diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index afee89420..dbfd0fe33 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -1433,7 +1433,22 @@ void ExprSelect::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
     Value * vCurrent = &vFirst;
     // Position for the current attrset Value in this select chain.
     PosIdx posCurrent;
-    e->eval(state, env, vFirst);
+
+    try {
+        e->eval(state, env, vFirst);
+    } catch (Error & e) {
+        assert(this->e != nullptr);
+        std::stringstream selectedOn;
+        this->e->show(state.symbols, selectedOn);
+        state.addErrorTrace(
+            e,
+            getPos(),
+            "while evaluating '%s' to select '%s' on it",
+            "a",
+            "foo"
+        );
+        throw;
+    }
 
     try {
         auto dts = state.debugRepl
diff --git a/tests/functional/lang/eval-fail-recursion.err.exp b/tests/functional/lang/eval-fail-recursion.err.exp
index 19380dc65..f0057b2d5 100644
--- a/tests/functional/lang/eval-fail-recursion.err.exp
+++ b/tests/functional/lang/eval-fail-recursion.err.exp
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 error:
+       … while evaluating 'a' to select 'foo' on it
+         at /pwd/lang/eval-fail-recursion.nix:1:21:
+            1| let a = {} // a; in a.foo
+             |                     ^
+            2|
+
        … in the right operand of the update (//) operator
          at /pwd/lang/eval-fail-recursion.nix:1:12:
             1| let a = {} // a; in a.foo