diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster.go b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
index 471132fc7c5..17d441e8f43 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
@@ -7753,8 +7753,15 @@ func (s *Server) jsClusteredConsumerRequest(ci *ClientInfo, acc *Account, subjec
 
 		if rBefore < rAfter {
 			newPeerSet := nca.Group.Peers
-			// scale up by adding new members from the stream peer set that are not yet in the consumer peer set
+			// Scale up by adding new members from the stream peer set that are not yet in the consumer peer set.
 			streamPeerSet := copyStrings(sa.Group.Peers)
+
+			// Respond with error when there is a config mismatch between the intended config and expected peer size.
+			if len(streamPeerSet) < rAfter {
+				resp.Error = NewJSConsumerReplicasExceedsStreamError()
+				s.sendAPIErrResponse(ci, acc, subject, reply, string(rmsg), s.jsonResponse(&resp))
+				return
+			}
 			rand.Shuffle(rAfter, func(i, j int) { streamPeerSet[i], streamPeerSet[j] = streamPeerSet[j], streamPeerSet[i] })
 			for _, p := range streamPeerSet {
 				found := false
diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go b/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
index c35bb4bdd7d..8179647986a 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
@@ -6643,3 +6643,72 @@ func TestJetStreamClusterSDMMaxAgeProposeExpiryShortRetry(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestJetStreamClusterInvalidR1Config(t *testing.T) {
+	c := createJetStreamClusterExplicit(t, "R1TEST", 3)
+	defer c.shutdown()
+
+	nc, js := jsClientConnect(t, c.servers[0])
+	defer nc.Close()
+
+	nc2, js2 := jsClientConnect(t, c.servers[2])
+	defer nc2.Close()
+
+	createStreams := func(t *testing.T, js nats.JetStreamContext, n, replicas int) {
+		for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+			sname := fmt.Sprintf("S:%d", i)
+			js.AddStream(&nats.StreamConfig{
+				Name:              sname,
+				MaxMsgsPerSubject: 5,
+				Replicas:          replicas,
+				Subjects:          []string{fmt.Sprintf("A.%d.>", i)},
+			})
+			time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+			js.AddConsumer(sname, &nats.ConsumerConfig{
+				Name:          sname,
+				Durable:       sname,
+				FilterSubject: ">",
+			})
+			js.Publish(fmt.Sprintf("A.%d.foo", i), []byte("one"))
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Create 5 streams in parallel with different configs, then
+	// check whether one of them is in an undefined state.
+	totalStreams := 5
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		createStreams(t, js, totalStreams, 1)
+	}()
+
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		createStreams(t, js2, totalStreams, 2)
+	}()
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	for i := 0; i < totalStreams; i++ {
+		ci, err := js.StreamInfo(fmt.Sprintf("S:%d", i))
+		require_NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Make sure that consumer scale up when peers are missing responds with error.
+		if ci.Config.Replicas == 2 {
+			// Starting with a single replica should still be valid.
+			js.AddConsumer(ci.Config.Name, &nats.ConsumerConfig{
+				Name:     "test",
+				Replicas: 1,
+			})
+			_, err = js.UpdateConsumer(ci.Config.Name, &nats.ConsumerConfig{
+				Name:     "test",
+				Replicas: 2,
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				require_Equal(t, err.Error(), "nats: consumer config replica count exceeds parent stream")
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}