diff --git a/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/assert_dep_graph.rs b/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/assert_dep_graph.rs
index f1f69f1510bf13472b8fbb98fcb2cd51642dd723..a080b0ce3395c71af79e5e4e9c095d86b65fb298 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/assert_dep_graph.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/assert_dep_graph.rs
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ pub fn assert_dep_graph(tcx: TyCtxt<'_>) {
             dump_graph(tcx);
         }
 
+        if !tcx.sess.opts.debugging_opts.query_dep_graph {
+            return;
+        }
+
         // if the `rustc_attrs` feature is not enabled, then the
         // attributes we are interested in cannot be present anyway, so
         // skip the walk.
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/persist/dirty_clean.rs b/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/persist/dirty_clean.rs
index 0b544b8ab415e4458d4907ff2644b1bcedd6bbc0..cb089a728eee0201dc8dd4d10f22ef40697459c4 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/persist/dirty_clean.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_incremental/src/persist/dirty_clean.rs
@@ -148,6 +148,10 @@ fn from_dirty_labels(labels: Labels) -> Assertion {
 }
 
 pub fn check_dirty_clean_annotations(tcx: TyCtxt<'_>) {
+    if !tcx.sess.opts.debugging_opts.query_dep_graph {
+        return;
+    }
+
     // can't add `#[rustc_dirty]` etc without opting in to this feature
     if !tcx.features().rustc_attrs {
         return;
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_passes/src/check_attr.rs b/compiler/rustc_passes/src/check_attr.rs
index d91d0e1765bbf8486bb7618519a5fdc42b65c2d2..85add83f88bf72f734b99be2c04929b4624ad933 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_passes/src/check_attr.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_passes/src/check_attr.rs
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ fn check_attributes(
                 self.check_naked(hir_id, attr, span, target)
             } else if self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::rustc_legacy_const_generics) {
                 self.check_rustc_legacy_const_generics(&attr, span, target, item)
+            } else if self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::rustc_clean)
+                || self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::rustc_dirty)
+                || self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::rustc_if_this_changed)
+                || self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::rustc_then_this_would_need)
+            {
+                self.check_rustc_dirty_clean(&attr)
             } else {
                 // lint-only checks
                 if self.tcx.sess.check_name(attr, sym::cold) {
@@ -1012,6 +1018,20 @@ fn check_rustc_legacy_const_generics(
         }
     }
 
+    /// Checks that the dep-graph debugging attributes are only present when the query-dep-graph
+    /// option is passed to the compiler.
+    fn check_rustc_dirty_clean(&self, attr: &Attribute) -> bool {
+        if self.tcx.sess.opts.debugging_opts.query_dep_graph {
+            true
+        } else {
+            self.tcx
+                .sess
+                .struct_span_err(attr.span, "attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph to be enabled")
+                .emit();
+            false
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Checks if `#[link_section]` is applied to a function or static.
     fn check_link_section(&self, hir_id: HirId, attr: &Attribute, span: &Span, target: Target) {
         match target {
diff --git a/src/test/incremental/ich_nested_items.rs b/src/test/incremental/ich_nested_items.rs
index aabdaa664112f15e245a7759667354aec674b3ec..4f5f6169f36bf6d4d60ade5f535a12f525759aed 100644
--- a/src/test/incremental/ich_nested_items.rs
+++ b/src/test/incremental/ich_nested_items.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 // revisions: cfail1 cfail2
 // build-pass (FIXME(62277): could be check-pass?)
+// compile-flags: -Z query-dep-graph
 
 #![crate_type = "rlib"]
 #![feature(rustc_attrs)]
diff --git a/src/test/incremental/ich_resolve_results.rs b/src/test/incremental/ich_resolve_results.rs
index 19df2972f89420216d1b10dce41b31a675efeaf7..1fb0f8aa84d11245360575117a4826cf275c64c5 100644
--- a/src/test/incremental/ich_resolve_results.rs
+++ b/src/test/incremental/ich_resolve_results.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // `use` to something different.
 
 // revisions: rpass1 rpass2 rpass3
+// compile-flags: -Z query-dep-graph
 
 #![feature(rustc_attrs)]
 
diff --git a/src/test/incremental/spans_significant_w_panic.rs b/src/test/incremental/spans_significant_w_panic.rs
index 2574ef5199c867785e6cb6b5dbcacbf01d27f9b7..37728af95164f4861bea8b6d6cc5878dfd4bf6b0 100644
--- a/src/test/incremental/spans_significant_w_panic.rs
+++ b/src/test/incremental/spans_significant_w_panic.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 // revisions:rpass1 rpass2
 
-// compile-flags: -C overflow-checks=on
+// compile-flags: -C overflow-checks=on -Z query-dep-graph
 
 #![feature(rustc_attrs)]
 
diff --git a/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.rs b/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1026efc1b1dbe15e51d8af4eeb21ae9c4354bd15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Test that using rustc_clean/dirty/if_this_changed/then_this_would_need
+// are forbidden when `-Z query-dep-graph` is not enabled.
+
+#![feature(rustc_attrs)]
+#![allow(dead_code)]
+#![allow(unused_variables)]
+
+#[rustc_dirty(hir_owner)] //~ ERROR attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph
+fn main() {}
+
+#[rustc_if_this_changed(hir_owner)] //~ ERROR attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph
+struct Foo<T> {
+    f: T,
+}
+
+#[rustc_clean(hir_owner)] //~ ERROR attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph
+type TypeAlias<T> = Foo<T>;
+
+#[rustc_then_this_would_need(variances_of)] //~ ERROR attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph
+trait Use<T> {}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.stderr b/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..945a4237c1298380e88cc2f0287f58e8cb9470a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/dep-graph/dep-graph-check-attr.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+error: attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph to be enabled
+  --> $DIR/dep-graph-check-attr.rs:8:1
+   |
+LL | #[rustc_dirty(hir_owner)]
+   | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+error: attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph to be enabled
+  --> $DIR/dep-graph-check-attr.rs:11:1
+   |
+LL | #[rustc_if_this_changed(hir_owner)]
+   | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+error: attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph to be enabled
+  --> $DIR/dep-graph-check-attr.rs:16:1
+   |
+LL | #[rustc_clean(hir_owner)]
+   | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+error: attribute requires -Z query-dep-graph to be enabled
+  --> $DIR/dep-graph-check-attr.rs:19:1
+   |
+LL | #[rustc_then_this_would_need(variances_of)]
+   | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+error: aborting due to 4 previous errors
+