diff --git a/pkg/proof/proof_test.go b/pkg/proof/proof_test.go
index 091f758598..7bef8ead27 100644
--- a/pkg/proof/proof_test.go
+++ b/pkg/proof/proof_test.go
@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@ package proof_test
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
+	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
 	tmrand "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/rand"
 
 	"github.com/celestiaorg/celestia-app/test/util/blobfactory"
@@ -256,3 +259,21 @@ func TestAllSharesInclusionProof(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.NoError(t, proof.Validate(dataRoot))
 }
+
+// Ensure that we reject negative index values and avoid overflows.
+// https://github.com/celestiaorg/celestia-app/issues/3140
+func TestQueryTxInclusionProofRejectsNegativeValues(t *testing.T) {
+	path := []string{"-2"}
+	req := abci.RequestQuery{Data: []byte{}}
+	ctx := sdk.Context{}
+	rawProof, err := proof.QueryTxInclusionProof(ctx, path, req)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected a non-nil error")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "negative") {
+		t.Fatalf("The error should reject negative values and report such, but did not\n\tGot: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(rawProof) != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("no rawProof expected")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/proof/querier.go b/pkg/proof/querier.go
index b3dee4fbf7..80b72e167f 100644
--- a/pkg/proof/querier.go
+++ b/pkg/proof/querier.go
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ func QueryTxInclusionProof(_ sdk.Context, path []string, req abci.RequestQuery)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if index < 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("path[0] element: %q produced a negative value: %d", path[0], index)
+	}
 
 	// unmarshal the block data that is passed from the ABCI client
 	pbb := new(tmproto.Block)