diff --git a/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2.dm b/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2.dm
index 88eff5d9406..a5cb0c2bcc4 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2.dm
@@ -1023,10 +1023,14 @@ GLOBAL_DATUM_INIT(sdql2_vv_statobj, /obj/effect/statclick/sdql2_vv_all, new(null
 		if(lowertext(copytext(expression[start + 1], 1, 3)) != "0x") //3 == length("0x") + 1
 			to_chat(usr, span_danger("Invalid pointer syntax: [expression[start + 1]]"), confidential = TRUE)
 			return null
-		v = locate("\[[expression[start + 1]]]")
-		if(!v)
-			to_chat(usr, span_danger("Invalid pointer: [expression[start + 1]]"), confidential = TRUE)
+		var/datum/located = locate("\[[expression[start + 1]]]")
+		if(!istype(located))
+			to_chat(usr, span_danger("Invalid pointer: [expression[start + 1]] - null or not datum"), confidential = TRUE)
 			return null
+		if(!located.can_vv_mark())
+			to_chat(usr, span_danger("Pointer [expression[start+1]] cannot be marked"), confidential = TRUE)
+			return null
+		v = located
 		start++
 		long = start < expression.len
 	else if(expression[start] == "(" && long)
diff --git a/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2_wrappers.dm b/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2_wrappers.dm
index e9816d89c4c..dd85da2414c 100644
--- a/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2_wrappers.dm
+++ b/code/modules/admin/verbs/SDQL2/SDQL_2_wrappers.dm
@@ -62,7 +62,10 @@
 
 /proc/_locate(X, Y, Z)
 	if (isnull(Y)) // Assuming that it's only a single-argument call.
-		return locate(X)
+		// direct ref locate
+		var/datum/D = locate(X)
+		// &&'s to last value
+		return istype(D) && D.can_vv_mark() && D
 
 	return locate(X, Y, Z)