diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/TableMetadata.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/TableMetadata.java
index 5b56ca7e882c..b811d8c42f15 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/TableMetadata.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/TableMetadata.java
@@ -1327,6 +1327,10 @@ public Builder setRef(String name, SnapshotRef ref) {
       Snapshot snapshot = snapshotsById.get(snapshotId);
       ValidationException.check(
           snapshot != null, "Cannot set %s to unknown snapshot: %s", name, snapshotId);
+      ValidationException.check(
+          !SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH.equals(name) || ref.isBranch(),
+          "Cannot set %s to a tag, it must be a branch",
+          SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH);
 
       if (SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH.equals(name)) {
         this.currentSnapshotId = ref.snapshotId();
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestSnapshotManager.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestSnapshotManager.java
index 9f612383d5ba..f9266c7a81bc 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestSnapshotManager.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestSnapshotManager.java
@@ -323,6 +323,25 @@ public void testCreateTagFailsWhenRefAlreadyExists() {
         .hasMessage("Ref tag2 already exists");
   }
 
+  @TestTemplate
+  public void testCreateTagNamedMainFails() {
+    // stage a snapshot so that the table has a snapshot but no main branch ref yet
+    table.newAppend().appendFile(FILE_A).stageOnly().commit();
+    Snapshot stagedSnapshot = Iterables.getOnlyElement(table.snapshots());
+
+    assertThatThrownBy(
+            () ->
+                table
+                    .manageSnapshots()
+                    .createTag(SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH, stagedSnapshot.snapshotId())
+                    .commit())
+        .isInstanceOf(ValidationException.class)
+        .hasMessage("Cannot set main to a tag, it must be a branch");
+
+    // the failed commit must not have created the main ref
+    assertThat(table.ops().refresh().ref(SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH)).isNull();
+  }
+
   @TestTemplate
   public void testRemoveBranch() {
     table.newAppend().appendFile(FILE_A).commit();
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTableMetadata.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTableMetadata.java
index 8e3f0e638f28..ce176dd2bee9 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTableMetadata.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/TestTableMetadata.java
@@ -2148,4 +2148,42 @@ public void testAddSnapshotWithStaleFirstRowIdIsRetryable() {
         .isInstanceOf(RetryableValidationException.class)
         .hasMessageContaining("Cannot add a snapshot, first-row-id is behind table next-row-id");
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetRefRejectsTagForMainBranch() {
+    TableMetadata base =
+        TableMetadata.newTableMetadata(
+            TEST_SCHEMA, PartitionSpec.unpartitioned(), "location", ImmutableMap.of());
+
+    Snapshot snapshot =
+        new BaseSnapshot(
+            1,
+            1L,
+            null,
+            System.currentTimeMillis(),
+            null,
+            null,
+            null,
+            "file:/s1.avro",
+            null,
+            null,
+            null);
+    TableMetadata withSnapshot = TableMetadata.buildFrom(base).addSnapshot(snapshot).build();
+
+    assertThatThrownBy(
+            () ->
+                TableMetadata.buildFrom(withSnapshot)
+                    .setRef(
+                        SnapshotRef.MAIN_BRANCH,
+                        SnapshotRef.tagBuilder(snapshot.snapshotId()).build()))
+        .isInstanceOf(ValidationException.class)
+        .hasMessage("Cannot set main to a tag, it must be a branch");
+
+    // any other ref name can still be a tag
+    TableMetadata withTag =
+        TableMetadata.buildFrom(withSnapshot)
+            .setRef("tag1", SnapshotRef.tagBuilder(snapshot.snapshotId()).build())
+            .build();
+    assertThat(withTag.ref("tag1").isTag()).isTrue();
+  }
 }