diff --git a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/class.rs b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/class.rs
index 3d60856cca..cc441df103 100644
--- a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/class.rs
+++ b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/class.rs
@@ -379,6 +379,10 @@ impl Instance {
             .unwrap_or_else(|_| self.debug_type_name)
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn debug_name(&self) -> &'static str {
+        self.debug_type_name
+    }
+
     /// Lookup an attribute on the instance via the registered `Class`
     pub fn get_attr(&self, name: &str, host: &mut Host) -> crate::Result<PolarValue> {
         tracing::trace!({ method = %name }, "get_attr");
diff --git a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/from_polar.rs b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/from_polar.rs
index 2b3caaf391..365f77417d 100644
--- a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/from_polar.rs
+++ b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/from_polar.rs
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ where
         if let PolarValue::Instance(instance) = val {
             Ok(instance.downcast::<T>(None).map_err(|e| e.user())?.clone())
         } else {
-            Err(TypeError::expected("Instance").user())
+            Err(
+                TypeError::expected(format!("Instance of {}", std::any::type_name::<T>()))
+                    .got(val.type_name().to_string())
+                    .user(),
+            )
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/value.rs b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/value.rs
index 487b8b2c1c..e4198cd713 100644
--- a/languages/rust/oso/src/host/value.rs
+++ b/languages/rust/oso/src/host/value.rs
@@ -127,4 +127,38 @@ This may mean you performed an operation in your policy over an unbound variable
         };
         Term::new_from_ffi(value)
     }
+
+    pub fn type_name(&self) -> PolarValueType {
+        match self {
+            PolarValue::Integer(_) => PolarValueType::Integer,
+            PolarValue::Float(_) => PolarValueType::Float,
+            PolarValue::String(_) => PolarValueType::String,
+            PolarValue::Boolean(_) => PolarValueType::Boolean,
+            PolarValue::Map(_) => PolarValueType::Map,
+            PolarValue::List(_) => PolarValueType::List,
+            PolarValue::Variable(_) => PolarValueType::Variable,
+            PolarValue::Instance(i) => PolarValueType::Instance(i.debug_name()),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub enum PolarValueType {
+    Integer,
+    Float,
+    String,
+    Boolean,
+    Map,
+    List,
+    Variable,
+    Instance(&'static str),
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for PolarValueType {
+    fn fmt(&self, fmt: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            PolarValueType::Instance(name) => write!(fmt, "Instance<{}>", name),
+            _ => std::fmt::Debug::fmt(self, fmt),
+        }
+    }
 }