diff --git a/contrib/test_decoding/Makefile b/contrib/test_decoding/Makefile
index 4afb1d963e..f439c582a5 100644
--- a/contrib/test_decoding/Makefile
+++ b/contrib/test_decoding/Makefile
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ REGRESS = ddl xact rewrite toast permissions decoding_in_xact \
 	decoding_into_rel binary prepared replorigin time messages \
 	spill slot truncate
 ISOLATION = mxact delayed_startup ondisk_startup concurrent_ddl_dml \
-	oldest_xmin snapshot_transfer
+	oldest_xmin snapshot_transfer subxact_without_top
 
 REGRESS_OPTS = --temp-config $(top_srcdir)/contrib/test_decoding/logical.conf
 ISOLATION_OPTS = --temp-config $(top_srcdir)/contrib/test_decoding/logical.conf
diff --git a/contrib/test_decoding/expected/subxact_without_top.out b/contrib/test_decoding/expected/subxact_without_top.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..99ce998822
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/test_decoding/expected/subxact_without_top.out
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+Parsed test spec with 3 sessions
+
+starting permutation: s0_begin s0_first_subxact s2_checkpoint s1_begin s1_dml s0_many_subxacts s0_commit s2_checkpoint s2_get_changes_suppress_output s2_get_changes_suppress_output s1_commit s2_get_changes
+step s0_begin: BEGIN;
+step s0_first_subxact: 
+    DO LANGUAGE plpgsql $$
+      BEGIN
+        BEGIN
+          INSERT INTO harvest VALUES (41);
+	EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN RAISE;
+	END;
+      END $$;
+
+step s2_checkpoint: CHECKPOINT;
+step s1_begin: BEGIN;
+step s1_dml: INSERT INTO harvest VALUES (43);
+step s0_many_subxacts: select subxacts();
+subxacts       
+
+               
+step s0_commit: COMMIT;
+step s2_checkpoint: CHECKPOINT;
+step s2_get_changes_suppress_output: SELECT null n FROM pg_logical_slot_get_changes('isolation_slot', NULL, NULL, 'include-xids', '0', 'skip-empty-xacts', '1') GROUP BY n;
+n              
+
+               
+step s2_get_changes_suppress_output: SELECT null n FROM pg_logical_slot_get_changes('isolation_slot', NULL, NULL, 'include-xids', '0', 'skip-empty-xacts', '1') GROUP BY n;
+n              
+
+step s1_commit: COMMIT;
+step s2_get_changes: SELECT data FROM pg_logical_slot_get_changes('isolation_slot', NULL, NULL, 'include-xids', '0', 'skip-empty-xacts', '1');
+data           
+
+BEGIN          
+table public.harvest: INSERT: apples[integer]:43
+COMMIT         
+?column?       
+
+stop           
diff --git a/contrib/test_decoding/specs/subxact_without_top.spec b/contrib/test_decoding/specs/subxact_without_top.spec
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e9984da62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/test_decoding/specs/subxact_without_top.spec
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+# Forces decoding session to see (and associate with toplevel before commit)
+# subxact with previous top records (first xl_xact_assignment) beyond
+# restart_lsn. Such partially seen xact won't be streamed as it must finish
+# before confirmed_flush_lsn, but nevertheless this harmless schedule used to
+# cause
+#   ERROR: subtransaction logged without previous top-level txn record
+# failures.
+
+setup
+{
+    SELECT 'init' FROM pg_create_logical_replication_slot('isolation_slot', 'test_decoding'); -- must be first write in xact
+    CREATE TABLE harvest(apples integer);
+    CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION subxacts() returns void as $$
+    BEGIN
+      FOR i in 1 .. 128 LOOP
+        BEGIN
+          INSERT INTO harvest VALUES (42);
+        EXCEPTION
+        WHEN OTHERS THEN
+	  RAISE;
+        END;
+    END LOOP;
+    END; $$LANGUAGE 'plpgsql';
+}
+
+teardown
+{
+    DROP TABLE IF EXISTS harvest;
+    SELECT 'stop' FROM pg_drop_replication_slot('isolation_slot');
+}
+
+session "s0"
+setup { SET synchronous_commit=on; }
+step "s0_begin" { BEGIN; }
+step "s0_first_subxact" {
+    DO LANGUAGE plpgsql $$
+      BEGIN
+        BEGIN
+          INSERT INTO harvest VALUES (41);
+	EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN RAISE;
+	END;
+      END $$;
+}
+step "s0_many_subxacts" { select subxacts(); }
+step "s0_commit" { COMMIT; }
+
+session "s1"
+setup { SET synchronous_commit=on; }
+step "s1_begin" { BEGIN; }
+step "s1_dml" { INSERT INTO harvest VALUES (43); }
+step "s1_commit" { COMMIT; }
+
+session "s2"
+setup { SET synchronous_commit=on; }
+step "s2_checkpoint" { CHECKPOINT; }
+step "s2_get_changes" { SELECT data FROM pg_logical_slot_get_changes('isolation_slot', NULL, NULL, 'include-xids', '0', 'skip-empty-xacts', '1'); }
+step "s2_get_changes_suppress_output" { SELECT null n FROM pg_logical_slot_get_changes('isolation_slot', NULL, NULL, 'include-xids', '0', 'skip-empty-xacts', '1') GROUP BY n; }
+
+# First s2_checkpoint serializes snapshot (creates potential restart_lsn point)
+# *after* initial subxact, i.e. first xl_xact_assignment is beyond it.
+# s0_many_subxacts forces second xl_xact_assignment (issues >
+# PGPROC_MAX_CACHED_SUBXIDS) to associate subxact with toplevel before commit.
+# Second s2_checkpoint ensures s2_get_changes directly following it will
+# advance the slot, establishing that restart_lsn.
+# We do get_changes twice because if one more xl_running_xacts record had slipped
+# before our CHECKPOINT, confirmed_flush will be advanced only to that record.
+permutation "s0_begin" "s0_first_subxact" "s2_checkpoint" "s1_begin" "s1_dml" "s0_many_subxacts" "s0_commit" "s2_checkpoint" "s2_get_changes_suppress_output" "s2_get_changes_suppress_output" "s1_commit" "s2_get_changes"
diff --git a/src/backend/replication/logical/reorderbuffer.c b/src/backend/replication/logical/reorderbuffer.c
index aeebbf243a..481277a1fd 100644
--- a/src/backend/replication/logical/reorderbuffer.c
+++ b/src/backend/replication/logical/reorderbuffer.c
@@ -838,9 +838,6 @@ ReorderBufferAssignChild(ReorderBuffer *rb, TransactionId xid,
 	txn = ReorderBufferTXNByXid(rb, xid, true, &new_top, lsn, true);
 	subtxn = ReorderBufferTXNByXid(rb, subxid, true, &new_sub, lsn, false);
 
-	if (new_top && !new_sub)
-		elog(ERROR, "subtransaction logged without previous top-level txn record");
-
 	if (!new_sub)
 	{
 		if (rbtxn_is_known_subxact(subtxn))
-- 
2.11.0