diff --git a/examples/diagnostics/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.sx b/examples/diagnostics/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.sx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..55d4b408
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/diagnostics/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// `??` (null-coalesce) requires an optional left operand. A resolved
+// non-optional lhs is malformed user input and must be a clean, located type
+// error — not a compiler crash. Regression (issue 0172): `lowerNullCoalesce`
+// used to feed the `.unresolved` inner type (from `resolveOptionalInner` on a
+// non-optional lhs) straight into the merge-block params / `optionalUnwrap` /
+// the RHS target type, which reached emit_llvm's "unresolved type reached LLVM
+// emission" panic (exit 134) with no diagnostic. A guard now inspects the
+// inferred lhs type: a resolved non-optional emits this error and bails before
+// codegen; an already-`.unresolved` lhs (a prior error, e.g. undefined name)
+// passes through untouched so the original diagnostic isn't double-reported.
+
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+
+main :: () {
+  x := 5 ?? 7;   // <- left operand of '??' must be an optional, but has type 'i64'
+  print("{}\n", x);
+}
diff --git a/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.exit b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.exit
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d00491fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.exit
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1
diff --git a/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stderr b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0b934195
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+error: left operand of '??' must be an optional, but has type 'i64'
+  --> examples/diagnostics/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.sx:15:8
+   |
+15 |   x := 5 ?? 7;   // <- left operand of '??' must be an optional, but has type 'i64'
+   |        ^
diff --git a/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stdout b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stdout
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b137891
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/diagnostics/expected/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.stdout
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/issues/0172-null-coalesce-non-optional-lhs-panics.md b/issues/0172-null-coalesce-non-optional-lhs-panics.md
index 994f9258..b22c31ab 100644
--- a/issues/0172-null-coalesce-non-optional-lhs-panics.md
+++ b/issues/0172-null-coalesce-non-optional-lhs-panics.md
@@ -1,5 +1,18 @@
 # 0172 — `??` with a non-optional left-hand side panics instead of diagnosing
 
+> **RESOLVED.** `lowerNullCoalesce` fed `resolveOptionalInner`'s `.unresolved`
+> (returned for a non-optional lhs) into the merge-block / `optionalUnwrap` / RHS
+> target type → codegen panic. Fix (`src/ir/lower/expr.zig`): before computing
+> `inner_ty`, if `inferExprType(nc.lhs)` is a RESOLVED non-optional type, emit a
+> located diagnostic ("left operand of '??' must be an optional, but has type
+> '<T>'") and bail; an `.unresolved` lhs (prior error) is excluded to avoid
+> double-report. `??` is optional-only per specs.md (error unions use
+> `or`/`catch`), so rejecting a failable lhs is correct. Comptime panic closed
+> too. Verified by 3 adversarial reviews; suite 790/0. Regression:
+> `examples/diagnostics/1200-diagnostics-null-coalesce-non-optional.sx`. (Adjacent
+> pre-existing `??`-lowering defects found + filed: 0180 — generic / alias /
+> tuple optional lhs.)
+
 ## Symptom
 
 Using `??` where the left operand is NOT an optional panics the compiler:
diff --git a/issues/0180-null-coalesce-generic-and-nontrivial-optional-defects.md b/issues/0180-null-coalesce-generic-and-nontrivial-optional-defects.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..05d4abd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/0180-null-coalesce-generic-and-nontrivial-optional-defects.md
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# 0180 — `??` lowering defects for generic / alias / tuple optional lhs (wrong fallback, segfault, PHI mismatch)
+
+## Symptom
+
+`lowerNullCoalesce` mishandles several non-trivial optional lhs shapes (all with a
+genuinely-optional lhs, so the issue-0172 non-optional guard correctly does not
+fire). Found during adversarial review of issue 0172.
+
+1. **Generic `??` returns the WRONG fallback** (VERIFIED — silent miscompile):
+   a `??` inside a generic function where the lhs is a type-param-typed optional
+   `?T` drops the RHS default and returns the zero payload instead.
+2. **Alias-optional with a struct-literal default segfaults** (reported by review):
+   `?Opt ?? Opt.{}` where `Opt :: ?Struct` crashes in type interning
+   (`hashString`/wyhash).
+3. **`?(i32) ?? i32` LLVM PHI-type mismatch** (reported by review): an
+   optional-of-1-tuple coalesced with a scalar default emits `phi { i32 }` vs
+   `i32`.
+
+(Scalar-default alias-optional `Opt :: ?i64; o ?? 7` works correctly — the
+defects are specific to the shapes above.)
+
+## Reproduction
+
+(1) Generic `??` wrong fallback — VERIFIED, prints `0`, expected `99`:
+```sx
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+unwrap_or :: (d: $T, x: ?T) -> T { return x ?? d; }
+main :: () { b : ?i32 = null; print("{}\n", unwrap_or(99, b)); }  // prints 0 — WRONG
+```
+
+(2) Alias-optional + struct-literal default (reported segfault):
+```sx
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+S :: struct { a: i64 = 0; }
+Opt :: ?S;
+main :: () { o : Opt = null; x := o ?? S.{ a = 7 }; print("{}\n", x.a); }
+```
+
+(3) Optional-of-tuple + scalar default (reported PHI mismatch):
+```sx
+#import "modules/std.sx";
+main :: () { o : ?(i32) = null; x := o ?? 5; }
+```
+
+## Investigation prompt
+
+`src/ir/lower/expr.zig` `lowerNullCoalesce`. For (1), when the lhs optional's
+child is a TYPE PARAMETER (`?T`, resolved per monomorphization), the present/
+absent merge appears to drop the RHS default and yield the zero payload — check
+that `inner_ty` and the merge-block param resolve to the monomorphized child and
+that the RHS (`d`) is correctly selected on the null path. For (2)/(3), the merge
+of present-payload vs default has a type mismatch when the child is an
+alias/struct (interning crash) or a 1-tuple (PHI `{i32}` vs `i32`) — the default
+and the unwrapped payload must share the exact merge TypeId. Verify each repro
+produces the expected value (`99`, `7`, and a clean `?(i32)` coalesce); confirm
+the generic case across multiple instantiations. Add regressions under
+`examples/optionals/09xx-...`. (These reproduce on master, independent of the
+issue-0172 guard.)
diff --git a/src/ir/lower/expr.zig b/src/ir/lower/expr.zig
index 88bfc90c..3d194345 100644
--- a/src/ir/lower/expr.zig
+++ b/src/ir/lower/expr.zig
@@ -1952,7 +1952,24 @@ pub fn lowerForceUnwrap(self: *Lowering, fu: *const ast.ForceUnwrap) Ref {
 
 pub fn lowerNullCoalesce(self: *Lowering, nc: *const ast.NullCoalesce) Ref {
     const lhs = self.lowerExpr(nc.lhs);
-    const inner_ty = self.resolveOptionalInner(self.inferExprType(nc.lhs));
+    const lhs_ty = self.inferExprType(nc.lhs);
+
+    // `??` requires an optional left operand. A resolved non-optional lhs is
+    // malformed user input: diagnose it here instead of letting the
+    // `.unresolved` inner type (from `resolveOptionalInner`) flow into the
+    // merge-block params / `optionalUnwrap` / the RHS target type and reach
+    // emit_llvm's "unresolved type reached LLVM emission" panic with no source
+    // location (issue 0172). Skip an already-`.unresolved` lhs: that comes
+    // from a PRIOR error (e.g. an undefined name) which has already been
+    // diagnosed — re-reporting would be a confusing second message.
+    const lhs_is_optional = !lhs_ty.isBuiltin() and self.module.types.get(lhs_ty) == .optional;
+    if (lhs_ty != .unresolved and !lhs_is_optional) {
+        if (self.diagnostics) |d|
+            d.addFmt(.err, nc.lhs.span, "left operand of '??' must be an optional, but has type '{s}'", .{self.formatTypeName(lhs_ty)});
+        return lhs; // placeholder — hasErrors() aborts before codegen
+    }
+
+    const inner_ty = self.resolveOptionalInner(lhs_ty);
 
     // Short-circuit: only evaluate RHS if LHS is null.
     // IMPORTANT: optional_unwrap must be in the "has value" branch,