diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5fbcfac..936c8f7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@ buttons) behind previous / jump / next navigation, with an optional cache button
 `requirements.txt`:
 
 ```
-dpy_paginator @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/dpy_paginator.git@v0.1.2
+dpy_paginator @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/dpy_paginator.git@v0.1.3
 ```
 
 Direct:
 
 ```bash
-pip install "dpy_paginator @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/dpy_paginator.git@v0.1.2"
+pip install "dpy_paginator @ git+ssh://git@git.rethinkstudios.io/rethink-public/dpy_paginator.git@v0.1.3"
 ```
 
 Requires `discord.py` (pulled transitively).
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 5d83596..e994982 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "dpy_paginator"
-version = "0.1.2"
+version = "0.1.3"
 description = "Button-navigated paginator for discord.py — config-free, injectable emojis, installable."
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 dependencies = [
diff --git a/src/dpy_paginator/dpy_paginator.py b/src/dpy_paginator/dpy_paginator.py
index ef12075..1c70a08 100644
--- a/src/dpy_paginator/dpy_paginator.py
+++ b/src/dpy_paginator/dpy_paginator.py
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ class ButtonPaginator(Generic[PageT_co], discord.ui.View):
 
     async def interaction_check(self, interaction: Interaction) -> bool:
         """restrict interaction to author_id when set"""
-        if not self.author_id or self.author_id == interaction.user.id:
+        if self.author_id is None or self.author_id == interaction.user.id:
             return True
         await interaction.response.send_message("You cannot interact with this menu.", ephemeral=True)
         return False
@@ -259,6 +259,14 @@ class ButtonPaginator(Generic[PageT_co], discord.ui.View):
                     if isinstance(value, discord.Attachment):
                         value = await value.to_file()
                     self._page_kwargs["files"].append(value)
+                elif key in ("embed", "embeds", "file", "files"):
+                    # a wrong-typed embed/file would otherwise fall to the catch-all and
+                    # be forwarded verbatim, colliding with the base embeds=[]/files=[]
+                    # and raising an opaque TypeError from inside discord.py — reject it
+                    # here with a clear, paginator-side message
+                    raise ValueError(
+                        f"page key {key!r} has unexpected type {type(value).__name__}"
+                    )
                 else:
                     self._page_kwargs[key] = value
         elif isinstance(formatted_page, str):