diff --git a/core/translate/select.rs b/core/translate/select.rs
index 4e67f4659..50dd6ddf9 100644
--- a/core/translate/select.rs
+++ b/core/translate/select.rs
@@ -206,6 +206,14 @@ fn prepare_one_select_plan(
 
             let mut table_references = TableReferences::new(vec![], outer_query_refs.to_vec());
 
+            if from.is_none() {
+                for column in &columns {
+                    if matches!(column, ResultColumn::Star) {
+                        crate::bail_parse_error!("no tables specified");
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
             // Parse the FROM clause into a vec of TableReferences. Fold all the join conditions expressions into the WHERE clause.
             parse_from(
                 schema,
diff --git a/testing/select.test b/testing/select.test
index d3142be3e..6471254e3 100755
--- a/testing/select.test
+++ b/testing/select.test
@@ -285,6 +285,18 @@ do_execsql_test_on_specific_db {:memory:} select-union-all-with-filters {
 6
 10}
 
+do_execsql_test_error select-star-no-from {
+  SELECT *;
+} {no tables specified}
+
+do_execsql_test_error select-star-and-constant-no-from {
+  SELECT *, 1;
+} {no tables specified}
+
+do_execsql_test_error select-star-subquery {
+  SELECT 1 FROM (SELECT *);
+} {no tables specified}
+
 if {[info exists ::env(SQLITE_EXEC)] && ($::env(SQLITE_EXEC) eq "scripts/limbo-sqlite3-index-experimental" || $::env(SQLITE_EXEC) eq "sqlite3")} {
     do_execsql_test_on_specific_db {:memory:} select-union-1 {
     CREATE TABLE t(x TEXT, y TEXT);