diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/Environment.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/Environment.ts
index 487900d013..d41e044713 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/Environment.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/Environment.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
   FunctionType,
   IdentifierId,
   makeIdentifierId,
-  Type,
+  ObjectType,
   ValueKind,
 } from "./HIR";
 import { BUILTIN_HOOKS, Hook } from "./Hooks";
@@ -75,19 +75,23 @@ export class Environment {
     };
   }
 
-  getPropertyType(receiver: Type, property: string): BuiltInType | null {
-    if (receiver.kind === "Object" || receiver.kind === "Function") {
-      const { shapeId } = receiver;
-      if (shapeId !== null) {
-        const shape = BUILTIN_SHAPES.get(shapeId);
-        invariant(
-          shape !== undefined,
-          `[HIR] Forget internal error: cannot resolve shape ${shapeId}`
-        );
-        return shape.properties.get(property) ?? null;
-      }
+  getPropertyType(
+    receiver: ObjectType | FunctionType,
+    property: string
+  ): BuiltInType | null {
+    const { shapeId } = receiver;
+    if (shapeId !== null) {
+      // If an object or function has a shapeId, it must have been assigned
+      // by Forget (and be present in a builtin or user-defined registry)
+      const shape = BUILTIN_SHAPES.get(shapeId);
+      invariant(
+        shape !== undefined,
+        `[HIR] Forget internal error: cannot resolve shape ${shapeId}`
+      );
+      return shape.properties.get(property) ?? null;
+    } else {
+      return null;
     }
-    return null;
   }
 
   getFunctionSignature(type: FunctionType): FunctionSignature | null {
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts b/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
index 8508658a38..e4ac142231 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
@@ -231,13 +231,17 @@ class Unifier {
   unify(tA: Type, tB: Type | PolyType): void {
     if (tB.kind === "Property") {
       const objectType = this.get(tB.object);
-      const propertyType = this.env.getPropertyType(
-        objectType,
-        tB.propertyName
-      );
-      if (propertyType !== null) {
-        this.unify(tA, propertyType);
+      if (objectType.kind === "Object" || objectType.kind === "Function") {
+        const propertyType = this.env.getPropertyType(
+          objectType,
+          tB.propertyName
+        );
+        if (propertyType !== null) {
+          this.unify(tA, propertyType);
+        }
       }
+      // We do not error if tB is not a known object or function (even if it
+      // is a primitive), since JS implicit conversion to objects
       return;
     } else if (tB.kind === "FunctionCall") {
       this.unifyFunctionCall(tA, tB);