diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.rejected_event_listener.test.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.rejected_event_listener.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3e217f94d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.rejected_event_listener.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { analyzeJavaScriptSemantics } from "./javascriptSemanticAnalysis.js";
+
+/**
+ * A listener must be a function, and Node throws `ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE` before
+ * anything is registered or removed when it is not.
+ *
+ * Measured on Node 24.22.1:
+ *
+ *   emitter.on(1)                    -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *   emitter.on("x", 1)               -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *   emitter.on("x", null)            -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *   emitter.on("x", true)            -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *   emitter.on("x", {} / [])         -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *   emitter.once / addListener /
+ *   prependListener / prependOnceListener / off / removeListener, same
+ *   emitter.on("x", () => {})        -> ok
+ *   emitter.on("x", function () {})  -> ok
+ */
+const eventsFor = (call: string) =>
+  analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(
+    `import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";\nconst e = new EventEmitter();\nfunction g(fn, args) { ${call}; }`,
+  ).eventOperations.map(({ kind, method, eventName }) => ({
+    kind,
+    method,
+    eventName,
+  }));
+
+it.each([
+  ["a numeric listener", `e.on("x", 1)`],
+  ["a string listener", `e.on("x", "fn")`],
+  ["a template-literal listener", 'e.on("x", `fn`)'],
+  ["a boolean listener", `e.on("x", true)`],
+  ["a null listener", `e.on("x", null)`],
+  ["a void listener", `e.on("x", void 0)`],
+  ["a BigInt listener", `e.on("x", 0n)`],
+  ["a RegExp listener", `e.on("x", /re/)`],
+  ["an object listener", `e.on("x", {})`],
+  ["an array listener", `e.on("x", [])`],
+  ["a once numeric listener", `e.once("x", 1)`],
+  ["an addListener numeric listener", `e.addListener("x", 1)`],
+  ["a prependListener numeric listener", `e.prependListener("x", 1)`],
+  ["a prependOnceListener numeric listener", `e.prependOnceListener("x", 1)`],
+  ["a removeListener numeric listener", `e.removeListener("x", 1)`],
+  ["an off numeric listener", `e.off("x", 1)`],
+] as const)("emits no event operation for %s", (_name, call) => {
+  expect(eventsFor(call)).toEqual([]);
+});
+
+it.each([
+  ["an arrow listener", `e.on("x", () => {})`, "on"],
+  ["a function-expression listener", `e.on("x", function () {})`, "on"],
+  ["a class-expression listener", `e.on("x", class {})`, "on"],
+  ["an identifier listener", `e.on("x", fn)`, "on"],
+  ["a call-result listener", `e.on("x", make())`, "on"],
+  ["a spread listener", `e.on("x", ...listeners)`, "on"],
+  ["an once arrow listener", `e.once("x", () => {})`, "once"],
+  [
+    "a removeListener identifier",
+    `e.removeListener("x", fn)`,
+    "removeListener",
+  ],
+] as const)("keeps the event operation for %s", (_name, call, method) => {
+  expect(eventsFor(call)).toEqual([
+    { kind: expect.any(String) as unknown as string, method, eventName: "x" },
+  ]);
+});
+
+/**
+ * `emit` passes its remaining arguments to listeners that already exist, so it
+ * does not validate them the way a registration does.
+ */
+it("keeps an emit with a literal payload", () => {
+  expect(eventsFor(`e.emit("x", 1)`)).toEqual([
+    { kind: "dispatch", method: "emit", eventName: "x" },
+  ]);
+});
+
+/** `removeAllListeners` takes only an optional event name, never a listener. */
+it("keeps removeAllListeners with a literal event name", () => {
+  expect(eventsFor(`e.removeAllListeners("x")`)).toEqual([
+    { kind: "remove", method: "removeAllListeners", eventName: "x" },
+  ]);
+});
+
+/**
+ * Two review findings.
+ *
+ * Babel stores `1e999` as a `NumericLiteral` holding `Infinity`, which the
+ * exact-value reader refuses to price, so the non-finite value was missed:
+ *
+ *   e.on("x", 1e999)  -> THREW ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE
+ *
+ * A leading spread shifts the runtime argument positions, so argument 1 is not
+ * provably the listener:
+ *
+ *   e.on(...["x", fn], 1)  -> registers fn; the trailing 1 is ignored
+ */
+it.each([
+  ["an overflowing numeric listener", `e.on("x", 1e999)`],
+  ["another overflowing numeric listener", `e.on("x", 1e400)`],
+] as const)("emits no event operation for %s", (_name, call) => {
+  expect(eventsFor(call)).toEqual([]);
+});
+
+it.each([
+  ["a leading spread", `e.on(...args, 1)`, "on"],
+  ["a leading spread with a literal array", `e.on(...["x", fn], 1)`, "on"],
+  ["a leading spread on once", `e.once(...args, 0)`, "once"],
+] as const)("keeps the event operation for %s", (_name, call, method) => {
+  expect(eventsFor(call)).toEqual([
+    { kind: "register", method, eventName: null },
+  ]);
+});
diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAsyncEffects.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAsyncEffects.ts
index 591a0f4e36..ea9e990bd1 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAsyncEffects.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAsyncEffects.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@ import type {
   JavaScriptSemanticTimerOperation,
 } from "./javascriptSemanticIr.js";
 import { createSemanticCallableIdStack } from "./javascriptSemanticCallableStack.js";
-import { semanticStaticPropertyName } from "./javascriptAstValues.js";
+import {
+  readExactJavaScriptLiteral,
+  semanticStaticPropertyName,
+  unwrapJavaScriptExpression,
+} from "./javascriptAstValues.js";
 import {
   resolveSemanticBindingState,
   semanticResolutionBlocked,
@@ -127,6 +131,36 @@ export const collectJavaScriptSemanticAsyncEffects = (
   };
 };
 
+/**
+ * A listener must be a function, and Node throws `ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE` before
+ * anything is registered or removed when it is not. An exactly readable literal
+ * that cannot be a function is therefore not an event operation, while an
+ * identifier, a call result or a spread may still supply one and keeps its
+ * operation.
+ *
+ * A class expression passes Node's own `typeof` check, so it is kept.
+ */
+const rejectsEventListener = (listener: t.Node): boolean => {
+  if (t.isSpreadElement(listener)) return false;
+  const value = unwrapJavaScriptExpression(listener).node;
+  if (t.isFunctionExpression(value) || t.isArrowFunctionExpression(value))
+    return false;
+  if (t.isClassExpression(value)) return false;
+  // A numeric literal is always a number, including the non-finite value Babel
+  // stores for `1e999`, which the exact-value reader refuses to price.
+  if (t.isNumericLiteral(value)) return true;
+  // Every unary operator yields a primitive, and a primitive is never callable.
+  return (
+    t.isUnaryExpression(value) ||
+    readExactJavaScriptLiteral(value).found ||
+    t.isTemplateLiteral(value) ||
+    t.isBigIntLiteral(value) ||
+    t.isRegExpLiteral(value) ||
+    t.isArrayExpression(value) ||
+    t.isObjectExpression(value)
+  );
+};
+
 const collectEvent = (
   node: t.CallExpression | t.OptionalCallExpression,
   ownerCallableId: string | null,
@@ -146,6 +180,15 @@ const collectEvent = (
   const listenerArgument = EVENT_LISTENER_METHODS.includes(method)
     ? node.arguments[1]
     : undefined;
+  // A leading spread shifts the runtime argument positions, so argument 1 is not
+  // provably the listener: `e.on(...["x", fn], 1)` registers `fn` and ignores the
+  // trailing `1`.
+  if (
+    !t.isSpreadElement(eventArgument) &&
+    listenerArgument !== undefined &&
+    rejectsEventListener(listenerArgument)
+  )
+    return;
   const emitter = emitterIdentity(member.object, state);
   const eventName = dataEffectLiteralString(eventArgument);
   output.push({