diff --git a/src/commands/database/create.mjs b/src/commands/database/create.mjs
index db1691d7..fe19d606 100644
--- a/src/commands/database/create.mjs
+++ b/src/commands/database/create.mjs
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ function buildCreateCommand(yargs) {
         description: "Name of the child database to create.",
       },
       typechecked: {
-        type: "string",
+        type: "boolean",
         description:
           "Enable typechecking for the database. Defaults to the typechecking setting of the parent database.",
       },
diff --git a/test/database/create.mjs b/test/database/create.mjs
index c997c57c..4033ddee 100644
--- a/test/database/create.mjs
+++ b/test/database/create.mjs
@@ -45,6 +45,29 @@ describe("database create", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  [
+    {
+      flag: "--typechecked",
+      value: "imastring",
+    },
+    {
+      flag: "--protected",
+      value: "imastring",
+    },
+  ].forEach(({ flag, value }) => {
+    it(`handles invalid option types: ${flag} ${value}`, async () => {
+      try {
+        await run(
+          `database create --name 'testdb' --secret 'secret' ${flag} ${value}`,
+          container,
+        );
+      } catch (e) {}
+      // Make sure we bail before calling fauna
+      expect(runQuery).to.not.have.been.called;
+      expect(logger.stderr).to.have.been.called;
+    });
+  });
+
   [
     {
       error: new ServiceError({