diff --git a/tslang/lib/TypeScript/MLIRGenClasses.cpp b/tslang/lib/TypeScript/MLIRGenClasses.cpp
index 489e403b0..2caeb893b 100644
--- a/tslang/lib/TypeScript/MLIRGenClasses.cpp
+++ b/tslang/lib/TypeScript/MLIRGenClasses.cpp
@@ -1540,6 +1540,13 @@ namespace mlirgen
             },
             genContext);
 
+        // a failed initializer (e.g. `null` for a `Ref<string>`) leaves no type; going on with
+        // none dropped its diagnostic, since those are only shown when the module fails
+        if (!staticFieldType)
+        {
+            return mlir::failure();
+        }
+
         auto &staticFieldInfos = newClassPtr->staticFields;
         pushStaticField(staticFieldInfos, fieldId, staticFieldType, fullClassStaticFieldName, -1, accessLevel);
 
diff --git a/tslang/test/tester/CMakeLists.txt b/tslang/test/tester/CMakeLists.txt
index 5feb2e703..bc19af0fc 100644
--- a/tslang/test/tester/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tslang/test/tester/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2939,6 +2939,14 @@ add_test(NAME test-compile-diagnostic-location-field-initializer
 set_tests_properties(test-compile-diagnostic-location-field-initializer
                      PROPERTIES PASS_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "field_initializer\\.ts:6:5: error: can't cast from 'null' to 'Reference<string>'"
                                 FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "Stack dump|Assertion failed|field_initializer\\.ts:1:")
+# A static field's initializer is checked like an instance field's: it compiled with no error at all.
+add_test(NAME test-compile-diagnostic-location-static-field-initializer
+         COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:tslang> --emit=obj --no-default-lib -mm=none
+                 "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/test/tester/diagnostic-location/static_field_initializer.ts"
+                 -o "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/diagnostic-location-static-field-initializer.obj")
+set_tests_properties(test-compile-diagnostic-location-static-field-initializer
+                     PROPERTIES PASS_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "static_field_initializer\\.ts:6:32: error: can't cast from 'null' to 'Reference<string>' in 'strict null mode'"
+                                FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "Stack dump|Assertion failed|static_field_initializer\\.ts:1:")
 add_test(NAME test-compile-diagnostic-location-implicit-constructor
          COMMAND $<TARGET_FILE:tslang> --emit=obj --no-default-lib -mm=none
                  "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/test/tester/diagnostic-location/implicit_constructor.ts"
diff --git a/tslang/test/tester/diagnostic-location/static_field_initializer.ts b/tslang/test/tester/diagnostic-location/static_field_initializer.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9ddae4d3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tslang/test/tester/diagnostic-location/static_field_initializer.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// A static field's failed initializer compiled with no diagnostic: the field was registered
+// without a type, and the error, postponed like every message, was never shown.
+
+class Args {
+    static count = 1;
+    static argv: Ref<string> = null;
+}