diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/path/allpaths.c b/src/backend/optimizer/path/allpaths.c
index 998212dda8..d84f66a81b 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/path/allpaths.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/path/allpaths.c
@@ -2804,7 +2804,8 @@ set_cte_pathlist(PlannerInfo *root, RelOptInfo *rel, RangeTblEntry *rte)
 	if (ndx >= list_length(cteroot->cte_plan_ids))
 		elog(ERROR, "could not find plan for CTE \"%s\"", rte->ctename);
 	plan_id = list_nth_int(cteroot->cte_plan_ids, ndx);
-	Assert(plan_id > 0);
+	if (plan_id <= 0)
+		elog(ERROR, "no plan was made for CTE \"%s\"", rte->ctename);
 	cteplan = (Plan *) list_nth(root->glob->subplans, plan_id - 1);
 
 	/* Mark rel with estimated output rows, width, etc */
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/createplan.c b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/createplan.c
index 95476ada0b..7905bc4654 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/createplan.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/createplan.c
@@ -3898,7 +3898,8 @@ create_ctescan_plan(PlannerInfo *root, Path *best_path,
 	if (ndx >= list_length(cteroot->cte_plan_ids))
 		elog(ERROR, "could not find plan for CTE \"%s\"", rte->ctename);
 	plan_id = list_nth_int(cteroot->cte_plan_ids, ndx);
-	Assert(plan_id > 0);
+	if (plan_id <= 0)
+		elog(ERROR, "no plan was made for CTE \"%s\"", rte->ctename);
 	foreach(lc, cteroot->init_plans)
 	{
 		ctesplan = (SubPlan *) lfirst(lc);
diff --git a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/subselect.c b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/subselect.c
index 863e0e24a1..df4ca12919 100644
--- a/src/backend/optimizer/plan/subselect.c
+++ b/src/backend/optimizer/plan/subselect.c
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ typedef struct inline_cte_walker_context
 {
 	const char *ctename;		/* name and relative level of target CTE */
 	int			levelsup;
-	int			refcount;		/* number of remaining references */
 	Query	   *ctequery;		/* query to substitute */
 } inline_cte_walker_context;
 
@@ -1157,13 +1156,9 @@ inline_cte(PlannerInfo *root, CommonTableExpr *cte)
 	context.ctename = cte->ctename;
 	/* Start at levelsup = -1 because we'll immediately increment it */
 	context.levelsup = -1;
-	context.refcount = cte->cterefcount;
 	context.ctequery = castNode(Query, cte->ctequery);
 
 	(void) inline_cte_walker((Node *) root->parse, &context);
-
-	/* Assert we replaced all references */
-	Assert(context.refcount == 0);
 }
 
 static bool
@@ -1226,9 +1221,6 @@ inline_cte_walker(Node *node, inline_cte_walker_context *context)
 			rte->coltypes = NIL;
 			rte->coltypmods = NIL;
 			rte->colcollations = NIL;
-
-			/* Count the number of replacements we've done */
-			context->refcount--;
 		}
 
 		return false;
diff --git a/src/include/nodes/pathnodes.h b/src/include/nodes/pathnodes.h
index c5ab53e05c..244d1e1197 100644
--- a/src/include/nodes/pathnodes.h
+++ b/src/include/nodes/pathnodes.h
@@ -241,7 +241,8 @@ struct PlannerInfo
 
 	List	   *init_plans;		/* init SubPlans for query */
 
-	List	   *cte_plan_ids;	/* per-CTE-item list of subplan IDs */
+	List	   *cte_plan_ids;	/* per-CTE-item list of subplan IDs (or -1 if
+								 * no subplan was made for that CTE) */
 
 	List	   *multiexpr_params;	/* List of Lists of Params for MULTIEXPR
 									 * subquery outputs */