diff --git a/crates/milli/src/update/facet/mod.rs b/crates/milli/src/update/facet/mod.rs
index 911296577..44f499f8c 100644
--- a/crates/milli/src/update/facet/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/milli/src/update/facet/mod.rs
@@ -79,17 +79,23 @@ pub const FACET_MIN_LEVEL_SIZE: u8 = 5;
 use std::collections::BTreeSet;
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::BufReader;
+use std::ops::Bound;
 
 use grenad::Merger;
 use heed::types::{Bytes, DecodeIgnore};
+use heed::BytesDecode as _;
+use roaring::RoaringBitmap;
 use time::OffsetDateTime;
 use tracing::debug;
 
 use self::incremental::FacetsUpdateIncremental;
 use super::{FacetsUpdateBulk, MergeDeladdBtreesetString, MergeDeladdCboRoaringBitmaps};
 use crate::facet::FacetType;
-use crate::heed_codec::facet::{FacetGroupKey, FacetGroupKeyCodec, FacetGroupValueCodec};
+use crate::heed_codec::facet::{
+    FacetGroupKey, FacetGroupKeyCodec, FacetGroupValueCodec, OrderedF64Codec,
+};
 use crate::heed_codec::BytesRefCodec;
+use crate::search::facet::get_highest_level;
 use crate::update::del_add::{DelAdd, KvReaderDelAdd};
 use crate::{try_split_array_at, FieldId, Index, Result};
 
@@ -646,3 +652,194 @@ mod comparison_bench {
         }
     }
 }
+
+/// Run sanity checks on the specified fid tree
+///
+/// 1. No "orphan" child value, any child value has a parent
+/// 2. Any docid in the child appears in the parent
+/// 3. No docid in the parent is missing from all its children
+/// 4. no group is bigger than max_group_size
+/// 5. Less than 50% of groups are bigger than group_size
+/// 6. group size matches the number of children
+/// 7. max_level is < 255
+pub(crate) fn sanity_checks(
+    index: &Index,
+    rtxn: &heed::RoTxn,
+    field_id: FieldId,
+    facet_type: FacetType,
+    group_size: usize,
+    _min_level_size: usize, // might add a check on level size later
+    max_group_size: usize,
+) -> Result<()> {
+    tracing::info!(%field_id, ?facet_type, "performing sanity checks");
+    let database = match facet_type {
+        FacetType::String => {
+            index.facet_id_string_docids.remap_key_type::<FacetGroupKeyCodec<BytesRefCodec>>()
+        }
+        FacetType::Number => {
+            index.facet_id_f64_docids.remap_key_type::<FacetGroupKeyCodec<BytesRefCodec>>()
+        }
+    };
+
+    let leaf_prefix: FacetGroupKey<&[u8]> = FacetGroupKey { field_id, level: 0, left_bound: &[] };
+
+    let leaf_it = database.prefix_iter(rtxn, &leaf_prefix)?;
+
+    let max_level = get_highest_level(rtxn, database, field_id)?;
+    if max_level == u8::MAX {
+        panic!("max_level == 255");
+    }
+
+    for leaf in leaf_it {
+        let (leaf_facet_value, leaf_docids) = leaf?;
+        let mut current_level = 0;
+
+        let mut current_parent_facet_value: Option<FacetGroupKey<&[u8]>> = None;
+        let mut current_parent_docids: Option<crate::heed_codec::facet::FacetGroupValue> = None;
+        loop {
+            current_level += 1;
+            if current_level >= max_level {
+                break;
+            }
+            let parent_key_right_bound = FacetGroupKey {
+                field_id,
+                level: current_level,
+                left_bound: leaf_facet_value.left_bound,
+            };
+            let (parent_facet_value, parent_docids) = database
+                .get_lower_than_or_equal_to(rtxn, &parent_key_right_bound)?
+                .expect("no parent found");
+            if parent_facet_value.level != current_level {
+                panic!(
+                    "wrong parent level, found_level={}, expected_level={}",
+                    parent_facet_value.level, current_level
+                );
+            }
+            if parent_facet_value.field_id != field_id {
+                panic!("wrong parent fid");
+            }
+            if parent_facet_value.left_bound > leaf_facet_value.left_bound {
+                panic!("wrong parent left bound");
+            }
+
+            if !leaf_docids.bitmap.is_subset(&parent_docids.bitmap) {
+                panic!(
+                    "missing docids from leaf in parent, current_level={}, parent={}, child={}, missing={missing:?}, child_len={}, child={:?}",
+                    current_level,
+                    facet_to_string(parent_facet_value.left_bound, facet_type),
+                    facet_to_string(leaf_facet_value.left_bound, facet_type),
+                    leaf_docids.bitmap.len(),
+                    leaf_docids.bitmap.clone(),
+                    missing=leaf_docids.bitmap - parent_docids.bitmap,
+                )
+            }
+
+            if let Some(current_parent_facet_value) = current_parent_facet_value {
+                if current_parent_facet_value.field_id != parent_facet_value.field_id {
+                    panic!("wrong parent parent fid");
+                }
+                if current_parent_facet_value.level + 1 != parent_facet_value.level {
+                    panic!("wrong parent parent level");
+                }
+                if current_parent_facet_value.left_bound < parent_facet_value.left_bound {
+                    panic!("wrong parent parent left bound");
+                }
+            }
+
+            if let Some(current_parent_docids) = current_parent_docids {
+                if !current_parent_docids.bitmap.is_subset(&parent_docids.bitmap) {
+                    panic!("missing docids from intermediate node in parent, parent_level={}, parent={}, intermediate={}, missing={missing:?}, intermediate={:?}",
+                    parent_facet_value.level,
+                    facet_to_string(parent_facet_value.left_bound, facet_type),
+                    facet_to_string(current_parent_facet_value.unwrap().left_bound, facet_type),
+                    current_parent_docids.bitmap.clone(),
+                    missing=current_parent_docids.bitmap - parent_docids.bitmap,
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+
+            current_parent_facet_value = Some(parent_facet_value);
+            current_parent_docids = Some(parent_docids);
+        }
+    }
+    tracing::info!(%field_id, ?facet_type, "checked all leaves");
+
+    let mut current_level = max_level;
+    let mut greater_than_group = 0usize;
+    let mut total = 0usize;
+    loop {
+        if current_level == 0 {
+            break;
+        }
+        let child_level = current_level - 1;
+        tracing::info!(%field_id, ?facet_type, %current_level, "checked groups for level");
+        let level_groups_prefix: FacetGroupKey<&[u8]> =
+            FacetGroupKey { field_id, level: current_level, left_bound: &[] };
+        let mut level_groups_it = database.prefix_iter(rtxn, &level_groups_prefix)?.peekable();
+
+        'group_it: loop {
+            let Some(group) = level_groups_it.next() else { break 'group_it };
+
+            let (group_facet_value, group_docids) = group?;
+            let child_left_bound = group_facet_value.left_bound.to_owned();
+            let mut expected_docids = RoaringBitmap::new();
+            let mut expected_size = 0usize;
+            let right_bound = level_groups_it
+                .peek()
+                .and_then(|res| res.as_ref().ok())
+                .map(|(key, _)| key.left_bound);
+            let child_left_bound = FacetGroupKey {
+                field_id,
+                level: child_level,
+                left_bound: child_left_bound.as_slice(),
+            };
+            let child_left_bound = Bound::Included(&child_left_bound);
+            let child_right_bound;
+            let child_right_bound = if let Some(right_bound) = right_bound {
+                child_right_bound =
+                    FacetGroupKey { field_id, level: child_level, left_bound: right_bound };
+                Bound::Excluded(&child_right_bound)
+            } else {
+                Bound::Unbounded
+            };
+            let children = database.range(rtxn, &(child_left_bound, child_right_bound))?;
+            for child in children {
+                let (child_facet_value, child_docids) = child?;
+                if child_facet_value.field_id != field_id {
+                    break;
+                }
+                if child_facet_value.level != child_level {
+                    break;
+                }
+                expected_size += 1;
+                expected_docids |= &child_docids.bitmap;
+            }
+            assert_eq!(expected_size, group_docids.size as usize);
+            assert!(expected_size <= max_group_size);
+            assert_eq!(expected_docids, group_docids.bitmap);
+            total += 1;
+            if expected_size > group_size {
+                greater_than_group += 1;
+            }
+        }
+
+        current_level -= 1;
+    }
+    if greater_than_group * 2 > total {
+        panic!("too many groups have a size > group_size");
+    }
+
+    tracing::info!("sanity checks OK");
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn facet_to_string(facet_value: &[u8], facet_type: FacetType) -> String {
+    match facet_type {
+        FacetType::String => bstr::BStr::new(facet_value).to_string(),
+        FacetType::Number => match OrderedF64Codec::bytes_decode(facet_value) {
+            Ok(value) => value.to_string(),
+            Err(e) => format!("error: {e} (bytes: {facet_value:?}"),
+        },
+    }
+}