.CalculateEffectiveConfiguration(currentBranchConfig);
         var currentCommitTaggedVersion = this.repositoryStore.GetCurrentCommitTaggedVersion(currentCommit, effectiveConfiguration);
         var numberOfUncommittedChanges = this.repositoryStore.GetNumberOfUncommittedChanges();
diff --git a/src/GitVersion.Core/Model/Exceptions/InfiniteLoopProtectionException.cs b/src/GitVersion.Core/Model/Exceptions/InfiniteLoopProtectionException.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e7cb11d303
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/GitVersion.Core/Model/Exceptions/InfiniteLoopProtectionException.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace GitVersion.Model.Exceptions
+{
+    public class InfiniteLoopProtectionException : Exception
+    {
+        public InfiniteLoopProtectionException(string messageFormat)
+            : base(messageFormat)
+        {
+        }
+    }
+}