diff --git a/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp b/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
index 756388c93..f52fc43fc 100644
--- a/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
@@ -1601,7 +1601,7 @@ class converting_handler<variant_conversion_tag, T, P>
 
     bool on_array_end( system::error_code& ec )
     {
-        if( !inner_active_ )
+        if( inner_active_ < 0 )
             return signal_end(ec);
 
         BOOST_JSON_INVOKE_INNER( array_end_handler_event{}, ec );
@@ -1864,10 +1864,14 @@ class into_handler
         return true;
     }
 
+    // LCOV_EXCL_START
+    // the top handler is never inside an array, so nested handlers have no
+    // array end to forward to it
     bool signal_end(system::error_code&)
     {
         return true;
     }
+    // LCOV_EXCL_STOP
 
     bool on_document_begin( system::error_code& )
     {
diff --git a/test/parse_into.cpp b/test/parse_into.cpp
index 2fa778184..b311d7771 100644
--- a/test/parse_into.cpp
+++ b/test/parse_into.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <boost/json/value_to.hpp>
 #include <boost/describe.hpp>
 
+#include <array>
 #include <climits>
 #include <map>
 
@@ -479,6 +480,16 @@ class parse_into_test
         testParseInto< std::vector< Variant<int, std::string> > >(
             {1, 2, 3, "four", 5, "six", "seven", 8});
 
+        // an array-like first alternative nested in a composite
+        testParseInto< std::vector< Variant<std::vector<int>, int> > >(
+            { std::vector<int>{1}, 2 } );
+        testParseInto< std::map<std::string, Variant<std::vector<int>, int> > >(
+            { { "a", std::vector<int>{1, 2} }, { "b", 3 } } );
+
+        // an incomplete array must not satisfy a fixed-size alternative
+        testParseIntoErrors< Variant< std::array<int, 3> > >(
+            error::exhausted_variants, {1, 2} );
+
         using V = Variant<
             std::vector< int >,
             std::tuple< int, std::string, std::map<std::string, int> >,