diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/pom.xml b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/pom.xml
index e01133e4df9..6388ba0e3a9 100644
--- a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/pom.xml
+++ b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/pom.xml
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
       <artifactId>org.openhab.core</artifactId>
       <version>${project.version}</version>
     </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>org.openhab.core.bundles</groupId>
+      <artifactId>org.openhab.core.test</artifactId>
+      <version>${project.version}</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
+    </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.ow2.asm</groupId>
       <artifactId>asm</artifactId>
diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/main/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProvider.java b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/main/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProvider.java
index 535fc3f4a3e..863594d15b8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/main/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProvider.java
+++ b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/main/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProvider.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
  */
 package org.openhab.core.semantics.internal;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Component;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Deactivate;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Reference;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 /**
  * This {@link MetadataProvider} collects semantic information about items and provides them as metadata under the
@@ -56,6 +58,8 @@
 public class SemanticsMetadataProvider extends AbstractProvider<Metadata>
         implements ItemRegistryChangeListener, MetadataProvider {
 
+    private final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(SemanticsMetadataProvider.class);
+
     // the namespace to use for the metadata
     public static final String NAMESPACE = "semantics";
 
@@ -65,12 +69,7 @@ public class SemanticsMetadataProvider extends AbstractProvider<Metadata>
     private final Map<List<Class<? extends Tag>>, String> propertyRelations = new HashMap<>();
 
     // local cache of the created metadata as a map from itemName->Metadata
-    private final Map<String, Metadata> semantics = new TreeMap<>(new Comparator<String>() {
-        @Override
-        public int compare(String s1, String s2) {
-            return s1.compareTo(s2);
-        }
-    });
+    private final Map<String, Metadata> semantics = new TreeMap<>(String::compareTo);
 
     private final ItemRegistry itemRegistry;
 
@@ -106,6 +105,10 @@ public Collection<Metadata> getAll() {
      * @param item the item to update the metadata for
      */
     private void processItem(Item item) {
+        processItem(item, new ArrayList<>());
+    }
+
+    private void processItem(Item item, List<String> parentItems) {
         MetadataKey key = new MetadataKey(NAMESPACE, item.getName());
         Map<String, Object> configuration = new HashMap<>();
         Class<? extends Tag> type = SemanticTags.getSemanticType(item);
@@ -127,8 +130,15 @@ private void processItem(Item item) {
         }
 
         if (item instanceof GroupItem groupItem) {
+            parentItems.add(item.getName());
             for (Item memberItem : groupItem.getMembers()) {
-                processItem(memberItem);
+                if (parentItems.contains(memberItem.getName())) {
+                    logger.error(
+                            "Recursive group membership found: {} is both, a direct or indirect parent and a child of {}.",
+                            memberItem.getName(), groupItem.getName());
+                } else {
+                    processItem(memberItem, parentItems);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/test/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProviderTest.java b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/test/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProviderTest.java
index a8de24199fc..0c67b9ae283 100644
--- a/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/test/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProviderTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.openhab.core.semantics/src/test/java/org/openhab/core/semantics/internal/SemanticsMetadataProviderTest.java
@@ -36,10 +36,12 @@
 import org.openhab.core.items.Item;
 import org.openhab.core.items.ItemRegistry;
 import org.openhab.core.items.Metadata;
+import org.openhab.core.library.items.NumberItem;
 import org.openhab.core.library.items.SwitchItem;
 import org.openhab.core.semantics.ManagedSemanticTagProvider;
 import org.openhab.core.semantics.SemanticTagRegistry;
 import org.openhab.core.semantics.model.DefaultSemanticTagProvider;
+import org.openhab.core.test.java.JavaTest;
 
 /**
  * @author Simon Lamon - Initial contribution
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@
 @NonNullByDefault
 @ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
 @MockitoSettings(strictness = Strictness.LENIENT)
-public class SemanticsMetadataProviderTest {
+public class SemanticsMetadataProviderTest extends JavaTest {
 
     private static final String ITEM_NAME = "switchItem";
 
@@ -61,6 +63,8 @@ public class SemanticsMetadataProviderTest {
 
     @BeforeEach
     public void beforeEach() throws Exception {
+        setupInterceptedLogger(SemanticsMetadataProvider.class, LogLevel.DEBUG);
+
         when(managedSemanticTagProviderMock.getAll()).thenReturn(List.of());
         SemanticTagRegistry semanticTagRegistry = new SemanticTagRegistryImpl(new DefaultSemanticTagProvider(),
                 managedSemanticTagProviderMock);
@@ -235,6 +239,51 @@ public void testGroupItemRemovedAfterMemberItemAdded() {
         assertNull(metadata.getConfiguration().get("hasLocation"));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testRecursiveGroupMembershipDoesNotResultInStackOverflowError() {
+        GroupItem groupItem1 = new GroupItem("group1");
+        GroupItem groupItem2 = new GroupItem("group2");
+
+        groupItem1.addMember(groupItem2);
+        groupItem2.addMember(groupItem1);
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> semanticsMetadataProvider.added(groupItem1));
+
+        assertLogMessage(SemanticsMetadataProvider.class, LogLevel.ERROR,
+                "Recursive group membership found: group1 is both, a direct or indirect parent and a child of group2.");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testIndirectRecursiveMembershipDoesNotThrowStackOverflowError() {
+        GroupItem groupItem1 = new GroupItem("group1");
+        GroupItem groupItem2 = new GroupItem("group2");
+        GroupItem groupItem3 = new GroupItem("group3");
+
+        groupItem1.addMember(groupItem2);
+        groupItem2.addMember(groupItem3);
+        groupItem3.addMember(groupItem1);
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> semanticsMetadataProvider.added(groupItem1));
+
+        assertLogMessage(SemanticsMetadataProvider.class, LogLevel.ERROR,
+                "Recursive group membership found: group1 is both, a direct or indirect parent and a child of group3.");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testDuplicateMembershipOfPlainItemsDoesNotTriggerWarning() {
+        GroupItem groupItem1 = new GroupItem("group1");
+        GroupItem groupItem2 = new GroupItem("group2");
+        NumberItem numberItem = new NumberItem("number");
+
+        groupItem1.addMember(groupItem2);
+        groupItem1.addMember(numberItem);
+        groupItem2.addMember(numberItem);
+
+        semanticsMetadataProvider.added(groupItem1);
+
+        assertNoLogMessage(SemanticsMetadataProvider.class);
+    }
+
     private @Nullable Metadata getMetadata(Item item) {
         return semanticsMetadataProvider.getAll().stream() //
                 .filter(metadata -> metadata.getUID().getItemName().equals(item.getName())) //