diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/errors/errors.factor b/basis/stack-checker/errors/errors.factor
index a4d22f8a5b..799e3f73e3 100644
--- a/basis/stack-checker/errors/errors.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/errors/errors.factor
@@ -82,3 +82,8 @@ TUPLE: unknown-primitive-error ;
 
 : unknown-primitive-error ( -- * )
     \ unknown-primitive-error inference-warning ;
+
+TUPLE: transform-expansion-error word error ;
+
+: transform-expansion-error ( word error -- * )
+    \ transform-expansion-error inference-error ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/errors/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor b/basis/stack-checker/errors/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
index de73a3e731..d6cee8e08f 100644
--- a/basis/stack-checker/errors/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/errors/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
@@ -79,3 +79,12 @@ M: inconsistent-recursive-call-error summary
 M: unknown-primitive-error summary
     drop
     "Cannot determine stack effect statically" ;
+
+M: transform-expansion-error summary
+    drop
+    "Compiler transform threw an error" ;
+
+M: transform-expansion-error error.
+    [ summary print ]
+    [ "Word: " write word>> . nl ]
+    [ error>> error. ] tri ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms-tests.factor b/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms-tests.factor
index 0aa3876907..abb1f2abdb 100644
--- a/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms-tests.factor
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 IN: stack-checker.transforms.tests
 USING: sequences stack-checker.transforms tools.test math kernel
-quotations stack-checker accessors combinators words arrays
+quotations stack-checker stack-checker.errors accessors combinators words arrays
 classes classes.tuple ;
 
 : compose-n-quot ( word n -- quot' ) <repetition> >quotation ;
@@ -70,4 +70,11 @@ DEFER: curry-folding-test ( quot -- )
 : member?-test ( a -- ? ) { 1 2 3 10 7 58 } member? ;
 
 [ f ] [ 1.0 member?-test ] unit-test
-[ t ] [ \ member?-test def>> first [ member?-test ] all? ] unit-test
\ No newline at end of file
+[ t ] [ \ member?-test def>> first [ member?-test ] all? ] unit-test
+
+! Macro expansion should throw its own type of error
+: bad-macro ( -- ) ;
+
+\ bad-macro [ "OOPS" throw ] 0 define-transform
+
+[ [ bad-macro ] infer ] [ inference-error? ] must-fail-with
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms.factor b/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms.factor
index c2b348f5f1..541d74bdeb 100755
--- a/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/transforms/transforms.factor
@@ -17,9 +17,14 @@ IN: stack-checker.transforms
         [ dup infer-word apply-word/effect ]
     } cond ;
 
+: call-transformer ( word stack quot -- newquot )
+    '[ _ _ with-datastack [ length 1 assert= ] [ first ] bi nip ]
+    [ transform-expansion-error ]
+    recover ;
+
 :: ((apply-transform)) ( word quot values stack rstate -- )
     rstate recursive-state
-    [ stack quot with-datastack first ] with-variable
+    [ word stack quot call-transformer ] with-variable
     [
         word inlined-dependency depends-on
         values [ length meta-d shorten-by ] [ #drop, ] bi