diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstChecker.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstChecker.kt
index a869dc656..fcef294c2 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstChecker.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstChecker.kt
@@ -2362,6 +2362,12 @@ internal class AstChecker(private val program: Program,
             errors.err("on..goto index must be an unsigned byte", onGoto.index.position)
         }
     }
+
+    override fun visit(idxderef: PtrIndexedDereference) {
+        val dt = idxderef.indexed.arrayvar.inferType(program)
+        if(!dt.isUnsignedWord && !dt.isPointer)
+            errors.err("cannot array index on this field type", idxderef.indexed.position)
+    }
 }
 
 internal fun checkUnusedReturnValues(call: FunctionCallStatement, target: Statement, errors: IErrorReporter) {
diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/SimplifiedAstMaker.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/SimplifiedAstMaker.kt
index 5ab49fb3d..9a87cf0bb 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/SimplifiedAstMaker.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/SimplifiedAstMaker.kt
@@ -108,14 +108,18 @@ class SimplifiedAstMaker(private val program: Program, private val errors: IErro
         val type = idxderef.inferType(program).getOrElse {
             throw FatalAstException("unknown dt")
         }
-        require(type.isPointer && type.sub!=null)
-        val deref = PtPointerIndexedDeref(DataType.forDt(type.sub!!), idxderef.position)
-        val indexer = PtArrayIndexer(DataType.forDt(type.sub!!), idxderef.position)
-        val identifier = PtIdentifier(idxderef.indexed.arrayvar.nameInSource.joinToString("."), type, idxderef.indexed.arrayvar.position)
-        indexer.add(identifier)
-        indexer.add(transformExpression(idxderef.indexed.indexer.indexExpr))
-        deref.add(indexer)
-        return deref
+        require(type.isPointer || type.isUnsignedWord)
+        if(type.isUnsignedWord) {
+            TODO("indexing uword field $idxderef")      // TODO hmm, wasn't there code elsewhere for this already?
+        } else {
+            val deref = PtPointerIndexedDeref(DataType.forDt(type.sub!!), idxderef.position)
+            val indexer = PtArrayIndexer(DataType.forDt(type.sub!!), idxderef.position)
+            val identifier = PtIdentifier(idxderef.indexed.arrayvar.nameInSource.joinToString("."), type, idxderef.indexed.arrayvar.position)
+            indexer.add(identifier)
+            indexer.add(transformExpression(idxderef.indexed.indexer.indexExpr))
+            deref.add(indexer)
+            return deref
+        }
     }
 
     private fun transform(deref: PtrDereference): PtPointerDeref {
diff --git a/compiler/test/TestPointers.kt b/compiler/test/TestPointers.kt
index 3f6ce3a58..c4043deab 100644
--- a/compiler/test/TestPointers.kt
+++ b/compiler/test/TestPointers.kt
@@ -314,4 +314,28 @@ main {
         a2.target.array shouldNotBe null
     }
 
+    test("array indexing on non pointer fields give correct error messages") {
+        val src="""
+main {
+    struct List {
+        bool s
+        ubyte n
+        uword ptr
+    }
+    sub start() {
+        ^^List @shared l1 = List()
+        l1.s[1] = 4444
+        l1.n[1] = true
+        l1.ptr[1] = 4444
+    }
+}"""
+
+        val errors = ErrorReporterForTests()
+        compileText(VMTarget(), false, src, outputDir, errors=errors) shouldBe null
+        errors.errors.size shouldBe 4
+        errors.errors[0] shouldContain "cannot array index"
+        errors.errors[1] shouldContain "cannot array index"
+        errors.errors[2] shouldContain "out of range"
+    }
+
 })
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
index fa989bc04..2274153d6 100644
--- a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
@@ -1624,12 +1624,17 @@ class PtrIndexedDereference(val indexed: ArrayIndexedExpression, override val po
             TODO("cannot determine type of dereferenced indexed pointer(?) that is not a pointer to a basic type")
         }
 
-        if(parent is AssignTarget) {
+        if(parent is AssignTarget || parent is Assignment) {
             val dt = indexed.arrayvar.traverseDerefChainForDt(null)
-            return if(dt.isUndefined)
-                InferredTypes.unknown()
-            else
-                InferredTypes.knownFor(dt)
+            return when {
+                dt.isUndefined -> InferredTypes.unknown()
+                dt.isUnsignedWord -> InferredTypes.knownFor(BaseDataType.UBYTE)
+                dt.isPointer -> {
+                    return if(dt.sub!=null) InferredTypes.knownFor(dt.sub!!)
+                    else InferredTypes.unknown()
+                }
+                else -> InferredTypes.unknown()
+            }
         }
 
         return InferredTypes.unknown()
diff --git a/examples/test.p8 b/examples/test.p8
index 30fa1c83d..6b77bf3a9 100644
--- a/examples/test.p8
+++ b/examples/test.p8
@@ -1,55 +1,25 @@
 main {
     struct List {
-        bool s
+        ^^uword s
+        ubyte n
+    }
+    sub start() {
+        ^^List l1 = List()  ; TODO fix unused var removal
+        l1.s[2] = 1
+    }
+}
+
+/*
+main {
+    struct List {
+        ^^uword s
         ubyte n
     }
     sub start() {
         ^^List @shared l1 = List()
-        l1.s[1] = 4444      ; TODO wrong error message, instead should give an error that you can't index a boolean (only uword or pointer)
-        l1.s[1] = true      ; TODO should give an error that you can't index a boolean (only uword or pointer)
-    }
-}
-
-
-/*
-
-main {
-    struct List {
-        bool s
-        ubyte n
-    }
-    sub start() {
-        ^^List @shared l1 = List()      ; TODO gets removed as 'unused var' when not @shared
-        l1.s[0] = true
+        cx16.r0=  l1.s[2]
+        ;l1.s[l1.n] = 1
+        ;l1.s[0] = 2
     }
 }
 */
-
-
-/*
-main {
-    struct List {
-        ^^uword s
-        ubyte n
-    }
-    sub start() {
-        ^^List l1 = List()
-        l1.s[l1.n] = 1
-    }
-}
-*/
-
-/*
-main {
-    struct List {
-        ^^uword s
-        ubyte n
-    }
-    sub start() {
-        ^^List l1 = List()
-        l1.s[l1.n] = 1
-        l1.s[0] = 2
-    }
-}
-*/
-