diff --git a/tools/binman/etype/cbfs.py b/tools/binman/etype/cbfs.py
index a46bb98..175ecae 100644
--- a/tools/binman/etype/cbfs.py
+++ b/tools/binman/etype/cbfs.py
@@ -190,6 +190,9 @@
             elif entry._type == 'stage':
                 cfile = cbfs.add_file_stage(entry._cbfs_name, data,
                                             entry._cbfs_offset)
+            else:
+                entry.Raise("Unknown cbfs-type '%s' (use 'raw', 'stage')" %
+                            entry._type)
             if cfile:
                 entry._cbfs_file = cfile
                 entry.size = cfile.data_len
diff --git a/tools/binman/ftest.py b/tools/binman/ftest.py
index 999d888..21bea6c 100644
--- a/tools/binman/ftest.py
+++ b/tools/binman/ftest.py
@@ -2185,6 +2185,12 @@
             'cbfs/u-boot-dtb:image-pos': 0xb8,
             }, props)
 
+    def testCbfsBadType(self):
+        """Test an image header with a no specified location is detected"""
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as e:
+            self._DoReadFile('126_cbfs_bad_type.dts')
+        self.assertIn("Unknown cbfs-type 'badtype'", str(e.exception))
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/tools/binman/test/126_cbfs_bad_type.dts b/tools/binman/test/126_cbfs_bad_type.dts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2cd6fc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/binman/test/126_cbfs_bad_type.dts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0+
+
+/dts-v1/;
+
+/ {
+	#address-cells = <1>;
+	#size-cells = <1>;
+
+	binman {
+		cbfs {
+			size = <0x100>;
+			u-boot {
+				cbfs-type = "badtype";
+			};
+		};
+	};
+};