diff --git a/src/sksl/dsl/DSLStatement.cpp b/src/sksl/dsl/DSLStatement.cpp
index f51e4310a4..b4a13bfc6e 100644
--- a/src/sksl/dsl/DSLStatement.cpp
+++ b/src/sksl/dsl/DSLStatement.cpp
@@ -34,12 +34,13 @@ DSLStatement::DSLStatement(DSLBlock block)
 DSLStatement::DSLStatement(DSLExpression expr) {
     std::unique_ptr<SkSL::Expression> skslExpr = expr.release();
     if (skslExpr) {
-        fStatement = SkSL::ExpressionStatement::Make(ThreadContext::Context(), std::move(skslExpr));
+        fStatement = SkSL::ExpressionStatement::Convert(ThreadContext::Context(),
+                                                        std::move(skslExpr));
     }
 }
 
 DSLStatement::DSLStatement(std::unique_ptr<SkSL::Expression> expr)
-    : fStatement(SkSL::ExpressionStatement::Make(ThreadContext::Context(), std::move(expr))) {
+    : fStatement(SkSL::ExpressionStatement::Convert(ThreadContext::Context(), std::move(expr))) {
     SkASSERT(this->hasValue());
 }
 
diff --git a/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.cpp b/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.cpp
index 40f408e6cb..6fb483a35b 100644
--- a/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.cpp
+++ b/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.cpp
@@ -12,11 +12,19 @@
 
 namespace SkSL {
 
-std::unique_ptr<Statement> ExpressionStatement::Make(const Context& context,
-                                                     std::unique_ptr<Expression> expr) {
+std::unique_ptr<Statement> ExpressionStatement::Convert(const Context& context,
+                                                        std::unique_ptr<Expression> expr) {
+    // Expression-statements need to represent a complete expression.
+    // Report an error on intermediate expressions, like FunctionReference or TypeReference.
     if (expr->isIncomplete(context)) {
         return nullptr;
     }
+    return ExpressionStatement::Make(context, std::move(expr));
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<Statement> ExpressionStatement::Make(const Context& context,
+                                                     std::unique_ptr<Expression> expr) {
+    SkASSERT(!expr->isIncomplete(context));
 
     if (context.fConfig->fSettings.fOptimize) {
         // Expression-statements without any side effect can be replaced with a Nop.
diff --git a/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.h b/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.h
index f5afcd7c77..a517a7c608 100644
--- a/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.h
+++ b/src/sksl/ir/SkSLExpressionStatement.h
@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ public:
         : INHERITED(expression->fPosition, kStatementKind)
         , fExpression(std::move(expression)) {}
 
-    // Creates an SkSL expression-statement. Note that there is never any type-coercion and no error
-    // cases are reported; any Expression can be an ExpressionStatement.
+    // Creates an SkSL expression-statement; reports errors via ErrorReporter.
+    static std::unique_ptr<Statement> Convert(const Context& context,
+                                              std::unique_ptr<Expression> expr);
+
+    // Creates an SkSL expression-statement; reports errors via assertion.
     static std::unique_ptr<Statement> Make(const Context& context,
                                            std::unique_ptr<Expression> expr);