diff --git a/git-odb/src/pack/index/file.rs b/git-odb/src/pack/index/file.rs
index 7c4648687bc..4c2794eae56 100644
--- a/git-odb/src/pack/index/file.rs
+++ b/git-odb/src/pack/index/file.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::pack;
 use byteorder::{BigEndian, ByteOrder};
 use filebuffer::FileBuffer;
 use git_object::{self as object, SHA1_SIZE};
@@ -54,6 +55,14 @@ quick_error! {
         Mismatch { expected: object::Id, actual: object::Id } {
             display("index checksum mismatch: expected {}, got {}", expected, actual)
         }
+        PackChecksum (err: pack::ChecksumError) {
+            display("The pack of this index file failed to verify its checksums")
+            from()
+            cause(err)
+        }
+        PackMismatch { expected: object::Id, actual: object::Id } {
+            display("The packfiles checksum didn't match the index file checksum: expected {}, got {}", expected, actual)
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -78,17 +87,39 @@ impl File {
     pub fn checksum_of_index(&self) -> object::Id {
         object::Id::from_20_bytes(&self.data[self.data.len() - SHA1_SIZE..])
     }
+
+    /// If `pack` is provided, it is expected (and validated to be) the pack belonging to this index.
+    /// It will be used to validate internal integrity of the pack before checking each objects integrity
+    /// is indeed as advertised via its SHA1 as stored in this index, as well as the CRC hash.
     #[cfg(any(feature = "fast-sha1", feature = "minimal-sha1"))]
-    pub fn verify_checksum_of_index(&self) -> Result<object::Id, ChecksumError> {
-        let mut hasher = crate::sha1::Sha1::default();
-        hasher.update(&self.data[..self.data.len() - SHA1_SIZE]);
-        let actual = hasher.digest();
-
-        let expected = self.checksum_of_index();
-        if actual == expected {
-            Ok(actual)
-        } else {
-            Err(ChecksumError::Mismatch { actual, expected })
+    pub fn verify_checksum_of_index(
+        &self,
+        pack: Option<&pack::File>,
+    ) -> Result<object::Id, ChecksumError> {
+        let verify_self = || {
+            let mut hasher = crate::sha1::Sha1::default();
+            hasher.update(&self.data[..self.data.len() - SHA1_SIZE]);
+            let actual = hasher.digest();
+
+            let expected = self.checksum_of_index();
+            if actual == expected {
+                Ok(actual)
+            } else {
+                Err(ChecksumError::Mismatch { actual, expected })
+            }
+        };
+        match pack {
+            None => verify_self(),
+            Some(pack) => {
+                if self.checksum_of_pack() != pack.checksum() {
+                    return Err(ChecksumError::PackMismatch {
+                        actual: pack.checksum(),
+                        expected: self.checksum_of_pack(),
+                    });
+                }
+                pack.verify_checksum()?;
+                verify_self()
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/git-odb/tests/pack/index.rs b/git-odb/tests/pack/index.rs
index 66ff5178855..74704092a01 100644
--- a/git-odb/tests/pack/index.rs
+++ b/git-odb/tests/pack/index.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ fn pack_lookup() {
         assert_eq!(pack.kind(), pack::Kind::V2);
         assert_eq!(pack.num_objects(), idx.num_objects());
         assert_eq!(
-            idx.verify_checksum_of_index().unwrap(),
+            idx.verify_checksum_of_index(Some(&pack)).unwrap(),
             idx.checksum_of_index()
         );
         for idx_entry in idx.iter() {
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ fn iter() {
         assert_eq!(idx.kind(), *kind);
         assert_eq!(idx.version(), *version);
         assert_eq!(idx.num_objects(), *num_objects);
+        assert_eq!(
+            idx.verify_checksum_of_index(None).unwrap(),
+            idx.checksum_of_index()
+        );
         assert_eq!(idx.checksum_of_index(), hex_to_id(index_checksum));
         assert_eq!(idx.checksum_of_pack(), hex_to_id(pack_checksum));
         assert_eq!(idx.iter().count(), *num_objects as usize);
diff --git a/gitoxide-core/src/lib.rs b/gitoxide-core/src/lib.rs
index 56ac9be6bf8..7d02f9f02c2 100644
--- a/gitoxide-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/gitoxide-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,11 @@ pub fn init() -> Result<()> {
     git_repository::init::repository().with_context(|| "Repository initialization failed")
 }
 
-pub fn verify_pack_or_pack_index(path: impl AsRef<Path>, mut out: impl io::Write) -> Result<()> {
+pub fn verify_pack_or_pack_index(
+    path: impl AsRef<Path>,
+    mut out: impl io::Write,
+    mut err: impl io::Write,
+) -> Result<()> {
     let path = path.as_ref();
     let ext = path.extension()
         .and_then(|ext| ext.to_str())
@@ -18,7 +22,14 @@ pub fn verify_pack_or_pack_index(path: impl AsRef<Path>, mut out: impl io::Write
         "idx" => {
             let idx = git_odb::pack::index::File::at(path)
                 .with_context(|| "Could not open pack index file")?;
-            idx.verify_checksum_of_index()?;
+            let packfile_path = path.with_extension("pack");
+            let pack = git_odb::pack::File::at(&packfile_path)
+                .or_else(|e| {
+                    writeln!(err, "Could not find matching pack file at '{}' - only index file will be verified, error was: {}", packfile_path.display(), e).ok();
+                    Err(e)
+                })
+                .ok();
+            idx.verify_checksum_of_index(pack.as_ref())?;
         }
         ext => {
             return Err(anyhow!(
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 925a9ac0b55..3488d9fbacb 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 use anyhow::Result;
 use gitoxide_core as core;
-use std::io::stdout;
+use std::io::{stderr, stdout};
 use structopt::StructOpt;
 
 mod options {
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
         options::Subcommands::Init => core::init(),
         options::Subcommands::Plumbing(cmd) => match cmd {
             options::Plumbing::VerifyPack { path } => {
-                core::verify_pack_or_pack_index(path, stdout())
+                core::verify_pack_or_pack_index(path, stdout(), stderr())
             }
         },
     }?;