diff --git a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert.go b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert.go
index 4bb9d8903b88..a7375949e8bf 100644
--- a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert.go
+++ b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert.go
@@ -371,6 +371,9 @@ func toDispatchState(ctx context.Context, dt []byte, opt ConvertOpt) (*dispatchS
 				d.state = llb.Scratch()
 				d.image = emptyImage(platformOpt.targetPlatform)
 				d.platform = &platformOpt.targetPlatform
+				if d.unregistered {
+					d.noinit = true
+				}
 				continue
 			}
 			func(i int, d *dispatchState) {
@@ -379,6 +382,10 @@ func toDispatchState(ctx context.Context, dt []byte, opt ConvertOpt) (*dispatchS
 						if err != nil {
 							err = parser.WithLocation(err, d.stage.Location)
 						}
+						if d.unregistered {
+							// implicit stages don't need further dispatch
+							d.noinit = true
+						}
 					}()
 					origName := d.stage.BaseName
 					ref, err := reference.ParseNormalizedNamed(d.stage.BaseName)
@@ -492,6 +499,8 @@ func toDispatchState(ctx context.Context, dt []byte, opt ConvertOpt) (*dispatchS
 		if !isReachable(target, d) || d.noinit {
 			continue
 		}
+		// mark as initialized, used to determine states that have not been dispatched yet
+		d.noinit = true
 
 		if d.base != nil {
 			d.state = d.base.state
@@ -779,7 +788,11 @@ func dispatch(d *dispatchState, cmd command, opt dispatchOpt) error {
 	case *instructions.CopyCommand:
 		l := opt.buildContext
 		if len(cmd.sources) != 0 {
-			l = cmd.sources[0].state
+			src := cmd.sources[0]
+			if !src.noinit {
+				return errors.Errorf("cannot copy from stage %q, it needs to be defined before current stage %q", c.From, d.stageName)
+			}
+			l = src.state
 		}
 		err = dispatchCopy(d, copyConfig{
 			params:       c.SourcesAndDest,
diff --git a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert_runmount.go b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert_runmount.go
index 1f4597eb23af..ce59770384d3 100644
--- a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert_runmount.go
+++ b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile2llb/convert_runmount.go
@@ -70,7 +70,11 @@ func dispatchRunMounts(d *dispatchState, c *instructions.RunCommand, sources []*
 		}
 		st := opt.buildContext
 		if mount.From != "" {
-			st = sources[i].state
+			src := sources[i]
+			st = src.state
+			if !src.noinit {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("cannot mount from stage %q to %q, stage needs to be defined before current command", mount.From, mount.Target)
+			}
 		}
 		var mountOpts []llb.MountOption
 		if mount.Type == instructions.MountTypeTmpfs {
diff --git a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile_test.go b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile_test.go
index 7b3a0a225d34..16199e766c98 100644
--- a/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile_test.go
+++ b/frontend/dockerfile/dockerfile_test.go
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ var allTests = integration.TestFuncs(
 	testWorkdirUser,
 	testWorkdirExists,
 	testWorkdirCopyIgnoreRelative,
+	testOutOfOrderStage,
 	testCopyFollowAllSymlinks,
 	testDockerfileAddChownExpand,
 	testSourceDateEpochWithoutExporter,
@@ -953,6 +954,42 @@ RUN [ "$(stat -c "%U %G" /mydir)" == "user user" ]
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
+func testOutOfOrderStage(t *testing.T, sb integration.Sandbox) {
+	integration.SkipOnPlatform(t, "windows")
+	f := getFrontend(t, sb)
+
+	for _, src := range []string{"/", "/d2"} {
+		dockerfile := []byte(fmt.Sprintf(`
+FROM busybox AS target
+COPY --from=build %s /out
+
+FROM alpine AS build
+COPY /Dockerfile /d2
+
+FROM target
+`, src))
+
+		dir := integration.Tmpdir(
+			t,
+			fstest.CreateFile("Dockerfile", dockerfile, 0600),
+		)
+
+		c, err := client.New(sb.Context(), sb.Address())
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		defer c.Close()
+
+		_, err = f.Solve(sb.Context(), c, client.SolveOpt{
+			LocalDirs: map[string]string{
+				dockerui.DefaultLocalNameDockerfile: dir,
+				dockerui.DefaultLocalNameContext:    dir,
+			},
+		}, nil)
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "cannot copy from stage")
+		require.Contains(t, err.Error(), "needs to be defined before current stage")
+	}
+}
+
 func testWorkdirCopyIgnoreRelative(t *testing.T, sb integration.Sandbox) {
 	integration.SkipOnPlatform(t, "windows")
 	f := getFrontend(t, sb)