diff --git a/ddl/placement/bundle.go b/ddl/placement/bundle.go
index 9c493dccdf619..fe160c7653565 100644
--- a/ddl/placement/bundle.go
+++ b/ddl/placement/bundle.go
@@ -207,6 +207,10 @@ func newBundleFromOptions(options *model.PlacementSettings) (bundle *Bundle, err
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: options can not be nil", ErrInvalidPlacementOptions)
 	}
 
+	if options.Followers > uint64(8) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: followers should be less than or equal to 8: %d", ErrInvalidPlacementOptions, options.Followers)
+	}
+
 	// always prefer the sugar syntax, which gives better schedule results most of the time
 	isSyntaxSugar := true
 	if len(options.LeaderConstraints) > 0 || len(options.LearnerConstraints) > 0 || len(options.FollowerConstraints) > 0 || len(options.Constraints) > 0 || options.Learners > 0 {
diff --git a/ddl/placement_policy_test.go b/ddl/placement_policy_test.go
index 22c0a23c09d9f..1cdb8da5d5661 100644
--- a/ddl/placement_policy_test.go
+++ b/ddl/placement_policy_test.go
@@ -203,6 +203,27 @@ func (s *testDBSuite6) TestPlacementPolicy(c *C) {
 	// TODO: privilege check & constraint syntax check.
 }
 
+func (s *testDBSuite6) TestPlacementFollowers(c *C) {
+	tk := testkit.NewTestKit(c, s.store)
+	tk.MustExec("use test")
+	defer tk.MustExec("drop table if exists t1")
+	defer tk.MustExec("drop placement policy if exists x")
+
+	tk.MustExec("drop placement policy if exists x")
+	tk.MustGetErrMsg("create placement policy x FOLLOWERS=99", "invalid placement option: followers should be less than or equal to 8: 99")
+
+	tk.MustExec("drop placement policy if exists x")
+	tk.MustExec("create placement policy x FOLLOWERS=4")
+	tk.MustGetErrMsg("alter placement policy x FOLLOWERS=99", "invalid placement option: followers should be less than or equal to 8: 99")
+
+	tk.MustExec("drop table if exists t1")
+	tk.MustGetErrMsg("create table t1 (a int) followers=99;", "invalid placement option: followers should be less than or equal to 8: 99")
+
+	tk.MustExec("drop table if exists t1")
+	tk.MustExec("create table t1 (a int) followers=4;")
+	tk.MustGetErrMsg("alter table t1 followers=99;", "invalid placement option: followers should be less than or equal to 8: 99")
+}
+
 func testGetPolicyByIDFromMeta(c *C, store kv.Storage, policyID int64) *model.PolicyInfo {
 	var (
 		policyInfo *model.PolicyInfo