diff --git a/.zenodo.json b/.zenodo.json
index 4471e71e7a..92c6f3ed17 100644
--- a/.zenodo.json
+++ b/.zenodo.json
@@ -157,6 +157,11 @@
       "name": "De La Vega, Alejandro",
       "orcid": "0000-0001-9062-3778"
     },
+    {
+      "affiliation": "Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany",
+      "name": "Waller, Lea",
+      "orcid": "0000-0002-3239-6957"
+    },
     {
       "affiliation": "MIT",
       "name": "Kaczmarzyk, Jakub",
diff --git a/nipype/pipeline/engine/tests/test_workflows.py b/nipype/pipeline/engine/tests/test_workflows.py
index 75f77525f8..c6170f7ba8 100644
--- a/nipype/pipeline/engine/tests/test_workflows.py
+++ b/nipype/pipeline/engine/tests/test_workflows.py
@@ -83,6 +83,22 @@ def test_doubleconnect():
     assert "Trying to connect" in str(excinfo.value)
 
 
+def test_nested_workflow_doubleconnect():
+    # double input with nested workflows
+    a = pe.Node(niu.IdentityInterface(fields=["a", "b"]), name="a")
+    b = pe.Node(niu.IdentityInterface(fields=["a", "b"]), name="b")
+    c = pe.Node(niu.IdentityInterface(fields=["a", "b"]), name="c")
+    flow1 = pe.Workflow(name="test1")
+    flow2 = pe.Workflow(name="test2")
+    flow3 = pe.Workflow(name="test3")
+    flow1.add_nodes([b])
+    flow2.connect(a, "a", flow1, "b.a")
+    with pytest.raises(Exception) as excinfo:
+        flow3.connect(c, "a", flow2, "test1.b.a")
+    assert "Some connections were not found" in str(excinfo.value)
+    flow3.connect(c, "b", flow2, "test1.b.b")
+
+
 def test_duplicate_node_check():
 
     wf = pe.Workflow(name="testidentity")
diff --git a/nipype/pipeline/engine/workflows.py b/nipype/pipeline/engine/workflows.py
index d1fde0ba32..bc532ddf90 100644
--- a/nipype/pipeline/engine/workflows.py
+++ b/nipype/pipeline/engine/workflows.py
@@ -770,16 +770,68 @@ def _check_nodes(self, nodes):
     def _has_attr(self, parameter, subtype="in"):
         """Checks if a parameter is available as an input or output
         """
+        hierarchy = parameter.split(".")
+
+        # Connecting to a workflow needs at least two values,
+        # the name of the child node and the name of the input/output
+        if len(hierarchy) < 2:
+            return False
+
+        attrname = hierarchy.pop()
+        nodename = hierarchy.pop()
+
+        def _check_is_already_connected(workflow, node, attrname):
+            for _, _, d in workflow._graph.in_edges(nbunch=node, data=True):
+                for cd in d["connect"]:
+                    if attrname == cd[1]:
+                        return False
+            return True
+
+        targetworkflow = self
+        while hierarchy:
+            workflowname = hierarchy.pop(0)
+            workflow = None
+            for node in targetworkflow._graph.nodes():
+                if node.name == workflowname:
+                    if isinstance(node, Workflow):
+                        workflow = node
+                        break
+            if workflow is None:
+                return False
+            # Verify input does not already have an incoming connection
+            # in the hierarchy of workflows
+            if subtype == "in":
+                hierattrname = ".".join(hierarchy + [nodename, attrname])
+                if not _check_is_already_connected(
+                        targetworkflow, workflow, hierattrname):
+                    return False
+            targetworkflow = workflow
+
+        targetnode = None
+        for node in targetworkflow._graph.nodes():
+            if node.name == nodename:
+                if isinstance(node, Workflow):
+                    return False
+                else:
+                    targetnode = node
+                    break
+        if targetnode is None:
+            return False
+
         if subtype == "in":
-            subobject = self.inputs
+            if not hasattr(targetnode.inputs, attrname):
+                return False
         else:
-            subobject = self.outputs
-        attrlist = parameter.split(".")
-        cur_out = subobject
-        for attr in attrlist:
-            if not hasattr(cur_out, attr):
+            if not hasattr(targetnode.outputs, attrname):
                 return False
-            cur_out = getattr(cur_out, attr)
+
+        # Verify input does not already have an incoming connection
+        # in the target workflow
+        if subtype == "in":
+            if not _check_is_already_connected(
+                    targetworkflow, targetnode, attrname):
+                return False
+
         return True
 
     def _get_parameter_node(self, parameter, subtype="in"):