diff --git a/tests/HDF5WritingTest.cpp b/tests/HDF5WritingTest.cpp
index 822c64032..bc18fc1a3 100644
--- a/tests/HDF5WritingTest.cpp
+++ b/tests/HDF5WritingTest.cpp
@@ -137,6 +137,26 @@ TEST_CASE("HDF5DataSet_string", "[HDF5][Unit]") {
     REQUIRE (H5Fget_obj_count(H5F_OBJ_ALL, H5F_OBJ_ALL) == 0);
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("HDF5DataSet_string_stored_rank1", "[HDF5][Unit]") {
+    // Facilities write a one-element string array where the application definition allows a scalar -
+    // JUNGFRAU masters from an early beamline deployment store sensor_material and description that
+    // way - and the file is unreadable if that is refused, because the metadata parse never finishes.
+    {
+        HDF5File file("scratch2b.h5");
+        file.SaveVector("one", std::vector<std::string>{"Si"});
+        file.SaveVector("two", std::vector<std::string>{"Si", "CdTe"});
+    }
+    {
+        HDF5ReadOnlyFile file("scratch2b.h5");
+        HDF5DataSet one(file, "one");
+        CHECK(HDF5DataSpace(one).GetNumOfDimensions() == 1);
+        CHECK(one.ReadString() == "Si");
+        REQUIRE_THROWS(HDF5DataSet(file, "two").ReadString());
+    }
+    remove("scratch2b.h5");
+    REQUIRE (H5Fget_obj_count(H5F_OBJ_ALL, H5F_OBJ_ALL) == 0);
+}
+
 TEST_CASE("HDF5DataSet_vector", "[HDF5][Unit]") {
     std::vector<double> tmp_vector (16384);
     tmp_vector[0] = 599.88;
diff --git a/writer/HDF5Objects.cpp b/writer/HDF5Objects.cpp
index 5f3ef778f..dd7e2393e 100644
--- a/writer/HDF5Objects.cpp
+++ b/writer/HDF5Objects.cpp
@@ -908,8 +908,19 @@ HDF5DataSet& HDF5DataSet::WriteDirectChunk(const void *data, hsize_t data_size,
 
 std::string HDF5DataSet::ReadString() const {
     HDF5DataSpace file_space(*this);
-    if (file_space.GetNumOfDimensions() != 0)
-        throw JFJochException(JFJochExceptionCategory::HDF5, "Dataset tries to read string (scalar) from vector dataset");
+    // A rank-1 dataset holding exactly one string is the same thing as a scalar, and facilities
+    // write it both ways - JUNGFRAU masters from an early beamline deployment store
+    // sensor_material and description as shape (1,). Refusing those loses the whole file over a
+    // difference that carries no information.
+    if (file_space.GetNumOfDimensions() != 0) {
+        const auto dims = file_space.GetDimensions();
+        hsize_t elements = 1;
+        for (const auto d : dims)
+            elements *= d;
+        if (elements != 1)
+            throw JFJochException(JFJochExceptionCategory::HDF5,
+                                  "Dataset tries to read string (scalar) from vector dataset");
+    }
 
     HDF5DataType file_data_type(*this);
     const size_t size = file_data_type.GetElemSize();