diff --git a/src/backend/access/brin/brin.c b/src/backend/access/brin/brin.c
index 1f72562c60..6021b16a01 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/brin/brin.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/brin/brin.c
@@ -887,8 +887,10 @@ brin_summarize_range(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	/*
 	 * We must lock table before index to avoid deadlocks.  However, if the
 	 * passed indexoid isn't an index then IndexGetRelation() will fail.
-	 * Rather than emitting a not-very-helpful error message, postpone
-	 * complaining, expecting that the is-it-an-index test below will fail.
+	 * Rather than emitting a not-very-helpful error message, prepare to
+	 * return without doing anything.  This allows autovacuum work-items to be
+	 * silently discarded rather than uselessly accumulating error messages in
+	 * the server log.
 	 */
 	heapoid = IndexGetRelation(indexoid, true);
 	if (OidIsValid(heapoid))
@@ -897,6 +899,11 @@ brin_summarize_range(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 		heapRel = NULL;
 
 	indexRel = index_open(indexoid, ShareUpdateExclusiveLock);
+	if (heapRel == NULL || indexRel == NULL)
+	{
+		/* Table or index don't exist anymore; ignore this request */
+		PG_RETURN_INT32(0);
+	}
 
 	/* Must be a BRIN index */
 	if (indexRel->rd_rel->relkind != RELKIND_INDEX ||