diff --git a/src/prenormalizer.ts b/src/prenormalizer.ts
index be2f57ca..30b58474 100644
--- a/src/prenormalizer.ts
+++ b/src/prenormalizer.ts
@@ -226,18 +226,7 @@ function resolveRootRef(schema: JSONSchema): void {
     }
     seenPointers.add(pointer)
 
-    const target = pointer
-      .slice(2)
-      .split('/')
-      .reduce<unknown>((node, segment) => {
-        if (!isPlainObject(node) && !Array.isArray(node)) {
-          return undefined
-        }
-        const key = safeDecodeURIComponent(segment.replace(/~1/g, '/').replace(/~0/g, '~'))
-        // Only an own property is a real JSON Pointer match -- otherwise a segment
-        // like `__proto__` would resolve via the prototype chain instead of failing.
-        return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(node, key) ? (node as Record<string, unknown>)[key] : undefined
-      }, documentRoot)
+    const target = inDocumentPointerValue(documentRoot, pointer)
 
     if (typeof target === 'boolean') {
       // A boolean schema, which the root cannot become in place: keep it as the root's one more
@@ -247,7 +236,7 @@ function resolveRootRef(schema: JSONSchema): void {
       break
     }
     if (!isPlainObject(target)) {
-      break // not a schema in this document; let $RefParser handle/report it
+      break // missing, or not a schema: `dereference` reports the latter, $RefParser the former
     }
 
     delete schema.$ref
@@ -262,6 +251,25 @@ function resolveRootRef(schema: JSONSchema): void {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * The value a `#/...` pointer leads to in `document`: what `resolveRootRef` merges into the root
+ * when it is a schema, and what `dereference` judges when it is not. Walks plain objects and
+ * arrays by their own keys only -- otherwise a segment like `__proto__` would resolve via the
+ * prototype chain instead of failing. Undefined where the pointer leads nowhere.
+ */
+export function inDocumentPointerValue(document: unknown, pointer: string): unknown {
+  return pointer
+    .slice(2)
+    .split('/')
+    .reduce<unknown>((node, segment) => {
+      if (!isPlainObject(node) && !Array.isArray(node)) {
+        return undefined
+      }
+      const key = safeDecodeURIComponent(segment.replace(/~1/g, '/').replace(/~0/g, '~'))
+      return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(node, key) ? (node as Record<string, unknown>)[key] : undefined
+    }, document)
+}
+
 // A JSON Pointer segment isn't guaranteed to be a valid percent-encoding (it may
 // contain a literal, unescaped `%`), so fall back to the raw segment rather than
 // letting decodeURIComponent throw.
diff --git a/src/resolver.ts b/src/resolver.ts
index 7ba60414..c2646bb3 100644
--- a/src/resolver.ts
+++ b/src/resolver.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import {
   jsonSchemaParserNormalizeArgs,
 } from '@apidevtools/json-schema-ref-parser'
 import {isObjectLike, isPlainObject} from 'lodash'
-import {prenormalizeDocument} from './prenormalizer'
+import {inDocumentPointerValue, prenormalizeDocument} from './prenormalizer'
 import {SCHEMA_HOLDING_KEYWORDS} from './keywords'
 import {DefinitionKey, JSONSchema, SchemaSource, Source} from './types/JSONSchema'
 import {eachSchemaNode, log} from './utils'
@@ -76,6 +76,16 @@ export async function dereference(
   // $RefParser does. A member of a file set goes to $RefParser too: it is registered there under
   // its own path, for the other members' `$ref`s to find.
   const optionsConcernOtherFiles = Object.keys($refOptions).every(_ => _ === 'resolve' || _ === 'parse')
+  // The root's own `$ref` into this document was resolved by `prenormalizeDocument` if it led to a
+  // schema. One that leads to a keyword's value instead (`#/definitions/unit/default`) is judged
+  // here, before either route: the ref-parser (16 on) follows the root's `$ref` while walking that
+  // very pointer's tokens, and so reports the pointer as missing when it is not.
+  if (typeof schema.$ref === 'string' && schema.$ref.startsWith('#/')) {
+    const target = inDocumentPointerValue(schema, schema.$ref)
+    if (target !== undefined && !isSchema(target)) {
+      rejectNonSchemaTargets(schema, target, [], () => ({}))
+    }
+  }
   const targets = optionsConcernOtherFiles && !set ? inDocumentTargets(schema) : undefined
   let dereferencedSchema = schema
   if (targets) {
diff --git a/test/e2e/refToNonSchemaValue.root.ts b/test/e2e/refToNonSchemaValue.root.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aba8a2be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/e2e/refToNonSchemaValue.root.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+/**
+ * refToNonSchemaValue.ts, with the `$ref` at the root: the whole schema would be the string
+ * `"metres"`. (The ref-parser, following the root's own `$ref` while walking the pointer's tokens,
+ * used to report the pointer as missing -- "Token "definitions" does not exist" -- when it is not.)
+ */
+export const input = {
+  $ref: '#/definitions/unit/default',
+  definitions: {
+    unit: {type: 'string', default: 'metres'},
+  },
+}
+
+export const error =
+  /\$ref "#\/definitions\/unit\/default" at the root resolves to the string "metres", which is not a JSON Schema/