diff --git a/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperator.java b/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperator.java
index 02db28fa8a338..d155f5dd509f3 100644
--- a/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperator.java
+++ b/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperator.java
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ private void commitAndEmitCheckpoints() throws IOException, InterruptedException
     private void commitAndEmit(CheckpointCommittableManager<CommT> committableManager)
             throws IOException, InterruptedException {
         Collection<CommittableWithLineage<CommT>> committed = committableManager.commit(committer);
-        if (emitDownstream && !committed.isEmpty()) {
+        if (emitDownstream && committableManager.isFinished()) {
             int subtaskId = getRuntimeContext().getTaskInfo().getIndexOfThisSubtask();
             int numberOfSubtasks = getRuntimeContext().getTaskInfo().getNumberOfParallelSubtasks();
             output.collect(
@@ -201,13 +201,6 @@ private void retryWithDelay() {
     @Override
     public void processElement(StreamRecord<CommittableMessage<CommT>> element) throws Exception {
         committableCollector.addMessage(element.getValue());
-
-        // in case of unaligned checkpoint, we may receive notifyCheckpointComplete before the
-        // committables
-        long checkpointId = element.getValue().getCheckpointIdOrEOI();
-        if (checkpointId <= lastCompletedCheckpointId) {
-            commitAndEmitCheckpoints();
-        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImpl.java b/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImpl.java
index 99d321d4cd197..bb6cceead47a6 100644
--- a/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImpl.java
+++ b/flink-streaming-java/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImpl.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import org.apache.flink.streaming.api.connector.sink2.CommittableMessage;
 import org.apache.flink.streaming.api.connector.sink2.CommittableSummary;
 import org.apache.flink.streaming.api.connector.sink2.CommittableWithLineage;
+import org.apache.flink.util.Preconditions;
 
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
@@ -168,13 +169,37 @@ public Collection<CommittableWithLineage<CommT>> commit(Committer<CommT> committ
         return committed;
     }
 
-    Collection<CommitRequestImpl<CommT>> getPendingRequests(boolean onlyIfFullyReceived) {
+    Collection<CommitRequestImpl<CommT>> getPendingRequests(boolean assertFull) {
         return subtasksCommittableManagers.values().stream()
-                .filter(subtask -> !onlyIfFullyReceived || subtask.hasReceivedAll())
+                .peek(subtask -> assertReceivedAll(assertFull, subtask))
                 .flatMap(SubtaskCommittableManager::getPendingRequests)
                 .collect(Collectors.toList());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * For committers: Sinks don't use unaligned checkpoints, so we receive all committables of a
+     * given upstream task before the respective barrier. Thus, when the barrier reaches the
+     * committer, all committables of a specific checkpoint must have been received. Committing
+     * happens even later on notifyCheckpointComplete.
+     *
+     * <p>Global committers need to ensure that all committables of all subtasks have been received
+     * with {@link #hasGloballyReceivedAll()} before trying to commit. Naturally, this method then
+     * becomes a no-op.
+     *
+     * <p>Note that by transitivity, the assertion also holds for committables of subsumed
+     * checkpoints.
+     *
+     * <p>This assertion will fail in case of bugs in the writer or in the pre-commit topology if
+     * present.
+     */
+    private void assertReceivedAll(boolean assertFull, SubtaskCommittableManager<CommT> subtask) {
+        Preconditions.checkArgument(
+                !assertFull || subtask.hasReceivedAll(),
+                "Trying to commit incomplete batch of committables subtask=%s, manager=%s",
+                subtask.getSubtaskId(),
+                this);
+    }
+
     Collection<CommittableWithLineage<CommT>> drainFinished() {
         return subtasksCommittableManagers.values().stream()
                 .flatMap(subtask -> subtask.drainCommitted().stream())
diff --git a/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperatorTestBase.java b/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperatorTestBase.java
index c24721884f680..e63ec66c41bf5 100644
--- a/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperatorTestBase.java
+++ b/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/CommitterOperatorTestBase.java
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ void ensureAllCommittablesArrivedBeforeCommitting() throws Exception {
         final CommittableWithLineage<String> first = new CommittableWithLineage<>("1", 1L, 1);
         testHarness.processElement(new StreamRecord<>(first));
 
-        testHarness.notifyOfCompletedCheckpoint(1);
+        assertThatCode(() -> testHarness.notifyOfCompletedCheckpoint(1))
+                .hasMessageContaining("Trying to commit incomplete batch of committables");
 
         assertThat(testHarness.getOutput()).isEmpty();
         assertThat(sinkAndCounters.commitCounter.getAsInt()).isZero();
diff --git a/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImplTest.java b/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImplTest.java
index b9c65c7c1674f..fcc2f559043b6 100644
--- a/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImplTest.java
+++ b/flink-streaming-java/src/test/java/org/apache/flink/streaming/runtime/operators/sink/committables/CheckpointCommittableManagerImplTest.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatCode;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
 
 class CheckpointCommittableManagerImplTest {
@@ -73,20 +74,20 @@ void testCommit() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
 
         final Committer<Integer> committer = new NoOpCommitter();
         // Only commit fully received committables
-        assertThat(checkpointCommittables.commit(committer))
-                .hasSize(1)
-                .satisfiesExactly(c -> assertThat(c.getCommittable()).isEqualTo(3));
+        assertThatCode(() -> checkpointCommittables.commit(committer))
+                .hasMessageContaining("Trying to commit incomplete batch of committables");
 
         // Even on retry
-        assertThat(checkpointCommittables.commit(committer)).isEmpty();
+        assertThatCode(() -> checkpointCommittables.commit(committer))
+                .hasMessageContaining("Trying to commit incomplete batch of committables");
 
         // Add missing committable
         checkpointCommittables.addCommittable(new CommittableWithLineage<>(5, 1L, 2));
         // Commit all committables
         assertThat(checkpointCommittables.commit(committer))
-                .hasSize(2)
+                .hasSize(3)
                 .extracting(CommittableWithLineage::getCommittable)
-                .containsExactlyInAnyOrder(4, 5);
+                .containsExactlyInAnyOrder(3, 4, 5);
     }
 
     @Test