diff --git a/doc/api/crypto.md b/doc/api/crypto.md
index b4ff52d89d6181..47181f6a2c39fb 100644
--- a/doc/api/crypto.md
+++ b/doc/api/crypto.md
@@ -1457,6 +1457,10 @@ to create the `Decipher` object.
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.94
 changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20039
+    description: The `authTagLength` option can now be used to restrict accepted
+                 GCM authentication tag lengths.
   - version: v9.9.0
     pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18644
     description: The `iv` parameter may now be `null` for ciphers which do not
@@ -1474,7 +1478,9 @@ and initialization vector (`iv`).
 The `options` argument controls stream behavior and is optional except when a
 cipher in CCM mode is used (e.g. `'aes-128-ccm'`). In that case, the
 `authTagLength` option is required and specifies the length of the
-authentication tag in bytes, see [CCM mode][].
+authentication tag in bytes, see [CCM mode][]. In GCM mode, the `authTagLength`
+option is not required but can be used to restrict accepted authentication tags
+to those with the specified length.
 
 The `algorithm` is dependent on OpenSSL, examples are `'aes192'`, etc. On
 recent OpenSSL releases, `openssl list-cipher-algorithms` will display the
diff --git a/src/node_crypto.cc b/src/node_crypto.cc
index 2bdda4566dd99f..255dc6e2d42e64 100644
--- a/src/node_crypto.cc
+++ b/src/node_crypto.cc
@@ -2797,6 +2797,10 @@ void CipherBase::InitIv(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
 }
 
 
+static bool IsValidGCMTagLength(unsigned int tag_len) {
+  return tag_len == 4 || tag_len == 8 || tag_len >= 12 && tag_len <= 16;
+}
+
 bool CipherBase::InitAuthenticated(const char *cipher_type, int iv_len,
                                    int auth_tag_len) {
   CHECK(IsAuthenticatedMode());
@@ -2809,7 +2813,8 @@ bool CipherBase::InitAuthenticated(const char *cipher_type, int iv_len,
     return false;
   }
 
-  if (EVP_CIPHER_CTX_mode(ctx_) == EVP_CIPH_CCM_MODE) {
+  const int mode = EVP_CIPHER_CTX_mode(ctx_);
+  if (mode == EVP_CIPH_CCM_MODE) {
     if (auth_tag_len < 0) {
       char msg[128];
       snprintf(msg, sizeof(msg), "authTagLength required for %s", cipher_type);
@@ -2842,6 +2847,21 @@ bool CipherBase::InitAuthenticated(const char *cipher_type, int iv_len,
     } else {
       max_message_size_ = INT_MAX;
     }
+  } else {
+    CHECK_EQ(mode, EVP_CIPH_GCM_MODE);
+
+    if (auth_tag_len >= 0) {
+      if (!IsValidGCMTagLength(auth_tag_len)) {
+        char msg[50];
+        snprintf(msg, sizeof(msg),
+            "Invalid GCM authentication tag length: %u", auth_tag_len);
+        env()->ThrowError(msg);
+        return false;
+      }
+
+      // Remember the given authentication tag length for later.
+      auth_tag_len_ = auth_tag_len;
+    }
   }
 
   return true;
@@ -2877,7 +2897,7 @@ void CipherBase::GetAuthTag(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   // Only callable after Final and if encrypting.
   if (cipher->ctx_ != nullptr ||
       cipher->kind_ != kCipher ||
-      cipher->auth_tag_len_ == 0) {
+      cipher->auth_tag_len_ == kNoAuthTagLength) {
     return args.GetReturnValue().SetUndefined();
   }
 
@@ -2902,7 +2922,9 @@ void CipherBase::SetAuthTag(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   unsigned int tag_len = Buffer::Length(args[0]);
   const int mode = EVP_CIPHER_CTX_mode(cipher->ctx_);
   if (mode == EVP_CIPH_GCM_MODE) {
-    if (tag_len > 16 || (tag_len < 12 && tag_len != 8 && tag_len != 4)) {
+    if (cipher->auth_tag_len_ != kNoAuthTagLength &&
+        cipher->auth_tag_len_ != tag_len ||
+        !IsValidGCMTagLength(tag_len)) {
       char msg[50];
       snprintf(msg, sizeof(msg),
           "Invalid GCM authentication tag length: %u", tag_len);
@@ -2938,7 +2960,8 @@ bool CipherBase::SetAAD(const char* data, unsigned int len, int plaintext_len) {
     if (!CheckCCMMessageLength(plaintext_len))
       return false;
 
-    if (kind_ == kDecipher && !auth_tag_set_ && auth_tag_len_ > 0) {
+    if (kind_ == kDecipher && !auth_tag_set_ && auth_tag_len_ > 0 &&
+        auth_tag_len_ != kNoAuthTagLength) {
       if (!EVP_CIPHER_CTX_ctrl(ctx_,
                                EVP_CTRL_CCM_SET_TAG,
                                auth_tag_len_,
@@ -2991,7 +3014,7 @@ CipherBase::UpdateResult CipherBase::Update(const char* data,
 
   // on first update:
   if (kind_ == kDecipher && IsAuthenticatedMode() && auth_tag_len_ > 0 &&
-      !auth_tag_set_) {
+      auth_tag_len_ != kNoAuthTagLength && !auth_tag_set_) {
     EVP_CIPHER_CTX_ctrl(ctx_,
                         EVP_CTRL_GCM_SET_TAG,
                         auth_tag_len_,
diff --git a/src/node_crypto.h b/src/node_crypto.h
index 2f7c904ee9212d..3c166f5dcc89fc 100644
--- a/src/node_crypto.h
+++ b/src/node_crypto.h
@@ -359,6 +359,7 @@ class CipherBase : public BaseObject {
     kErrorMessageSize,
     kErrorState
   };
+  static const unsigned kNoAuthTagLength = static_cast<unsigned>(-1);
 
   void Init(const char* cipher_type,
             const char* key_buf,
@@ -398,7 +399,7 @@ class CipherBase : public BaseObject {
         ctx_(nullptr),
         kind_(kind),
         auth_tag_set_(false),
-        auth_tag_len_(0),
+        auth_tag_len_(kNoAuthTagLength),
         pending_auth_failed_(false) {
     MakeWeak<CipherBase>(this);
   }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-crypto-authenticated.js b/test/parallel/test-crypto-authenticated.js
index df5ba0392395af..6c4153875264fd 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-crypto-authenticated.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-crypto-authenticated.js
@@ -726,9 +726,46 @@ for (const test of TEST_CASES) {
       type: Error,
       message: `Invalid GCM authentication tag length: ${length}`
     });
+
+    common.expectsError(() => {
+      crypto.createDecipheriv('aes-256-gcm',
+                              'FxLKsqdmv0E9xrQhp0b1ZgI0K7JFZJM8',
+                              'qkuZpJWCewa6Szih',
+                              {
+                                authTagLength: length
+                              });
+    }, {
+      type: Error,
+      message: `Invalid GCM authentication tag length: ${length}`
+    });
   }
 }
 
+// Test that users can manually restrict the GCM tag length to a single value.
+{
+  const decipher = crypto.createDecipheriv('aes-256-gcm',
+                                           'FxLKsqdmv0E9xrQhp0b1ZgI0K7JFZJM8',
+                                           'qkuZpJWCewa6Szih', {
+                                             authTagLength: 8
+                                           });
+
+  common.expectsError(() => {
+    // This tag would normally be allowed.
+    decipher.setAuthTag(Buffer.from('1'.repeat(12)));
+  }, {
+    type: Error,
+    message: 'Invalid GCM authentication tag length: 12'
+  });
+
+  // The Decipher object should be left intact.
+  decipher.setAuthTag(Buffer.from('445352d3ff85cf94', 'hex'));
+  const text = Buffer.concat([
+    decipher.update('3a2a3647', 'hex'),
+    decipher.final()
+  ]);
+  assert.strictEqual(text.toString('utf8'), 'node');
+}
+
 // Test that create(De|C)ipher(iv)? throws if the mode is CCM and an invalid
 // authentication tag length has been specified.
 {