diff --git a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/JpaSpecificationExecutor.java b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/JpaSpecificationExecutor.java
index 3abd83b2b..4d18351a9 100644
--- a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/JpaSpecificationExecutor.java
+++ b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/JpaSpecificationExecutor.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 
+import org.springframework.dao.InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Page;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Pageable;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Sort;
@@ -122,11 +123,16 @@ public interface JpaSpecificationExecutor<T> {
 	/**
 	 * Returns entities matching the given {@link Specification} applying the {@code queryFunction} that defines the query
 	 * and its result type.
+	 * <p>
+	 * The query object used with {@code queryFunction} is only valid inside the {@code findBy(…)} method call. This
+	 * requires the query function to return a query result and not the {@link FluentQuery} object itself to ensure the
+	 * query is executed inside the {@code findBy(…)} method.
 	 *
 	 * @param spec must not be null.
 	 * @param queryFunction the query function defining projection, sorting, and the result type
-	 * @return all entities matching the given Example.
+	 * @return all entities matching the given specification.
 	 * @since 3.0
+	 * @throws InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException if the query function returns the {@link FluentQuery} instance.
 	 */
 	<S extends T, R> R findBy(Specification<T> spec, Function<FluentQuery.FetchableFluentQuery<S>, R> queryFunction);
 
diff --git a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/QuerydslJpaPredicateExecutor.java b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/QuerydslJpaPredicateExecutor.java
index ad0762f78..7b31a6ce5 100644
--- a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/QuerydslJpaPredicateExecutor.java
+++ b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/QuerydslJpaPredicateExecutor.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import java.util.function.BiFunction;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 
 import org.springframework.dao.IncorrectResultSizeDataAccessException;
+import org.springframework.dao.InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.KeysetScrollPosition;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.OffsetScrollPosition;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Page;
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.projection.SpelAwareProxyProjectionFactory;
 import org.springframework.data.querydsl.EntityPathResolver;
 import org.springframework.data.querydsl.QSort;
 import org.springframework.data.querydsl.QuerydslPredicateExecutor;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.FluentQuery;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.FluentQuery.FetchableFluentQuery;
 import org.springframework.data.support.PageableExecutionUtils;
 import org.springframework.lang.Nullable;
@@ -245,7 +247,14 @@ public class QuerydslJpaPredicateExecutor<T> implements QuerydslPredicateExecuto
 				entityManager, //
 				getProjectionFactory());
 
-		return queryFunction.apply((FetchableFluentQuery<S>) fluentQuery);
+		R result = queryFunction.apply((FetchableFluentQuery<S>) fluentQuery);
+
+		if (result instanceof FluentQuery<?>) {
+			throw new InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException(
+					"findBy(…) queries must result a query result and not the FluentQuery object to ensure that queries are executed within the scope of the findBy(…) method");
+		}
+
+		return result;
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/SimpleJpaRepository.java b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/SimpleJpaRepository.java
index ba5daeea0..759752f12 100644
--- a/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/SimpleJpaRepository.java
+++ b/spring-data-jpa/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/support/SimpleJpaRepository.java
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 
+import org.springframework.dao.InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Example;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.KeysetScrollPosition;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.OffsetScrollPosition;
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.support.QueryHints.NoHints;
 import org.springframework.data.jpa.support.PageableUtils;
 import org.springframework.data.projection.ProjectionFactory;
 import org.springframework.data.projection.SpelAwareProxyProjectionFactory;
+import org.springframework.data.repository.query.FluentQuery;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.query.FluentQuery.FetchableFluentQuery;
 import org.springframework.data.support.PageableExecutionUtils;
 import org.springframework.data.util.ProxyUtils;
@@ -534,7 +536,14 @@ public class SimpleJpaRepository<T, ID> implements JpaRepositoryImplementation<T
 		FetchableFluentQueryBySpecification<?, T> fluentQuery = new FetchableFluentQueryBySpecification<>(spec, domainClass,
 				finder, scrollDelegate, this::count, this::exists, this.entityManager, getProjectionFactory());
 
-		return queryFunction.apply((FetchableFluentQuery<S>) fluentQuery);
+		R result = queryFunction.apply((FetchableFluentQuery<S>) fluentQuery);
+
+		if (result instanceof FluentQuery<?>) {
+			throw new InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException(
+					"findBy(…) queries must result a query result and not the FluentQuery object to ensure that queries are executed within the scope of the findBy(…) method");
+		}
+
+		return result;
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/spring-data-jpa/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java b/spring-data-jpa/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
index 1c365cfb1..b4df229da 100644
--- a/spring-data-jpa/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-jpa/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.stream.IntStream;
 import java.util.stream.Stream;
 
@@ -2355,6 +2356,14 @@ class UserRepositoryTests {
 		assertThat(users).containsExactly(thirdUser, firstUser, fourthUser);
 	}
 
+	@Test // GH-3294
+	void findByFluentFailsReturningFluentQuery() {
+
+		User prototype = new User();
+		assertThatExceptionOfType(InvalidDataAccessApiUsageException.class)
+				.isThrownBy(() -> repository.findBy(of(prototype), Function.identity()));
+	}
+
 	@Test // GH-2294
 	void findByFluentExampleFirstValue() {
 
@@ -2452,13 +2461,13 @@ class UserRepositoryTests {
 		prototype.setFirstname("v");
 
 		List<UserProjectionUsingSpEL> users = repository.findBy(
-			of(prototype,
-				matching().withIgnorePaths("age", "createdAt", "active").withMatcher("firstname",
-					GenericPropertyMatcher::contains)), //
-			q -> q.as(UserProjectionUsingSpEL.class).all());
+				of(prototype,
+						matching().withIgnorePaths("age", "createdAt", "active").withMatcher("firstname",
+								GenericPropertyMatcher::contains)), //
+				q -> q.as(UserProjectionUsingSpEL.class).all());
 
 		assertThat(users).extracting(UserProjectionUsingSpEL::hello)
-			.contains(new GreetingsFrom().groot(firstUser.getFirstname()));
+				.contains(new GreetingsFrom().groot(firstUser.getFirstname()));
 	}
 
 	@Test // GH-2294