diff --git a/storage/local/codable/codable.go b/storage/local/codable/codable.go
index 37c273d1f..ebabdf456 100644
--- a/storage/local/codable/codable.go
+++ b/storage/local/codable/codable.go
@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@ func DecodeUint64(r io.Reader) (uint64, error) {
 // encodeString writes the varint encoded length followed by the bytes of s to
 // b.
 func encodeString(b *bytes.Buffer, s string) error {
+	// Note that this should have used EncodeUvarint but a glitch happened
+	// while designing the checkpoint format.
 	if _, err := EncodeVarint(b, int64(len(s))); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -135,6 +137,9 @@ func encodeString(b *bytes.Buffer, s string) error {
 // decodeString decodes a string encoded by encodeString.
 func decodeString(b byteReader) (string, error) {
 	length, err := binary.ReadVarint(b)
+	if length < 0 {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("found negative string length during decoding: %d", length)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -155,6 +160,8 @@ type Metric model.Metric
 // MarshalBinary implements encoding.BinaryMarshaler.
 func (m Metric) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
 	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	// Note that this should have used EncodeUvarint but a glitch happened
+	// while designing the checkpoint format.
 	if _, err := EncodeVarint(buf, int64(len(m))); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -180,6 +187,9 @@ func (m *Metric) UnmarshalBinary(buf []byte) error {
 // Metric.
 func (m *Metric) UnmarshalFromReader(r byteReader) error {
 	numLabelPairs, err := binary.ReadVarint(r)
+	if numLabelPairs < 0 {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("found negative numLabelPairs during unmarshaling: %d", numLabelPairs)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -344,6 +354,8 @@ type LabelValueSet map[model.LabelValue]struct{}
 // MarshalBinary implements encoding.BinaryMarshaler.
 func (vs LabelValueSet) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
 	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	// Note that this should have used EncodeUvarint but a glitch happened
+	// while designing the checkpoint format.
 	if _, err := EncodeVarint(buf, int64(len(vs))); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -359,6 +371,9 @@ func (vs LabelValueSet) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
 func (vs *LabelValueSet) UnmarshalBinary(buf []byte) error {
 	r := bytes.NewReader(buf)
 	numValues, err := binary.ReadVarint(r)
+	if numValues < 0 {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("found negative number of values during unmarshaling: %d", numValues)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -382,6 +397,8 @@ type LabelValues model.LabelValues
 // MarshalBinary implements encoding.BinaryMarshaler.
 func (vs LabelValues) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
 	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	// Note that this should have used EncodeUvarint but a glitch happened
+	// while designing the checkpoint format.
 	if _, err := EncodeVarint(buf, int64(len(vs))); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -397,6 +414,9 @@ func (vs LabelValues) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
 func (vs *LabelValues) UnmarshalBinary(buf []byte) error {
 	r := bytes.NewReader(buf)
 	numValues, err := binary.ReadVarint(r)
+	if numValues < 0 {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("found negative number of values during unmarshaling: %d", numValues)
+	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/storage/local/heads.go b/storage/local/heads.go
index 15d2fcabb..887659170 100644
--- a/storage/local/heads.go
+++ b/storage/local/heads.go
@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ func (hs *headsScanner) scan() bool {
 	if hs.version != headsFormatLegacyVersion {
 		// persistWatermark only present in v2.
 		persistWatermark, hs.err = binary.ReadVarint(hs.r)
+		if persistWatermark < 0 {
+			hs.err = fmt.Errorf("found negative persist watermark in checkpoint: %d", persistWatermark)
+		}
 		if hs.err != nil {
 			return false
 		}
@@ -147,6 +150,11 @@ func (hs *headsScanner) scan() bool {
 	if numChunkDescs, hs.err = binary.ReadVarint(hs.r); hs.err != nil {
 		return false
 	}
+	if numChunkDescs < 0 {
+		hs.err = fmt.Errorf("found negative number of chunk descriptors in checkpoint: %d", numChunkDescs)
+		return false
+	}
+
 	chunkDescs := make([]*chunk.Desc, numChunkDescs)
 	if hs.version == headsFormatLegacyVersion {
 		if headChunkPersisted {
diff --git a/storage/local/persistence.go b/storage/local/persistence.go
index 7cb0c107d..b186c08cf 100644
--- a/storage/local/persistence.go
+++ b/storage/local/persistence.go
@@ -609,6 +609,9 @@ func (p *persistence) loadChunkDescs(fp model.Fingerprint, offsetFromEnd int) ([
 // (4.8.2.1) A byte defining the chunk type.
 // (4.8.2.2) The chunk itself, marshaled with the Marshal() method.
 //
+// NOTE: Above, varint encoding is used consistently although uvarint would have
+// made more sense in many cases. This was simply a glitch while designing the
+// format.
 func (p *persistence) checkpointSeriesMapAndHeads(fingerprintToSeries *seriesMap, fpLocker *fingerprintLocker) (err error) {
 	log.Info("Checkpointing in-memory metrics and chunks...")
 	p.checkpointing.Set(1)