diff --git a/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/dataflow/new/internal/DataFlowPublic.qll b/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/dataflow/new/internal/DataFlowPublic.qll
index 0593ba85e70..287a677c5ef 100644
--- a/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/dataflow/new/internal/DataFlowPublic.qll
+++ b/python/ql/lib/semmle/python/dataflow/new/internal/DataFlowPublic.qll
@@ -588,6 +588,11 @@ newtype TContent =
     or
     // Arguments can overflow and end up in the starred parameter tuple.
     exists(any(CallNode cn).getArg(index))
+    or
+    // since flow summaries might use tuples, we ensure that we at least have valid
+    // TTupleElementContent for the 0..7 (7 was picked to match `small_tuple` in
+    // data-flow-private)
+    index in [0 .. 7]
   } or
   /** An element of a dictionary under a specific key. */
   TDictionaryElementContent(string key) {
diff --git a/python/ql/test/experimental/dataflow/summaries-checks/invalid-spec.expected b/python/ql/test/experimental/dataflow/summaries-checks/invalid-spec.expected
index bc342d8091a..e69de29bb2d 100644
--- a/python/ql/test/experimental/dataflow/summaries-checks/invalid-spec.expected
+++ b/python/ql/test/experimental/dataflow/summaries-checks/invalid-spec.expected
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-| compiled re.subn | ReturnValue.TupleElement[0] | TupleElement[0] |
-| re.subn | ReturnValue.TupleElement[0] | TupleElement[0] |