diff --git a/src/runtime/bake/bake_body.rs b/src/runtime/bake/bake_body.rs
index d51f80223766..c9195a2b5399 100644
--- a/src/runtime/bake/bake_body.rs
+++ b/src/runtime/bake/bake_body.rs
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ impl UserOptions {
             }
         };
 
-        if let Some(plugin_array) = config.get(global, "plugins")? {
+        if let Some(plugin_array) = get_optional_value(config, global, b"plugins")? {
             bundler_options.parse_plugin_array(plugin_array, global)?;
         }
 
@@ -312,6 +312,10 @@ impl SplitBundlerOptions {
         plugin_array: JSValue,
         global: &JSGlobalObject,
     ) -> JsResult<()> {
+        if !plugin_array.is_array() {
+            return Err(global.throw_invalid_arguments(format_args!("plugins must be an array")));
+        }
+
         // Create the Plugin and assign it to `opts.plugin` BEFORE iterating,
         // so `plugins: []` still leaves `self.plugin = Some(_)`.
         let plugin: NonNull<Plugin> = match self.plugin {
diff --git a/test/bake/dev/plugins.test.ts b/test/bake/dev/plugins.test.ts
index fa1641f878af..0d5f4340ec7e 100644
--- a/test/bake/dev/plugins.test.ts
+++ b/test/bake/dev/plugins.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 // Plugin tests concern plugins in development mode.
+import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { bunEnv, bunExe, tempDir } from "harness";
 import { devTest, minimalFramework } from "../bake-harness";
 
 // Note: more in depth testing of plugins is done in test/bundler/bundler_plugin.test.ts
@@ -110,6 +112,87 @@ devTest("onResolve + onLoad virtual file", {
     ]);
   },
 });
+
+// `app.plugins` and `framework.plugins` share one parser. It used to iterate whatever
+// it was handed: a non-array was either accepted and ignored (123, an array-like) or
+// rejected for its first "element" ("abc", a single plugin object passed without the
+// surrounding array).
+test.concurrent("app.plugins and framework.plugins must be arrays", async () => {
+  using dir = tempDir("bake-plugins-not-array", {
+    "server.ts": `export function render() { return new Response("unused"); }`,
+    "check.ts": `
+      const framework = {
+        fileSystemRouterTypes: [{ root: "routes", style: "nextjs-pages", serverEntryPoint: "./server.ts" }],
+      };
+      let setupCalls = 0;
+      const plugin = { name: "counted", setup() { setupCalls++; } };
+      const values = {
+        "string": "abc",
+        "single plugin object": plugin,
+        "number": 123,
+        "array-like": { length: 0 },
+        "array": [plugin],
+        "empty array": [],
+        "null": null,
+      };
+      const sites = {
+        "app.plugins": plugins => ({ framework, plugins }),
+        "framework.plugins": plugins => ({ framework: { ...framework, plugins } }),
+      };
+
+      const results = {};
+      for (const [site, app] of Object.entries(sites)) {
+        for (const [name, plugins] of Object.entries(values)) {
+          try {
+            const server = Bun.serve({
+              port: 0,
+              development: true,
+              app: app(plugins),
+              fetch: () => new Response(""),
+            });
+            server.stop(true);
+            results[site + " = " + name] = "accepted";
+          } catch (e) {
+            results[site + " = " + name] = e.message;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+      results.setupCalls = setupCalls;
+      console.log(JSON.stringify(results));
+    `,
+  });
+
+  await using proc = Bun.spawn({
+    cmd: [bunExe(), "check.ts"],
+    env: bunEnv,
+    cwd: String(dir),
+    stdout: "pipe",
+    stderr: "pipe",
+  });
+  const [stdout, stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stdout.text(), proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+
+  expect(stderr).toBe("");
+  expect(JSON.parse(stdout)).toEqual({
+    "app.plugins = string": "plugins must be an array",
+    "app.plugins = single plugin object": "plugins must be an array",
+    "app.plugins = number": "plugins must be an array",
+    "app.plugins = array-like": "plugins must be an array",
+    "app.plugins = array": "accepted",
+    "app.plugins = empty array": "accepted",
+    "app.plugins = null": "accepted",
+    "framework.plugins = string": "plugins must be an array",
+    "framework.plugins = single plugin object": "plugins must be an array",
+    "framework.plugins = number": "plugins must be an array",
+    "framework.plugins = array-like": "plugins must be an array",
+    "framework.plugins = array": "accepted",
+    "framework.plugins = empty array": "accepted",
+    "framework.plugins = null": "accepted",
+    // once per site, from the two "array" cases
+    setupCalls: 2,
+  });
+  expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
+});
+
 // devTest("onLoad with watchFile", {
 //   framework: minimalFramework,
 //   pluginFile: `
diff --git a/test/bake/dev/production.test.ts b/test/bake/dev/production.test.ts
index 1335e3244c00..acc4dff881f1 100644
--- a/test/bake/dev/production.test.ts
+++ b/test/bake/dev/production.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
 import { existsSync } from "fs";
-import { bunEnv, bunExe } from "harness";
+import { bunEnv, bunExe, tempDir } from "harness";
 import path from "path";
 import { tempDirWithBakeDeps } from "../bake-harness";
 
@@ -329,6 +329,29 @@ export default function GettingStarted() {
     }
   });
 
+  // Same options parser as `Bun.serve({ app })` (dev/plugins.test.ts covers the value
+  // matrix); this used to build with the option silently ignored.
+  test("rejects a non-array plugins option", async () => {
+    using dir = tempDir("bake-production-plugins-not-array", {
+      "server.ts": `export function render() { return new Response("unused"); }`,
+      "bun.app.ts": `
+        export default {
+          app: {
+            framework: {
+              fileSystemRouterTypes: [{ root: "routes", style: "nextjs-pages", serverEntryPoint: "./server.ts" }],
+            },
+            plugins: 123,
+          },
+        };
+      `,
+    });
+
+    const { exitCode, stderr } = await Bun.$`${bunExe()} build --app`.cwd(String(dir)).env(bunEnv).throws(false);
+
+    expect(stderr.toString()).toContain("TypeError: plugins must be an array");
+    expect(exitCode).toBe(1);
+  });
+
   test("client-side component with default import should work", async () => {
     const dir = await tempDirWithBakeDeps("bake-production-client-import", {
       "src/index.tsx": `export default { app: { framework: "react" } };`,