diff --git a/changes/ticket40883 b/changes/ticket40883
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1186571122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/ticket40883
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  o Major bugfixes (onion service, TROVE-2023-006):
+    - Fix a possible hard assert on a NULL pointer when recording a failed
+      rendezvous circuit on the service side for the MetricsPort. Fixes bug
+      40883; bugfix on 0.4.8.1-alpha
diff --git a/src/feature/hs/hs_metrics.c b/src/feature/hs/hs_metrics.c
index 19a330a01e..4ce91c2b32 100644
--- a/src/feature/hs/hs_metrics.c
+++ b/src/feature/hs/hs_metrics.c
@@ -199,7 +199,12 @@ hs_metrics_update_by_ident(const hs_metrics_key_t key,
 {
   hs_service_t *service;
 
-  tor_assert(ident_pk);
+  if (!ident_pk) {
+    /* We can end up here in case this is used from a failure/closing path for
+     * which we might not have any identity key attacehed to a circuit or
+     * connection yet. Simply don't assume we have one. */
+    return;
+  }
 
   service = hs_service_find(ident_pk);
   if (!service) {
diff --git a/src/feature/rend/rendcommon.c b/src/feature/rend/rendcommon.c
index 0628422812..5a9689e7bc 100644
--- a/src/feature/rend/rendcommon.c
+++ b/src/feature/rend/rendcommon.c
@@ -40,7 +40,14 @@ rend_process_relay_cell(circuit_t *circ, const crypt_path_t *layer_hint,
   int r = -2;
   if (CIRCUIT_IS_ORIGIN(circ)) {
     origin_circ = TO_ORIGIN_CIRCUIT(circ);
-    if (!layer_hint || layer_hint != origin_circ->cpath->prev) {
+
+    /* Opened onion service circuit receiving cell MUST have an hs_ident as it
+     * is the underlying assumption else we can't process the cell. If this is
+     * the case, we can't recover so close the circuit. */
+    if (BUG(!origin_circ->hs_ident)) {
+      circuit_mark_for_close(circ, END_CIRC_REASON_INTERNAL);
+      origin_circ = NULL;
+    } else if (!layer_hint || layer_hint != origin_circ->cpath->prev) {
       log_fn(LOG_PROTOCOL_WARN, LD_APP,
              "Relay cell (rend purpose %d) from wrong hop on origin circ",
              command);