diff --git a/src/ipfs/basic.ts b/src/ipfs/basic.ts
index 37e3eff6a..5c4b443aa 100644
--- a/src/ipfs/basic.ts
+++ b/src/ipfs/basic.ts
@@ -28,38 +28,48 @@ export const add = async (content: ImportCandidate): Promise<AddResult> => {
 }
 
 export const catRaw = async (cid: CID): Promise<Uint8Array[]> => {
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
   const ipfs = await getIpfs()
   const chunks = []
-  await attemptPin(cid)
-  for await (const chunk of ipfs.cat(cid)) {
+  await attemptPin(newCID)
+  for await (const chunk of ipfs.cat(newCID)) {
     chunks.push(chunk)
   }
   return chunks
 }
 
 export const catBuf = async (cid: CID): Promise<Uint8Array> => {
-  const raw = await catRaw(cid)
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
+  const raw = await catRaw(newCID)
   return uint8arrays.concat(raw)
 }
 
 export const cat = async (cid: CID): Promise<string> => {
-  const buf = await catBuf(cid)
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
+  const buf = await catBuf(newCID)
   return buf.toString()
 }
 
 export const ls = async (cid: CID): Promise<IPFSEntry[]> => {
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
   const ipfs = await getIpfs()
   const links = []
-  for await (const link of ipfs.ls(cid)) {
+  for await (const link of ipfs.ls(newCID)) {
     links.push({ ...link, cid: decodeCID(link.cid) })
   }
   return links
 }
 
 export const dagGet = async (cid: CID): Promise<PBNode> => {
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
   const ipfs = await getIpfs()
-  await attemptPin(cid)
-  const raw = await ipfs.dag.get(cid)
+  await attemptPin(newCID)
+  const raw = await ipfs.dag.get(newCID)
   const node = util.rawToDAGNode(raw)
   return node
 }
@@ -99,12 +109,14 @@ export const dagPutLinks = async (links: PBLink[]): Promise<AddResult> => {
 }
 
 export const size = async (cid: CID): Promise<number> => {
+  const newCID = typeCheckCID(cid)
+
   const ipfs = await getIpfs()
-  const stat = await ipfs.files.stat(`/ipfs/${cid}`)
+  const stat = await ipfs.files.stat(`/ipfs/${newCID}`)
   return stat.cumulativeSize
 }
 
-export const attemptPin = async (cid: CID): Promise<void> => {
+const attemptPin = async (cid: CID): Promise<void> => {
   if (!setup.shouldPin) return
 
   const ipfs = await getIpfs()
@@ -118,3 +130,9 @@ export const attemptPin = async (cid: CID): Promise<void> => {
     }
   }
 }
+
+const typeCheckCID = (cid: CID): CID => {
+  const newCID = CID.asCID(cid)
+  if (!newCID) throw new Error(`Expected a CID class instance: Found ${cid}`)
+  return newCID
+}
diff --git a/tests/fs/share.node.test.ts b/tests/fs/share.node.test.ts
index 886f12176..a02e19ced 100644
--- a/tests/fs/share.node.test.ts
+++ b/tests/fs/share.node.test.ts
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ describe("the filesystem", () => {
     ))
 
     const entryIndexInfo = JSON.parse(new TextDecoder().decode(await crypto.aes.decrypt(
-      await protocol.basic.getFile(decryptedPayload.cid),
+      await protocol.basic.getFile(decodeCID(decryptedPayload.cid)),
       uint8arrays.toString(decryptedPayload.key, "base64pad"),
       SymmAlg.AES_GCM
     )))