diff --git a/packages/core/src/errors.ts b/packages/core/src/errors.ts
index 3d4301b305db..645c965ec138 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/errors.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { inspectValue } from '@crawlee/utils';
+import type { z } from 'zod';
 
 /**
  * Errors of `NonRetryableError` type will never be retried by the crawler.
@@ -90,3 +91,73 @@ export class ServiceConflictError extends Error {
  * Subclasses can catch this error to skip their own navigation-dependent logic.
  */
 export class NavigationSkippedError extends NonRetryableError {}
+
+/** Formats a zod issue path like `groups[0]` or `countryCode`. */
+function formatIssuePath(path: readonly PropertyKey[]): string {
+    let out = '';
+    for (const key of path) {
+        if (typeof key === 'number') out += `[${key}]`;
+        else out += out ? `.${String(key)}` : String(key);
+    }
+    return out;
+}
+
+/** Reads the value at `path` from the validated input, to include in the error. */
+function valueAtPath(root: unknown, path: readonly PropertyKey[]): unknown {
+    let current = root;
+    for (const key of path) {
+        if (current === null || typeof current !== 'object') return undefined;
+        current = (current as Record<PropertyKey, unknown>)[key];
+    }
+    return current;
+}
+
+/** Renders a primitive received value for an error; skips objects/Dates (noisy). */
+function describeReceived(value: unknown): string | undefined {
+    switch (typeof value) {
+        case 'string':
+            return value;
+        case 'number':
+        case 'boolean':
+        case 'bigint':
+            return String(value);
+        default:
+            return undefined;
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Formats a `ZodError` as a plain, human-readable message that names the
+ * offending field *and* the value it received (e.g. ``must match pattern
+ * /^[A-Z]{2}$/ at `countryCode`, got `CZE` ``) — closer to the old `ow` errors
+ * than zod's default, which omits the received value.
+ */
+function formatZodError(error: z.ZodError, root: unknown): string {
+    return error.issues
+        .map((issue) => {
+            const location = issue.path.length ? ` at \`${formatIssuePath(issue.path)}\`` : '';
+            const received = describeReceived(valueAtPath(root, issue.path));
+            const got = received === undefined ? '' : `, got \`${received}\``;
+            return `${issue.message}${location}${got}`;
+        })
+        .join('\n');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Thrown when an argument fails schema validation.
+ *
+ * Its `message` is a human-readable sentence naming the offending field and the
+ * value it received (rather than a raw JSON dump). The structured
+ * {@link https://zod.dev | zod} issues are available on `issues`, and the
+ * original `ZodError` on `cause`, for programmatic inspection.
+ */
+export class ArgumentValidationError extends Error {
+    /** Structured issues from the underlying schema check. */
+    readonly issues: z.ZodError['issues'];
+
+    constructor(error: z.ZodError, value: unknown) {
+        super(formatZodError(error, value), { cause: error });
+        this.name = 'ArgumentValidationError';
+        this.issues = error.issues;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/core/errors.test.ts b/test/core/errors.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d459b61316a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/errors.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { ArgumentValidationError } from '@crawlee/core';
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'vitest';
+import { z } from 'zod';
+
+describe('ArgumentValidationError', () => {
+    const schema = z
+        .object({
+            countryCode: z.string().regex(/^[A-Z]{2}$/),
+            retries: z.number().optional(),
+        })
+        .strict();
+
+    test('message names the offending field and the value it received', () => {
+        const error = new ArgumentValidationError(schema.safeParse({ countryCode: 'CZE' }).error!, {
+            countryCode: 'CZE',
+        });
+
+        expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+        expect(error.name).toBe('ArgumentValidationError');
+        expect(error.message).toBe('Invalid string: must match pattern /^[A-Z]{2}$/ at `countryCode`, got `CZE`');
+    });
+
+    test('exposes structured issues and keeps the ZodError as cause', () => {
+        const zodError = schema.safeParse({ retries: 'lots' }).error!;
+        const error = new ArgumentValidationError(zodError, { retries: 'lots' });
+
+        // `issues` is reachable directly, without digging into `cause`.
+        expect(error.issues).toBe(zodError.issues);
+        expect(error.issues.map((issue) => issue.path)).toContainEqual(['retries']);
+        expect(error.cause).toBe(zodError);
+    });
+});