diff --git a/.github/workflows/backport.yml b/.github/workflows/backport.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..af12190e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/backport.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+name: Backport
+on:
+  pull_request_target:
+    types: [closed, labeled]
+jobs:
+  backport:
+    name: Backport Pull Request
+    if: github.repository_owner == 'NixOS' && github.event.pull_request.merged == true && (github.event_name != 'labeled' || startsWith('backport', github.event.label.name))
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
+          # required to find all branches
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: Create backport PRs
+        # should be kept in sync with `version`
+        uses: zeebe-io/backport-action@v0.0.5
+        with:
+          # Config README: https://github.com/zeebe-io/backport-action#backport-action
+          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          github_workspace: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          pull_description: |-
+            Bot-based backport to `${target_branch}`, triggered by a label in #${pull_number}.
+          # should be kept in sync with `uses`
+          version: v0.0.5
diff --git a/src/libexpr/primops.cc b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
index 668ad00ec..1d59ab9cf 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/primops.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/primops.cc
@@ -1011,7 +1011,7 @@ static void prim_derivationStrict(EvalState & state, const Pos & pos, Value * *
                     if (i->name == state.sStructuredAttrs) continue;
 
                     auto placeholder(jsonObject->placeholder(key));
-                    printValueAsJSON(state, true, *i->value, placeholder, context);
+                    printValueAsJSON(state, true, *i->value, pos, placeholder, context);
 
                     if (i->name == state.sBuilder)
                         drv.builder = state.forceString(*i->value, context, posDrvName);
@@ -1690,7 +1690,7 @@ static void prim_toJSON(EvalState & state, const Pos & pos, Value * * args, Valu
 {
     std::ostringstream out;
     PathSet context;
-    printValueAsJSON(state, true, *args[0], out, context);
+    printValueAsJSON(state, true, *args[0], pos, out, context);
     mkString(v, out.str(), context);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libexpr/value-to-json.cc b/src/libexpr/value-to-json.cc
index bfea24d40..4d642c720 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/value-to-json.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/value-to-json.cc
@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@
 namespace nix {
 
 void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
-    Value & v, JSONPlaceholder & out, PathSet & context)
+    Value & v, const Pos & pos, JSONPlaceholder & out, PathSet & context)
 {
     checkInterrupt();
 
-    if (strict) state.forceValue(v);
+    if (strict) state.forceValue(v, pos);
 
     switch (v.type()) {
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
             break;
 
         case nAttrs: {
-            auto maybeString = state.tryAttrsToString(noPos, v, context, false, false);
+            auto maybeString = state.tryAttrsToString(pos, v, context, false, false);
             if (maybeString) {
                 out.write(*maybeString);
                 break;
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
                 for (auto & j : names) {
                     Attr & a(*v.attrs->find(state.symbols.create(j)));
                     auto placeholder(obj.placeholder(j));
-                    printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *a.value, placeholder, context);
+                    printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *a.value, *a.pos, placeholder, context);
                 }
             } else
-                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *i->value, out, context);
+                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *i->value, *i->pos, out, context);
             break;
         }
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
             auto list(out.list());
             for (unsigned int n = 0; n < v.listSize(); ++n) {
                 auto placeholder(list.placeholder());
-                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *v.listElems()[n], placeholder, context);
+                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, *v.listElems()[n], pos, placeholder, context);
             }
             break;
         }
@@ -79,18 +79,20 @@ void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
             break;
 
         case nThunk:
-            throw TypeError("cannot convert %1% to JSON", showType(v));
-
         case nFunction:
-            throw TypeError("cannot convert %1% to JSON", showType(v));
+            auto e = TypeError({
+                .msg = hintfmt("cannot convert %1% to JSON", showType(v)),
+                .errPos = v.determinePos(pos)
+            });
+            throw e.addTrace(pos, hintfmt("message for the trace"));
     }
 }
 
 void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
-    Value & v, std::ostream & str, PathSet & context)
+    Value & v, const Pos & pos, std::ostream & str, PathSet & context)
 {
     JSONPlaceholder out(str);
-    printValueAsJSON(state, strict, v, out, context);
+    printValueAsJSON(state, strict, v, pos, out, context);
 }
 
 void ExternalValueBase::printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
diff --git a/src/libexpr/value-to-json.hh b/src/libexpr/value-to-json.hh
index 67fed6487..c2f797b29 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/value-to-json.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/value-to-json.hh
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ namespace nix {
 class JSONPlaceholder;
 
 void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
-    Value & v, JSONPlaceholder & out, PathSet & context);
+    Value & v, const Pos & pos, JSONPlaceholder & out, PathSet & context);
 
 void printValueAsJSON(EvalState & state, bool strict,
-    Value & v, std::ostream & str, PathSet & context);
+    Value & v, const Pos & pos, std::ostream & str, PathSet & context);
 
 }
diff --git a/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc b/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
index a86f55f84..4056d973d 100644
--- a/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
+++ b/src/nix-env/nix-env.cc
@@ -879,7 +879,7 @@ static void queryJSON(Globals & globals, vector<DrvInfo> & elems)
                 placeholder.write(nullptr);
             } else {
                 PathSet context;
-                printValueAsJSON(*globals.state, true, *v, placeholder, context);
+                printValueAsJSON(*globals.state, true, *v, noPos, placeholder, context);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/nix-instantiate/nix-instantiate.cc b/src/nix-instantiate/nix-instantiate.cc
index 6ff3d2f19..19a954ddd 100644
--- a/src/nix-instantiate/nix-instantiate.cc
+++ b/src/nix-instantiate/nix-instantiate.cc
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void processExpr(EvalState & state, const Strings & attrPaths,
             if (output == okXML)
                 printValueAsXML(state, strict, location, vRes, std::cout, context, noPos);
             else if (output == okJSON)
-                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, vRes, std::cout, context);
+                printValueAsJSON(state, strict, vRes, v.determinePos(noPos), std::cout, context);
             else {
                 if (strict) state.forceValueDeep(vRes);
                 std::cout << vRes << std::endl;
diff --git a/src/nix/eval.cc b/src/nix/eval.cc
index 65d61e005..c7517cf79 100644
--- a/src/nix/eval.cc
+++ b/src/nix/eval.cc
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ struct CmdEval : MixJSON, InstallableCommand
 
         else if (json) {
             JSONPlaceholder jsonOut(std::cout);
-            printValueAsJSON(*state, true, *v, jsonOut, context);
+            printValueAsJSON(*state, true, *v, pos, jsonOut, context);
         }
 
         else {