diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index df71028..2e014be 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const SPEC = {
   element: {
     input: 'input.name', //                  refs.input: HTMLInputElement | null (from the tag)
     thing: '.thing', //                      refs.thing: Element | null (no tag to go on)
-    card: ['.card', HTMLElement], //         refs.card: HTMLElement | null (checked with instanceof)
+    card: ['.card', HTMLElement], //         refs.card: HTMLElement | null (throws if a match isn't one)
   },
   elements: { buttons: 'button' }, //       refs.buttons: HTMLButtonElement[]
   props: {
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ ExampleElement.observedAttributes; // readonly ('user-id' | 'min' | 'is-ready' |
 - **Codecs**: `string`, `number`, `enable`, `disable`, `choice([...])`, `json<T>()`, `prop({ default, decode, encode })`.
 - **Shadow DOM**: `shadow` attaches a root and clones `template` into it; `css` is a shared adopted stylesheet. An existing declarative shadow root is used instead (and `shadow`/`template` are ignored). `root` is the shadow root (even when closed) or the element itself.
 - **Light DOM**: `template` is appended on first connect; `css` is added once per element type, as a `<style>` in `<head>` or adopted into the enclosing shadow root.
-- **Refs**: a selector string is typed from its tag (last compound: `'form > button#go'` → `HTMLButtonElement`), falling back to `Element`. `[selector, Class]` types the ref as `Class` and skips matches that aren't instances of it. A key can't be in both `element` and `elements`.
+- **Refs**: a selector string is typed from its tag (last compound: `'form > button#go'` → `HTMLButtonElement`), falling back to `Element`. `[selector, Class]` types the ref as `Class`; reading it throws a `TypeError` if a match isn't an instance of `Class`. A key can't be in both `element` and `elements`.
 - **`signal`** aborts on disconnect; a new one is created on each connect. `events` are listened on the host with it.
 - **`base`** extends another autonomous element class; prop names that collide with its members (or `HTMLElement`'s, like `title`/`hidden`) are type errors.
 - Don't declare a subclass field with a prop's name; it would shadow the reflected accessor.
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index d0b43f2..b2e653e 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ export type RefType<Sel extends string> =
         : Element
     : never;
 
-/** A class a ref's matches are checked against with `instanceof`. */
+/** A class a ref's matches must be instances of (checked when the ref is read). */
 export type ElementClass<T extends Element = Element> = abstract new (...args: never) => T;
 
 /**
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ export type ElementClass<T extends Element = Element> = abstract new (...args: n
  * - `'input.name'` — a selector; the type comes from its tag via {@link RefType}
  *   (`HTMLInputElement` here, plain `Element` for a tagless `'.thing'`).
  * - `['.thing', HTMLElement]` — a selector plus the class its matches must be.
- *   The ref is typed as that class, and matches that aren't instances of it are
- *   skipped (`null` for `element`, left out for `elements`).
+ *   The ref is typed as that class, and reading it throws a `TypeError` if a
+ *   match isn't an instance of it.
  */
 export type RefSpec = string | readonly [selector: string, type: ElementClass];
 
diff --git a/src/web-component.ts b/src/web-component.ts
index 3358fe8..3e885a2 100644
--- a/src/web-component.ts
+++ b/src/web-component.ts
@@ -244,16 +244,13 @@ export function WebComponent<const S extends Spec>(
       // Getter return types are annotated: `PropertyDescriptor.get` returns
       // `any`, which the query methods would otherwise infer their result from.
       const refs = {};
-      // With a class given, matches that aren't instances of it are skipped,
-      // so the typed ref never holds the wrong kind of element.
       for (const [name, selector, type] of element) {
         Object.defineProperty(refs, name, {
           enumerable: true,
           get: (): Element | null => {
-            if (!type) return this.root.querySelector(selector);
-            return (
-              [...this.root.querySelectorAll(selector)].find((el) => el instanceof type) ?? null
-            );
+            const found = this.root.querySelector(selector);
+            if (found && type) this.#checkRef(name, selector, type, found);
+            return found;
           },
         });
       }
@@ -262,12 +259,26 @@ export function WebComponent<const S extends Spec>(
           enumerable: true,
           get: (): Element[] => {
             const all = [...this.root.querySelectorAll(selector)];
-            return type ? all.filter((el) => el instanceof type) : all;
+            if (type) for (const found of all) this.#checkRef(name, selector, type, found);
+            return all;
           },
         });
       }
       return refs;
     }
+
+    // A `[selector, Class]` ref is typed as `Class`, so a match of any other
+    // class is a bug in the template or the spec: fail loudly rather than hand
+    // back a wrongly typed element.
+    #checkRef(name: string, selector: string, type: ElementClass, found: Element): void {
+      // Read before the check: TypeScript narrows `found` to `never` after a
+      // failed `instanceof`, since `type` is typed as constructing Elements.
+      const tag = found.localName;
+      if (found instanceof type) return;
+      throw new TypeError(
+        `<${this.localName}> ref "${name}": "${selector}" matched <${tag}>, which is not a ${type.name}`,
+      );
+    }
   }
 
   // The runtime class can't express the spec-derived accessors and members;
diff --git a/test/web-component.test.ts b/test/web-component.test.ts
index 6b4a321..12c1f8f 100644
--- a/test/web-component.test.ts
+++ b/test/web-component.test.ts
@@ -281,18 +281,38 @@ describe('refs', () => {
     expect(el.refs.items).toHaveLength(3);
   });
 
-  test('[selector, Class] refs skip matches of the wrong class', () => {
+  test('[selector, Class] refs return matches of the right class', () => {
     class El extends WebComponent({
       shadow: 'open',
-      template: '<div class="x">div</div><p class="x">p</p><p class="x">p2</p>',
-      element: { para: ['.x', HTMLParagraphElement], button: ['.x', HTMLButtonElement] },
+      template: '<p class="x">p</p><p class="x">p2</p>',
+      element: { para: ['.x', HTMLParagraphElement], missing: ['.nope', HTMLParagraphElement] },
       elements: { paras: ['.x', HTMLParagraphElement] },
     }) {}
     const el = new (define(El))();
     expect(el.refs.para?.textContent).toBe('p');
-    expect(el.refs.button).toBeNull();
+    expect(el.refs.missing).toBeNull();
     expect(el.refs.paras.map((p) => p.textContent)).toEqual(['p', 'p2']);
   });
+
+  test('[selector, Class] refs throw on a match of the wrong class', () => {
+    class El extends WebComponent({
+      shadow: 'open',
+      template: '<p class="x">p</p><div class="x">div</div>',
+      element: { button: ['.x', HTMLButtonElement] },
+      elements: { paras: ['.x', HTMLParagraphElement] },
+    }) {}
+    const el = new (define(El))();
+    expect(() => el.refs.button).toThrow(
+      new TypeError(
+        `<${el.localName}> ref "button": ".x" matched <p>, which is not a HTMLButtonElement`,
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(() => el.refs.paras).toThrow(
+      new TypeError(
+        `<${el.localName}> ref "paras": ".x" matched <div>, which is not a HTMLParagraphElement`,
+      ),
+    );
+  });
 });
 
 describe('base', () => {