diff --git a/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala b/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
index e8524a193e5a..abda4aa191a9 100644
--- a/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ class QuotesImpl private (using val ctx: Context) extends Quotes, QuoteUnpickler
       def term(tp: TermRef): Ref =
         withDefaultPos(tpd.ref(tp).asInstanceOf[tpd.RefTree])
       def apply(sym: Symbol): Ref =
-        assert(sym.isTerm)
+        assert(sym.isTerm, s"expected a term symbol but received $sym")
         val refTree = tpd.ref(sym) match
           case t @ tpd.This(ident) => // not a RefTree, so we need to work around this - issue #19732
             // ident in `This` can be a TypeIdent of sym, so we manually prepare the ref here,
@@ -1162,7 +1162,7 @@ class QuotesImpl private (using val ctx: Context) extends Quotes, QuoteUnpickler
 
     object TypeIdent extends TypeIdentModule:
       def apply(sym: Symbol): TypeTree =
-        assert(sym.isType)
+        assert(sym.isType, s"Expected a type symbol, but got $sym")
         withDefaultPos(tpd.ref(sym).asInstanceOf[tpd.TypeTree])
       def copy(original: Tree)(name: String): TypeIdent =
         tpd.cpy.Ident(original)(name.toTypeName)
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946.check b/tests/neg/i20946.check
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..acce8bf4852d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946.check
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+
+-- Error: tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala:5:29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+5 |  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
+  |  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+  |  Exception occurred while executing macro expansion.
+  |  java.lang.AssertionError: assertion failed: expected a term symbol but received class Int
+  |  	at scala.runtime.Scala3RunTime$.assertFailed(Scala3RunTime.scala:8)
+  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$Ref$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:475)
+  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$Ref$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:474)
+  |  	at Macro_1$package$.macroWithAssertFailingImpl(Macro_1.scala:6)
+  |
+  |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  |Inline stack trace
+  |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+  |This location contains code that was inlined from Test_2.scala:1
+1 |inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
+  |                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala b/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0f2bb8416a0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import scala.quoted.*
+
+def macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T: Type](t: Expr[T])(using Quotes): Expr[Unit] = {
+  import quotes.reflect.*
+
+  Ref(TypeRepr.of[T].typeSymbol)
+
+  '{()}
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala b/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..79a02ff1a5db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
+
+@main
+def run =
+  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
+
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a.check b/tests/neg/i20946a.check
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f279a60a4798
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946a.check
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+
+-- Error: tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala:5:29 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+5 |  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
+  |  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+  |  Exception occurred while executing macro expansion.
+  |  java.lang.AssertionError: assertion failed: Expected a type symbol, but got val <none>
+  |  	at scala.runtime.Scala3RunTime$.assertFailed(Scala3RunTime.scala:8)
+  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$TypeIdent$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:1165)
+  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$TypeIdent$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:1164)
+  |  	at Macro_1$package$.macroWithAssertFailingImpl(Macro_1.scala:6)
+  |
+  |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  |Inline stack trace
+  |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+  |This location contains code that was inlined from Test_2.scala:1
+1 |inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
+  |                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala b/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c0e9e6eec116
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import scala.quoted.*
+
+def macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T: Type](t: Expr[T])(using Quotes): Expr[Unit] = {
+  import quotes.reflect.*
+
+  TypeIdent(t.asTerm.symbol)
+
+  '{()}
+}
+
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala b/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..79a02ff1a5db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
+
+@main
+def run =
+  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
+