diff --git a/src/dune/exe_rules.ml b/src/dune/exe_rules.ml
index ddaf1db80592..964b61e9926d 100644
--- a/src/dune/exe_rules.ml
+++ b/src/dune/exe_rules.ml
@@ -111,7 +111,12 @@ let executables_rules ~sctx ~dir ~expander ~dir_contents ~scope ~compile_info
   let o_files =
     if not (Executables.has_stubs exes) then
       None
-    else
+    else (
+      if List.mem Exe.Linkage.byte ~set:linkages then
+        User_error.raise ~loc:exes.buildable.loc
+          [ Pp.textf "Pure bytecode executables cannot contain C stubs."
+          ; Pp.textf "Did you forget to add `(modes exe)'?"
+          ];
       let c_sources =
         Dir_contents.c_sources_of_executables dir_contents ~first_exe
       in
@@ -122,6 +127,7 @@ let executables_rules ~sctx ~dir ~expander ~dir_contents ~scope ~compile_info
       in
       Check_rules.add_files sctx ~dir o_files;
       Some o_files
+    )
   in
   let requires_compile = Compilation_context.requires_compile cctx in
   Exe.build_and_link_many cctx ~programs ~linkages ~link_flags ?o_files
diff --git a/test/blackbox-tests/test-cases/exes-with-c/dune b/test/blackbox-tests/test-cases/exes-with-c/dune
index 203d2eecf0e8..a40cba7355ad 100644
--- a/test/blackbox-tests/test-cases/exes-with-c/dune
+++ b/test/blackbox-tests/test-cases/exes-with-c/dune
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 (executables
  (names aa bb)
- (c_names foo))
+ (c_names foo)
+ (modes exe))