diff --git a/internal/shop.cm b/internal/shop.cm
index 78065c96..c8545949 100644
--- a/internal/shop.cm
+++ b/internal/shop.cm
@@ -1294,6 +1294,10 @@ function get_module(path, package_context) {
 }
 
 Shop.use = function use(path, _pkg_ctx) {
+  if (!is_text(path)) {
+    log.error("use() expects a text module path, but received a non-text value")
+    disrupt
+  }
   var package_context = is_core_dir(_pkg_ctx) ? 'core' : _pkg_ctx
   // Check for embedded module (static builds)
   var embed_key = 'embedded:' + path