diff --git a/lib/pengine/rules_alerts.c b/lib/pengine/rules_alerts.c
index 48134b0d5f..073b0c1ac1 100644
--- a/lib/pengine/rules_alerts.c
+++ b/lib/pengine/rules_alerts.c
@@ -1,252 +1,299 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2015-2021 the Pacemaker project contributors
+ * Copyright 2015-2023 the Pacemaker project contributors
  *
  * The version control history for this file may have further details.
  *
  * This source code is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License
  * version 2.1 or later (LGPLv2.1+) WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
  */
 
 #include <crm_internal.h>
 #include <crm/crm.h>
 #include <crm/msg_xml.h>
 #include <crm/pengine/rules.h>
 #include <crm/common/alerts_internal.h>
 #include <crm/common/xml_internal.h>
 #include <crm/pengine/rules_internal.h>
 
-static void
+/*!
+ * \internal
+ * \brief Unpack an alert's or alert recipient's meta attributes
+ *
+ * \param[in,out] basenode     Alert or recipient XML
+ * \param[in,out] entry        Where to store unpacked values
+ * \param[in,out] max_timeout  Max timeout of all alerts and recipients thus far
+ *
+ * \return Standard Pacemaker return code
+ */
+static int
 get_meta_attrs_from_cib(xmlNode *basenode, pcmk__alert_t *entry,
                         guint *max_timeout)
 {
     GHashTable *config_hash = pcmk__strkey_table(free, free);
     crm_time_t *now = crm_time_new(NULL);
     const char *value = NULL;
+    int rc = pcmk_rc_ok;
 
     pe_unpack_nvpairs(basenode, basenode, XML_TAG_META_SETS, NULL, config_hash,
                       NULL, FALSE, now, NULL);
     crm_time_free(now);
 
+    value = g_hash_table_lookup(config_hash, PCMK_META_ENABLED);
+    if ((value != NULL) && !crm_is_true(value)) {
+        // No need to continue unpacking
+        rc = pcmk_rc_disabled;
+        goto done;
+    }
+
     value = g_hash_table_lookup(config_hash, XML_ALERT_ATTR_TIMEOUT);
     if (value) {
         entry->timeout = crm_get_msec(value);
         if (entry->timeout <= 0) {
             if (entry->timeout == 0) {
                 crm_trace("Alert %s uses default timeout of %dmsec",
                           entry->id, PCMK__ALERT_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS);
             } else {
                 crm_warn("Alert %s has invalid timeout value '%s', using default %dmsec",
                          entry->id, (char*)value, PCMK__ALERT_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS);
             }
             entry->timeout = PCMK__ALERT_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS;
         } else {
             crm_trace("Alert %s uses timeout of %dmsec",
                       entry->id, entry->timeout);
         }
         if (entry->timeout > *max_timeout) {
             *max_timeout = entry->timeout;
         }
     }
     value = g_hash_table_lookup(config_hash, XML_ALERT_ATTR_TSTAMP_FORMAT);
     if (value) {
         /* hard to do any checks here as merely anything can
          * can be a valid time-format-string
          */
         entry->tstamp_format = strdup(value);
         crm_trace("Alert %s uses timestamp format '%s'",
                   entry->id, entry->tstamp_format);
     }
 
+done:
     g_hash_table_destroy(config_hash);
+    return rc;
 }
 
 static void
 get_envvars_from_cib(xmlNode *basenode, pcmk__alert_t *entry)
 {
     xmlNode *child;
 
     if ((basenode == NULL) || (entry == NULL)) {
         return;
     }
 
     child = first_named_child(basenode, XML_TAG_ATTR_SETS);
     if (child == NULL) {
         return;
     }
 
     if (entry->envvars == NULL) {
         entry->envvars = pcmk__strkey_table(free, free);
     }
 
     for (child = first_named_child(child, XML_CIB_TAG_NVPAIR); child != NULL;
          child = crm_next_same_xml(child)) {
 
         const char *name = crm_element_value(child, XML_NVPAIR_ATTR_NAME);
         const char *value = crm_element_value(child, XML_NVPAIR_ATTR_VALUE);
 
         if (value == NULL) {
             value = "";
         }
         g_hash_table_insert(entry->envvars, strdup(name), strdup(value));
         crm_trace("Alert %s: added environment variable %s='%s'",
                   entry->id, name, value);
     }
 }
 
 static void
 unpack_alert_filter(xmlNode *basenode, pcmk__alert_t *entry)
 {
     xmlNode *select = first_named_child(basenode, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_SELECT);
     xmlNode *event_type = NULL;
     uint32_t flags = pcmk__alert_none;
 
     for (event_type = pcmk__xe_first_child(select); event_type != NULL;
          event_type = pcmk__xe_next(event_type)) {
 
         const char *tagname = crm_element_name(event_type);
 
         if (tagname == NULL) {
             continue;
 
         } else if (!strcmp(tagname, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_FENCING)) {
             flags |= pcmk__alert_fencing;
 
         } else if (!strcmp(tagname, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_NODES)) {
             flags |= pcmk__alert_node;
 
         } else if (!strcmp(tagname, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_RESOURCES)) {
             flags |= pcmk__alert_resource;
 
         } else if (!strcmp(tagname, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_ATTRIBUTES)) {
             xmlNode *attr;
             const char *attr_name;
             int nattrs = 0;
 
             flags |= pcmk__alert_attribute;
             for (attr = first_named_child(event_type, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_ATTR);
                  attr != NULL;
                  attr = crm_next_same_xml(attr)) {
 
                 attr_name = crm_element_value(attr, XML_NVPAIR_ATTR_NAME);
                 if (attr_name) {
                     if (nattrs == 0) {
                         g_strfreev(entry->select_attribute_name);
                         entry->select_attribute_name = NULL;
                     }
                     ++nattrs;
                     entry->select_attribute_name = pcmk__realloc(entry->select_attribute_name,
                                                                  (nattrs + 1) * sizeof(char*));
                     entry->select_attribute_name[nattrs - 1] = strdup(attr_name);
                     entry->select_attribute_name[nattrs] = NULL;
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
     if (flags != pcmk__alert_none) {
         entry->flags = flags;
         crm_debug("Alert %s receives events: attributes:%s%s%s%s",
                   entry->id,
                   (pcmk_is_set(flags, pcmk__alert_attribute)?
                    (entry->select_attribute_name? "some" : "all") : "none"),
                   (pcmk_is_set(flags, pcmk__alert_fencing)? " fencing" : ""),
                   (pcmk_is_set(flags, pcmk__alert_node)? " nodes" : ""),
                   (pcmk_is_set(flags, pcmk__alert_resource)? " resources" : ""));
     }
 }
 
-static void
+/*!
+ * \internal
+ * \brief Unpack an alert or an alert recipient
+ *
+ * \param[in,out] alert        Alert or recipient XML
+ * \param[in,out] entry        Where to store unpacked values
+ * \param[in,out] max_timeout  Max timeout of all alerts and recipients thus far
+ *
+ * \return Standard Pacemaker return code
+ */
+static int
 unpack_alert(xmlNode *alert, pcmk__alert_t *entry, guint *max_timeout)
 {
+    int rc = pcmk_rc_ok;
+
     get_envvars_from_cib(alert, entry);
-    get_meta_attrs_from_cib(alert, entry, max_timeout);
-    unpack_alert_filter(alert, entry);
+    rc = get_meta_attrs_from_cib(alert, entry, max_timeout);
+    if (rc == pcmk_rc_ok) {
+        unpack_alert_filter(alert, entry);
+    }
+    return rc;
 }
 
 /*!
  * \internal
  * \brief Unpack a CIB alerts section
  *
  * \param[in] alerts  XML of alerts section
  *
  * \return  List of unpacked alert entries
  *
  * \note Unlike most unpack functions, this is not used by the scheduler itself,
  *       but is supplied for use by daemons that need to send alerts.
  */
 GList *
 pe_unpack_alerts(const xmlNode *alerts)
 {
     xmlNode *alert;
     pcmk__alert_t *entry;
     guint max_timeout = 0;
     GList *alert_list = NULL;
 
     if (alerts == NULL) {
         return alert_list;
     }
 
     for (alert = first_named_child(alerts, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT);
          alert != NULL; alert = crm_next_same_xml(alert)) {
 
         xmlNode *recipient;
         int recipients = 0;
         const char *alert_id = ID(alert);
         const char *alert_path = crm_element_value(alert, XML_ALERT_ATTR_PATH);
 
         /* The schema should enforce this, but to be safe ... */
         if ((alert_id == NULL) || (alert_path == NULL)) {
             crm_warn("Ignoring invalid alert without id and path");
             continue;
         }
 
         entry = pcmk__alert_new(alert_id, alert_path);
 
-        unpack_alert(alert, entry, &max_timeout);
+        if (unpack_alert(alert, entry, &max_timeout) != pcmk_rc_ok) {
+            // Don't allow recipients to override if entire alert is disabled
+            crm_debug("Alert %s is disabled", entry->id);
+            pcmk__free_alert(entry);
+            continue;
+        }
 
         if (entry->tstamp_format == NULL) {
             entry->tstamp_format = strdup(PCMK__ALERT_DEFAULT_TSTAMP_FORMAT);
         }
 
         crm_debug("Alert %s: path=%s timeout=%dms tstamp-format='%s' %u vars",
                   entry->id, entry->path, entry->timeout, entry->tstamp_format,
                   (entry->envvars? g_hash_table_size(entry->envvars) : 0));
 
         for (recipient = first_named_child(alert, XML_CIB_TAG_ALERT_RECIPIENT);
              recipient != NULL; recipient = crm_next_same_xml(recipient)) {
 
             pcmk__alert_t *recipient_entry = pcmk__dup_alert(entry);
 
             recipients++;
             recipient_entry->recipient = strdup(crm_element_value(recipient,
                                                 XML_ALERT_ATTR_REC_VALUE));
-            unpack_alert(recipient, recipient_entry, &max_timeout);
+
+            if (unpack_alert(recipient, recipient_entry,
+                             &max_timeout) != pcmk_rc_ok) {
+                crm_debug("Alert %s: recipient %s is disabled",
+                          entry->id, recipient_entry->id);
+                pcmk__free_alert(recipient_entry);
+                continue;
+            }
             alert_list = g_list_prepend(alert_list, recipient_entry);
             crm_debug("Alert %s has recipient %s with value %s and %d envvars",
                       entry->id, ID(recipient), recipient_entry->recipient,
                       (recipient_entry->envvars?
                        g_hash_table_size(recipient_entry->envvars) : 0));
         }
 
         if (recipients == 0) {
             alert_list = g_list_prepend(alert_list, entry);
         } else {
             pcmk__free_alert(entry);
         }
     }
     return alert_list;
 }
 
 /*!
  * \internal
  * \brief Free an alert list generated by pe_unpack_alerts()
  *
  * \param[in,out] alert_list  Alert list to free
  */
 void
 pe_free_alert_list(GList *alert_list)
 {
     if (alert_list) {
         g_list_free_full(alert_list, (GDestroyNotify) pcmk__free_alert);
     }
 }