diff --git a/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vFor.spec.ts b/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vFor.spec.ts
index 94f75f2a63b..6989dc8994d 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vFor.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vFor.spec.ts
@@ -253,6 +253,20 @@ describe('compiler: v-for', () => {
       )
     })
 
+    test('key property missing expression', () => {
+      const onError = vi.fn()
+      parseWithForTransform('<template v-for="i in 1" :key=""></template>', {
+        onError,
+      })
+
+      expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+      expect(onError).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          code: ErrorCodes.X_V_BIND_NO_EXPRESSION,
+        }),
+      )
+    })
+
     test('missing source', () => {
       const onError = vi.fn()
       parseWithForTransform('<span v-for="item in" />', { onError })
diff --git a/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vIf.spec.ts b/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vIf.spec.ts
index 2c2fedab0d5..4432daec020 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vIf.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-core/__tests__/transforms/vIf.spec.ts
@@ -323,6 +323,32 @@ describe('compiler: v-if', () => {
         },
       ])
     })
+
+    test('error on template key', () => {
+      const onError = vi.fn()
+      // dynamic
+      parseWithIfTransform(
+        `<template v-if="ok" :key="a" /><template v-else :key="b" />`,
+        { onError },
+      )
+      expect(onError.mock.calls[0]).toMatchObject([
+        {
+          code: ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_TEMPLATE_USER_DEFINED_KEY,
+        },
+      ])
+      // static
+      parseWithIfTransform(
+        `<template v-if="ok" key="1" /><template v-else key="2" />`,
+        {
+          onError,
+        },
+      )
+      expect(onError.mock.calls[1]).toMatchObject([
+        {
+          code: ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_TEMPLATE_USER_DEFINED_KEY,
+        },
+      ])
+    })
   })
 
   describe('codegen', () => {
diff --git a/packages/compiler-core/src/errors.ts b/packages/compiler-core/src/errors.ts
index a536392b9a3..b6f123b92ea 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-core/src/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-core/src/errors.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ export enum ErrorCodes {
   // transform errors
   X_V_IF_NO_EXPRESSION,
   X_V_IF_SAME_KEY,
+  X_V_IF_TEMPLATE_USER_DEFINED_KEY,
   X_V_ELSE_NO_ADJACENT_IF,
   X_V_FOR_NO_EXPRESSION,
   X_V_FOR_MALFORMED_EXPRESSION,
@@ -155,6 +156,7 @@ export const errorMessages: Record<ErrorCodes, string> = {
   // transform errors
   [ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_NO_EXPRESSION]: `v-if/v-else-if is missing expression.`,
   [ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_SAME_KEY]: `v-if/else branches must use unique keys.`,
+  [ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_TEMPLATE_USER_DEFINED_KEY]: `v-if/else the template key is internally set.`,
   [ErrorCodes.X_V_ELSE_NO_ADJACENT_IF]: `v-else/v-else-if has no adjacent v-if or v-else-if.`,
   [ErrorCodes.X_V_FOR_NO_EXPRESSION]: `v-for is missing expression.`,
   [ErrorCodes.X_V_FOR_MALFORMED_EXPRESSION]: `v-for has invalid expression.`,
diff --git a/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vFor.ts b/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vFor.ts
index 16c48ede067..409f29f8b5e 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vFor.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vFor.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,14 @@ export const transformFor = createStructuralDirectiveTransform(
             context,
           )
         }
+        if (
+          keyExp &&
+          keyExp.type === NodeTypes.SIMPLE_EXPRESSION &&
+          !keyExp.content.trim()
+        )
+          context.onError(
+            createCompilerError(ErrorCodes.X_V_BIND_NO_EXPRESSION, keyProp.loc),
+          )
       }
 
       const isStableFragment =
diff --git a/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vIf.ts b/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vIf.ts
index a6437f89c63..abba311587d 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vIf.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-core/src/transforms/vIf.ts
@@ -30,13 +30,31 @@ import { ErrorCodes, createCompilerError } from '../errors'
 import { processExpression } from './transformExpression'
 import { validateBrowserExpression } from '../validateExpression'
 import { CREATE_COMMENT, FRAGMENT } from '../runtimeHelpers'
-import { findDir, findProp, getMemoedVNodeCall, injectProp } from '../utils'
+import {
+  findDir,
+  findProp,
+  getMemoedVNodeCall,
+  injectProp,
+  isTemplateNode,
+} from '../utils'
 import { PatchFlagNames, PatchFlags } from '@vue/shared'
 
 export const transformIf = createStructuralDirectiveTransform(
   /^(if|else|else-if)$/,
   (node, dir, context) => {
     return processIf(node, dir, context, (ifNode, branch, isRoot) => {
+      const isTemplate = isTemplateNode(node)
+      if ((__DEV__ || !__BROWSER__) && isTemplate) {
+        const keyProp = findProp(node, `key`, false, true)
+        if (keyProp) {
+          context.onError(
+            createCompilerError(
+              ErrorCodes.X_V_IF_TEMPLATE_USER_DEFINED_KEY,
+              keyProp.loc,
+            ),
+          )
+        }
+      }
       // #1587: We need to dynamically increment the key based on the current
       // node's sibling nodes, since chained v-if/else branches are
       // rendered at the same depth
diff --git a/packages/compiler-dom/src/errors.ts b/packages/compiler-dom/src/errors.ts
index b47624840ab..5bffa4e53a1 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-dom/src/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-dom/src/errors.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export function createDOMCompilerError(
 }
 
 export enum DOMErrorCodes {
-  X_V_HTML_NO_EXPRESSION = 53 /* ErrorCodes.__EXTEND_POINT__ */,
+  X_V_HTML_NO_EXPRESSION = 54 /* ErrorCodes.__EXTEND_POINT__ */,
   X_V_HTML_WITH_CHILDREN,
   X_V_TEXT_NO_EXPRESSION,
   X_V_TEXT_WITH_CHILDREN,