diff --git a/doc/APIchanges b/doc/APIchanges
index 8eeaec2028..f2bb2d242b 100644
--- a/doc/APIchanges
+++ b/doc/APIchanges
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ libavutil:     2017-10-21
 
 API changes, most recent first:
 
+2020-03-27 - xxxxxxxxxx - lavc 58.77.100 - avcodec.h
+  av_packet_ref() now guarantees to return the destination packet
+  in a blank state on error.
+
 2020-03-10 - xxxxxxxxxx - lavc 58.75.100 - avcodec.h
   Add AV_PKT_DATA_ICC_PROFILE.
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/avcodec.h b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
index f918d20a61..8fc0ad92c9 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avcodec.h
+++ b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
@@ -4651,7 +4651,8 @@ void av_packet_free_side_data(AVPacket *pkt);
  * @param dst Destination packet. Will be completely overwritten.
  * @param src Source packet
  *
- * @return 0 on success, a negative AVERROR on error.
+ * @return 0 on success, a negative AVERROR on error. On error, dst
+ *         will be blank (as if returned by av_packet_alloc()).
  */
 int av_packet_ref(AVPacket *dst, const AVPacket *src);
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/avpacket.c b/libavcodec/avpacket.c
index 132567bc2d..c622718a45 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avpacket.c
+++ b/libavcodec/avpacket.c
@@ -610,12 +610,13 @@ int av_packet_ref(AVPacket *dst, const AVPacket *src)
 {
     int ret;
 
+    dst->buf = NULL;
+
     ret = av_packet_copy_props(dst, src);
     if (ret < 0)
-        return ret;
+        goto fail;
 
     if (!src->buf) {
-        dst->buf = NULL;
         ret = packet_alloc(&dst->buf, src->size);
         if (ret < 0)
             goto fail;
@@ -637,7 +638,7 @@ int av_packet_ref(AVPacket *dst, const AVPacket *src)
 
     return 0;
 fail:
-    av_packet_free_side_data(dst);
+    av_packet_unref(dst);
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/version.h b/libavcodec/version.h
index 1f19b67adc..7e01d9526f 100644
--- a/libavcodec/version.h
+++ b/libavcodec/version.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/version.h"
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR  58
-#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR  76
+#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR  77
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MICRO 100
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_INT  AV_VERSION_INT(LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR, \