diff --git a/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp b/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
index dc1ff2733..ff246c6e3 100644
--- a/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/json/detail/parse_into.hpp
@@ -1602,7 +1602,7 @@ 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 );
diff --git a/test/parse_into.cpp b/test/parse_into.cpp
index c6f8e9f2a..d3e0ec49f 100644
--- a/test/parse_into.cpp
+++ b/test/parse_into.cpp
@@ -491,6 +491,18 @@ class parse_into_test
                 "five",
                 std::map<std::string, double>{ {"one", 1}, {"pi", 3.14} }));
 
+        // the closing bracket of an array that belongs to an alternative has to
+        // be handed to that alternative, not treated as the end of the array
+        // the variant itself is an element of
+        testParseInto< Variant< std::vector<std::vector<int>> > >(
+            std::vector<std::vector<int>>{ {1, 2}, {3} } );
+        testParseInto< std::vector< Variant<std::vector<int>, int> > >(
+            { std::vector<int>{1}, std::vector<int>{2} } );
+#if defined(BOOST_DESCRIBE_CXX14)
+        testParseIntoErrors< Variant<X, int> >(
+            error::exhausted_variants, object{ {"z", array{ array{0} }} } );
+#endif // BOOST_DESCRIBE_CXX14
+
         testParseIntoErrors< Variant<Monostate> >(
             error::exhausted_variants, "a" );
         testParseIntoErrors< Variant<int> >(