diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/quality_metrics.py b/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/quality_metrics.py
index 399908ec03..a72e3d3775 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/quality_metrics.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/quality_metrics.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 from spikeinterface.core.template_tools import get_template_extremum_channel
 from spikeinterface.core.sortinganalyzer import register_result_extension
 from spikeinterface.core.analyzer_extension_core import BaseMetricExtension
+from spikeinterface.core.sorting_tools import cast_periods_to_unit_period_dtype
 
 from .misc_metrics import misc_metrics_list
 from .pca_metrics import pca_metrics_list
@@ -115,15 +116,19 @@ def _set_params(
             metric_names = [m for m in metric_names if m not in pc_metric_names]
 
         if use_valid_periods:
+            valid_periods = self.sorting_analyzer.get_extension("valid_unit_periods").get_data(outputs="numpy")
             if periods is not None:
-                raise ValueError("If use_valid_periods is True, periods should not be provided.")
-            periods = self.sorting_analyzer.get_extension("valid_unit_periods").get_data(outputs="numpy")
+                provided_periods = cast_periods_to_unit_period_dtype(np.asarray(periods))
+                if not np.array_equal(valid_periods, provided_periods):
+                    raise ValueError("Provided periods do not match valid periods from the sorting analyzer.")
+            periods = valid_periods
 
         return super()._set_params(
             metric_names=metric_names,
             metric_params=metric_params,
             delete_existing_metrics=delete_existing_metrics,
             metrics_to_compute=metrics_to_compute,
+            use_valid_periods=use_valid_periods,
             periods=periods,
             peak_sign=peak_sign,
             seed=seed,
diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/tests/test_quality_metric_calculator.py b/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/tests/test_quality_metric_calculator.py
index dfd47c4df9..8566217d0b 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/tests/test_quality_metric_calculator.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/metrics/quality/tests/test_quality_metric_calculator.py
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ def test_quality_metrics_with_periods():
         seed=2205,
     )
 
-    # test failure when both periods and use_valid_periods are set
+    # test failure when periods and valid_unit_periods do not match
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         compute_quality_metrics(
             sorting_analyzer,
@@ -229,6 +229,17 @@ def test_quality_metrics_with_periods():
             seed=2205,
         )
 
+    # should not fail if external periods are the same as valid unit periods
+    valid_periods = sorting_analyzer.get_extension("valid_unit_periods").get_data(outputs="numpy")
+    metrics_ext_periods = compute_quality_metrics(
+        sorting_analyzer,
+        metric_names=None,
+        skip_pc_metrics=True,
+        use_valid_periods=True,
+        periods=valid_periods,
+        seed=2205,
+    )
+
     # test failure if use valid_periods is True but valid_unit_periods extension is missing
     sorting_analyzer.delete_extension("valid_unit_periods")
     with pytest.raises(AssertionError):