diff --git a/common/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/CometConf.scala b/common/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/CometConf.scala
index 046ccf0b1c..d58dfa62da 100644
--- a/common/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/CometConf.scala
+++ b/common/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/CometConf.scala
@@ -618,6 +618,16 @@ object CometConf extends ShimCometConf {
       .booleanConf
       .createWithDefault(false)
 
+  val COMET_ASSERT_VALID_PLAN_TRANSITIONS: ConfigEntry[Boolean] =
+    conf("spark.comet.assertValidPlanTransitions.enabled")
+      .category(CATEGORY_EXEC_EXPLAIN)
+      .doc(
+        "When enabled, Comet asserts that every columnar-to-row transition in the " +
+          "post-rule plan has a columnar child. Intended for debugging intermittent " +
+          "bad-plan shapes; off by default.")
+      .booleanConf
+      .createWithDefault(true)
+
   val COMET_LOG_FALLBACK_REASONS: ConfigEntry[Boolean] =
     conf("spark.comet.logFallbackReasons.enabled")
       .category(CATEGORY_EXEC_EXPLAIN)
diff --git a/spark/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/rules/EliminateRedundantTransitions.scala b/spark/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/rules/EliminateRedundantTransitions.scala
index 7402a83248..8ebe72785a 100644
--- a/spark/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/rules/EliminateRedundantTransitions.scala
+++ b/spark/src/main/scala/org/apache/comet/rules/EliminateRedundantTransitions.scala
@@ -54,9 +54,14 @@ import org.apache.comet.CometConf
 case class EliminateRedundantTransitions(session: SparkSession) extends Rule[SparkPlan] {
 
   private lazy val showTransformations = CometConf.COMET_EXPLAIN_TRANSFORMATIONS.get()
+  private lazy val assertValidPlanTransitions =
+    CometConf.COMET_ASSERT_VALID_PLAN_TRANSITIONS.get()
 
   override def apply(plan: SparkPlan): SparkPlan = {
     val newPlan = _apply(plan)
+    if (assertValidPlanTransitions) {
+      checkTransitionInvariant(newPlan)
+    }
     if (showTransformations && !newPlan.fastEquals(plan)) {
       logInfo(s"""
            |=== Applying Rule $ruleName ===
@@ -66,6 +71,28 @@ case class EliminateRedundantTransitions(session: SparkSession) extends Rule[Spa
     newPlan
   }
 
+  // Gated by spark.comet.assertValidPlanTransitions.enabled.
+  // Every columnar-to-row transition must have a columnar child; violations
+  // indicate a bad plan produced by an earlier rule.
+  private def checkTransitionInvariant(plan: SparkPlan): Unit = {
+    plan.foreach {
+      case c: ColumnarToRowExec if !c.child.supportsColumnar =>
+        val cls = c.child.getClass.getName
+        throw new IllegalStateException(
+          s"ColumnarToRowExec wraps non-columnar child ($cls):\n" + plan.treeString)
+      case c: CometColumnarToRowExec if !c.child.supportsColumnar =>
+        val cls = c.child.getClass.getName
+        throw new IllegalStateException(
+          s"CometColumnarToRowExec wraps non-columnar child ($cls):\n" + plan.treeString)
+      case c: CometNativeColumnarToRowExec if !c.child.supportsColumnar =>
+        val cls = c.child.getClass.getName
+        throw new IllegalStateException(
+          s"CometNativeColumnarToRowExec wraps non-columnar child ($cls):\n" +
+            plan.treeString)
+      case _ =>
+    }
+  }
+
   private def _apply(plan: SparkPlan): SparkPlan = {
     val eliminatedPlan = plan transformUp {
       case ColumnarToRowExec(shuffleExchangeExec: CometShuffleExchangeExec)