diff --git a/edge_test.go b/edge_test.go
index 0611a23..aaaaa12 100644
--- a/edge_test.go
+++ b/edge_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package html
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"testing"
 
 	i18n "dappco.re/go/core/i18n"
@@ -341,6 +342,64 @@ func TestLayout_InvalidVariantChars_Bad(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestLayout_VariantError_Bad(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		variant       string
+		wantInvalid   bool
+		wantErrString string
+		build         func(*Layout)
+		wantRender    string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:        "valid variant",
+			variant:     "HCF",
+			wantInvalid: false,
+			build: func(layout *Layout) {
+				layout.H(Raw("header")).C(Raw("main")).F(Raw("footer"))
+			},
+			wantRender: `<header role="banner" data-block="H-0">header</header><main role="main" data-block="C-0">main</main><footer role="contentinfo" data-block="F-0">footer</footer>`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "mixed invalid variant",
+			variant:       "HXC",
+			wantInvalid:   true,
+			wantErrString: "html: invalid layout variant HXC",
+			build: func(layout *Layout) {
+				layout.H(Raw("header")).C(Raw("main"))
+			},
+			wantRender: `<header role="banner" data-block="H-0">header</header><main role="main" data-block="C-0">main</main>`,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			layout := NewLayout(tt.variant)
+			if tt.build != nil {
+				tt.build(layout)
+			}
+			if tt.wantInvalid {
+				if layout.VariantError() == nil {
+					t.Fatalf("VariantError() = nil, want sentinel error for %q", tt.variant)
+				}
+				if !errors.Is(layout.VariantError(), ErrInvalidLayoutVariant) {
+					t.Fatalf("VariantError() = %v, want errors.Is(..., ErrInvalidLayoutVariant)", layout.VariantError())
+				}
+				if got := layout.VariantError().Error(); got != tt.wantErrString {
+					t.Fatalf("VariantError().Error() = %q, want %q", got, tt.wantErrString)
+				}
+			} else if layout.VariantError() != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("VariantError() = %v, want nil", layout.VariantError())
+			}
+
+			got := layout.Render(NewContext())
+			if got != tt.wantRender {
+				t.Fatalf("Render() = %q, want %q", got, tt.wantRender)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestLayout_InvalidVariantMixedValidInvalid_Bad(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := NewContext()
 
diff --git a/layout.go b/layout.go
index 06e3318..ea17221 100644
--- a/layout.go
+++ b/layout.go
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
 package html
 
+import "errors"
+
 // Compile-time interface check.
 var _ Node = (*Layout)(nil)
 
+// ErrInvalidLayoutVariant reports that a layout variant string contains at least
+// one unrecognised slot character.
+var ErrInvalidLayoutVariant = errors.New("html: invalid layout variant")
+
 // slotMeta holds the semantic HTML mapping for each HLCRF slot.
 type slotMeta struct {
 	tag  string
@@ -22,9 +28,10 @@ var slotRegistry = map[byte]slotMeta{
 // with deterministic path-based IDs.
 // Usage example: page := NewLayout("HCF").H(Text("title")).C(Text("body"))
 type Layout struct {
-	variant string          // "HLCRF", "HCF", "C", etc.
-	path    string          // "" for root, "L-0-" for nested
-	slots   map[byte][]Node // H, L, C, R, F → children
+	variant    string          // "HLCRF", "HCF", "C", etc.
+	path       string          // "" for root, "L-0-" for nested
+	slots      map[byte][]Node // H, L, C, R, F → children
+	variantErr error
 }
 
 func renderWithLayoutPath(node Node, ctx *Context, path string) string {
@@ -73,10 +80,27 @@ func renderWithLayoutPath(node Node, ctx *Context, path string) string {
 // Usage example: page := NewLayout("HLCRF")
 // The variant determines which slots are rendered (e.g., "HLCRF", "HCF", "C").
 func NewLayout(variant string) *Layout {
-	return &Layout{
+	l := &Layout{
 		variant: variant,
 		slots:   make(map[byte][]Node),
 	}
+	l.variantErr = validateLayoutVariant(variant)
+	return l
+}
+
+func validateLayoutVariant(variant string) error {
+	var invalid bool
+	for i := range len(variant) {
+		if _, ok := slotRegistry[variant[i]]; ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		invalid = true
+		break
+	}
+	if !invalid {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &layoutVariantError{variant: variant}
 }
 
 func (l *Layout) slotsForSlot(slot byte) []Node {
@@ -144,6 +168,15 @@ func (l *Layout) blockID(slot byte) string {
 	return l.path + string(slot) + "-0"
 }
 
+// VariantError reports whether the layout variant string contained any invalid
+// slot characters when the layout was constructed.
+func (l *Layout) VariantError() error {
+	if l == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return l.variantErr
+}
+
 // Render produces the semantic HTML for this layout.
 // Usage example: html := NewLayout("C").C(Text("body")).Render(NewContext())
 // Only slots present in the variant string are rendered.
@@ -193,3 +226,15 @@ func (l *Layout) Render(ctx *Context) string {
 
 	return b.String()
 }
+
+type layoutVariantError struct {
+	variant string
+}
+
+func (e *layoutVariantError) Error() string {
+	return "html: invalid layout variant " + e.variant
+}
+
+func (e *layoutVariantError) Unwrap() error {
+	return ErrInvalidLayoutVariant
+}