diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.test.ts
index 280551e9dbf06..5a71c9b34569f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.test.ts
@@ -136,4 +136,47 @@ describe('Processors reducer', () => {
       },
     ]);
   });
+
+  it('prevents moving a parent into child list', () => {
+    const processor1 = { type: 'test1', options: {} };
+    const processor2 = { type: 'test2', options: {} };
+    const processor3 = { type: 'test3', options: {} };
+    const processor4 = { type: 'test4', options: {} };
+
+    const s1 = reducer(initialState, {
+      type: 'addTopLevelProcessor',
+      payload: { processor: processor1 },
+    });
+
+    const s2 = reducer(s1, {
+      type: 'addTopLevelProcessor',
+      payload: { processor: processor2 },
+    });
+
+    const s3 = reducer(s2, {
+      type: 'addOnFailureProcessor',
+      payload: { onFailureProcessor: processor3, targetSelector: ['1'] },
+    });
+
+    const s4 = reducer(s3, {
+      type: 'addOnFailureProcessor',
+      payload: { onFailureProcessor: processor4, targetSelector: ['1', 'onFailure', '0'] },
+    });
+
+    expect(s4.processors).toEqual([
+      processor1,
+      { ...processor2, onFailure: [{ ...processor3, onFailure: [processor4] }] },
+    ]);
+
+    // Move the parent into a child list
+    const s5 = reducer(s4, {
+      type: 'moveProcessor',
+      payload: {
+        source: { selector: [], index: 1 },
+        destination: { selector: ['1', 'onFailure', '0', 'onFailure', '0', 'onFailure'], index: 0 },
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(s5.processors).toEqual(s4.processors);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.ts
index edf1260feb0dd..b4f5fc5629d26 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/reducer.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { euiDragDropReorder } from '@elastic/eui';
 import { OnFormUpdateArg } from '../../../shared_imports';
 
 import { DeserializeResult } from './data_in';
-import { getValue, setValue, unsafeProcessorMove } from './utils';
+import { getValue, setValue, unsafeProcessorMove, PARENT_CHILD_NEST_ERROR } from './utils';
 import { ProcessorInternal, DraggableLocation, ProcessorSelector } from './types';
 
 type StateArg = DeserializeResult;
@@ -62,11 +62,17 @@ export const reducer: Reducer<State, Action> = (state, action) => {
         euiDragDropReorder(getValue(path, state), source.index, destination.index)
       );
     } else {
-      return setValue(
-        ['processors'],
-        state,
-        unsafeProcessorMove(state.processors, source, destination)
-      );
+      try {
+        return setValue(
+          ['processors'],
+          state,
+          unsafeProcessorMove(state.processors, source, destination)
+        );
+      } catch (e) {
+        if (e.message === PARENT_CHILD_NEST_ERROR) {
+          return { ...state };
+        }
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/utils.ts b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/utils.ts
index 3416629bab1fd..7403d589ebf62 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/utils.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ingest_pipelines/public/application/components/pipeline_processors_editor/utils.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ export const setValue = <Target = any, Value = any>(
   return result!;
 };
 
+export const PARENT_CHILD_NEST_ERROR = 'PARENT_CHILD_NEST_ERROR';
+
 /**
  * Unsafe!
  *
@@ -105,6 +107,10 @@ export const unsafeProcessorMove = (
   source: DraggableLocation,
   destination: DraggableLocation
 ) => {
+  const selectorToSource = source.selector.concat(String(source.index));
+  if (selectorToSource.every((pathSegment, idx) => pathSegment === destination.selector[idx])) {
+    throw new Error(PARENT_CHILD_NEST_ERROR);
+  }
   // Start by setting up references to objects of interest using our selectors
   // At this point, our selectors are consistent with the data passed in.
   const sourceProcessors = getValue<ProcessorInternal[]>(source.selector, processors);