diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeAnalysis.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeAnalysis.java
index 12257a47a45..9a91ca78cf9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeAnalysis.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeAnalysis.java
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ boolean hasThreadSafeTypeParameterAnnotation(TypeVariableSymbol sym) {
     return threadSafety.hasThreadSafeTypeParameterAnnotation(sym);
   }
 
+  boolean hasThreadSafeElementAnnotation(TypeVariableSymbol sym) {
+    return threadSafety.hasThreadSafeElementAnnotation(sym);
+  }
+
   Violation checkInstantiation(
       Collection<TypeVariableSymbol> classTypeParameters, Collection<Type> typeArguments) {
     return threadSafety.checkInstantiation(classTypeParameters, typeArguments);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeChecker.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeChecker.java
index fa17b198377..c60a745d6f3 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeChecker.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafeChecker.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets.SetView;
 import com.google.errorprone.BugPattern;
+import com.google.errorprone.ErrorProneFlags;
 import com.google.errorprone.VisitorState;
 import com.google.errorprone.annotations.Immutable;
 import com.google.errorprone.annotations.ThreadSafe;
@@ -75,11 +76,12 @@ public class ThreadSafeChecker extends BugChecker
         MemberReferenceTreeMatcher {
 
   private final WellKnownThreadSafety wellKnownThreadSafety;
+  private final boolean checkElementUsage;
 
-  // Used reflectively
   @Inject
-  ThreadSafeChecker(WellKnownThreadSafety wellKnownThreadSafety) {
+  ThreadSafeChecker(WellKnownThreadSafety wellKnownThreadSafety, ErrorProneFlags flags) {
     this.wellKnownThreadSafety = wellKnownThreadSafety;
+    this.checkElementUsage = flags.getBoolean("ThreadSafeChecker:CheckElementUsage").orElse(true);
   }
 
   // check instantiations of `@ThreadSafe`s in method references
@@ -129,21 +131,26 @@ public Description matchTypeParameter(TypeParameterTree tree, VisitorState state
     if (sym == null) {
       return NO_MATCH;
     }
-    ThreadSafeAnalysis analysis = new ThreadSafeAnalysis(this, state, wellKnownThreadSafety);
-    if (!analysis.hasThreadSafeTypeParameterAnnotation((TypeVariableSymbol) sym)) {
-      return NO_MATCH;
-    }
     switch (sym.owner.getKind()) {
       case METHOD:
       case CONSTRUCTOR:
         return NO_MATCH;
       default: // fall out
     }
-    AnnotationInfo info = analysis.getThreadSafeAnnotation(sym.owner, state);
-    if (info == null) {
-      return buildDescription(tree)
-          .setMessage("@ThreadSafe is only supported on threadsafe classes")
-          .build();
+    ThreadSafeAnalysis analysis = new ThreadSafeAnalysis(this, state, wellKnownThreadSafety);
+    if (analysis.hasThreadSafeTypeParameterAnnotation((TypeVariableSymbol) sym)) {
+      if (analysis.getThreadSafeAnnotation(sym.owner, state) == null) {
+        return buildDescription(tree)
+            .setMessage("@ThreadSafe.TypeParameter is only supported on threadsafe classes")
+            .build();
+      }
+    }
+    if (checkElementUsage && analysis.hasThreadSafeElementAnnotation((TypeVariableSymbol) sym)) {
+      if (analysis.getThreadSafeAnnotation(sym.owner, state) == null) {
+        return buildDescription(tree)
+            .setMessage("@ThreadSafe.Element is only supported on threadsafe classes")
+            .build();
+      }
     }
     return NO_MATCH;
   }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafety.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafety.java
index 9e0ea3c0386..0055a3e642e 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafety.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/errorprone/bugpatterns/threadsafety/ThreadSafety.java
@@ -634,13 +634,22 @@ public Violation visitType(Type type, Void s) {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Returns true if the given type parameter's declaration is annotated with {@link
-   * #typeParameterAnnotation} indicated it will only ever be instantiated with thread-safe types.
+   * Returns whether the given type parameter's declaration is annotated with {@link
+   * #typeParameterAnnotation} indicating it will only ever be instantiated with thread-safe types.
    */
   public boolean hasThreadSafeTypeParameterAnnotation(TypeVariableSymbol symbol) {
-    return typeParameterAnnotation != null
-        && symbol.getAnnotationMirrors().stream()
-            .anyMatch(t -> typeParameterAnnotation.contains(t.type.tsym.flatName().toString()));
+    return symbol.getAnnotationMirrors().stream()
+        .anyMatch(t -> typeParameterAnnotation.contains(t.type.tsym.flatName().toString()));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns whether the given type parameter's declaration is annotated with {@link
+   * #containerOfAnnotation} indicating its type-safety determines the type-safety of the outer
+   * class.
+   */
+  public boolean hasThreadSafeElementAnnotation(TypeVariableSymbol symbol) {
+    return symbol.getAnnotationMirrors().stream()
+        .anyMatch(t -> containerOfAnnotation.contains(t.type.tsym.flatName().toString()));
   }
 
   /**