diff --git a/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.cpp b/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.cpp
index 48150480..23a8cf2d 100644
--- a/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.cpp
+++ b/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.cpp
@@ -556,6 +556,75 @@ constexpr int PYEXT_METH_METHOD = 0x0200;
 constexpr int PYEXT_PYTHON_ABI_VERSION = 1013;
 } // namespace
 
+llvm::Function *LLVMVisitor::createPyTryCatchWrapper(llvm::Function *func) {
+  auto *wrap =
+      cast<llvm::Function>(M->getOrInsertFunction((func->getName() + ".tc_wrap").str(),
+                                                  func->getFunctionType())
+                               .getCallee());
+  wrap->setPersonalityFn(llvm::cast<llvm::Constant>(makePersonalityFunc().getCallee()));
+  auto *entry = llvm::BasicBlock::Create(*context, "entry", wrap);
+  auto *normal = llvm::BasicBlock::Create(*context, "normal", wrap);
+  auto *unwind = llvm::BasicBlock::Create(*context, "unwind", wrap);
+
+  B->SetInsertPoint(entry);
+  std::vector<llvm::Value *> args;
+  for (auto &arg : wrap->args()) {
+    args.push_back(&arg);
+  }
+  auto *result = B->CreateInvoke(func, normal, unwind, args);
+
+  B->SetInsertPoint(normal);
+  B->CreateRet(result);
+
+  B->SetInsertPoint(unwind);
+  auto *caughtResult = B->CreateLandingPad(getPadType(), 1);
+  caughtResult->setCleanup(true);
+  caughtResult->addClause(getTypeIdxVar(nullptr));
+  auto *unwindType = llvm::StructType::get(B->getInt64Ty()); // header only
+  auto *unwindException = B->CreateExtractValue(caughtResult, 0);
+  auto *unwindExceptionClass = B->CreateLoad(
+      B->getInt64Ty(),
+      B->CreateStructGEP(
+          unwindType, B->CreatePointerCast(unwindException, unwindType->getPointerTo()),
+          0));
+  unwindException = B->CreateExtractValue(caughtResult, 0);
+  auto *excType = llvm::StructType::get(getTypeInfoType(), B->getInt8PtrTy());
+  auto *excVal =
+      B->CreatePointerCast(B->CreateConstGEP1_64(B->getInt8Ty(), unwindException,
+                                                 (uint64_t)seq_exc_offset()),
+                           excType->getPointerTo());
+  auto *loadedExc = B->CreateLoad(excType, excVal);
+  auto *objPtr = B->CreateExtractValue(loadedExc, 1);
+
+  auto *strType = llvm::StructType::get(B->getInt64Ty(), B->getInt8PtrTy());
+  auto *excHeader = llvm::StructType::get(strType, strType);
+  auto *header = B->CreateLoad(excHeader, objPtr);
+  auto *msg = B->CreateExtractValue(header, 1);
+  auto *msgLen = B->CreateExtractValue(msg, 0);
+  auto *msgPtr = B->CreateExtractValue(msg, 1);
+
+  // copy msg into new null-terminated buffer
+  auto alloc = makeAllocFunc(/*atomic=*/true);
+  auto *buf = B->CreateCall(alloc, B->CreateAdd(msgLen, B->getInt64(1)));
+  B->CreateMemCpy(buf, {}, msgPtr, {}, msgLen);
+  auto *last = B->CreateInBoundsGEP(B->getInt8Ty(), buf, msgLen);
+  B->CreateStore(B->getInt8(0), last);
+
+  auto *pyErrSetString = M->getNamedValue("PyErr_SetString");
+  seqassertn(pyErrSetString, "'PyErr_SetString' not found in module");
+  auto *pyExcRuntimeError = M->getNamedValue("PyExc_RuntimeError");
+  seqassertn(pyExcRuntimeError, "'PyExc_RuntimeError' not found in module");
+  B->CreateCall(llvm::FunctionCallee(
+                    llvm::FunctionType::get(B->getVoidTy(),
+                                            {B->getInt8PtrTy(), B->getInt8PtrTy()},
+                                            /*isVarArg=*/false),
+                    B->CreateLoad(B->getInt8PtrTy(), pyErrSetString)),
+                {B->CreateLoad(B->getInt8PtrTy(), pyExcRuntimeError), buf});
+  B->CreateRet(llvm::Constant::getNullValue(wrap->getReturnType()));
+
+  return wrap;
+}
+
 void LLVMVisitor::writeToPythonExtension(
     const std::string &name, const std::vector<std::pair<Func *, Func *>> &funcs,
     const std::string &filename, const std::string &argv0,
@@ -570,8 +639,9 @@ void LLVMVisitor::writeToPythonExtension(
     auto *original = p.first;
     auto *generated = p.second;
     auto llvmName = getNameForFunction(generated);
-    auto *llvmFunc = M->getNamedValue(llvmName);
+    auto *llvmFunc = M->getFunction(llvmName);
     seqassertn(llvmFunc, "function {} not found in LLVM module", llvmName);
+    llvmFunc = createPyTryCatchWrapper(llvmFunc);
 
     auto name = original->getUnmangledName();
     auto *nameVar = new llvm::GlobalVariable(
@@ -658,7 +728,7 @@ void LLVMVisitor::writeToPythonExtension(
   auto *pyModuleConst = llvm::ConstantExpr::getBitCast(pyModuleVar, ptr);
 
   // Construct initialization hook
-  auto pyModuleCreate = cast<llvm::Function>(
+  auto *pyModuleCreate = cast<llvm::Function>(
       M->getOrInsertFunction("PyModule_Create2", ptr, ptr, B->getInt32Ty())
           .getCallee());
   pyModuleCreate->setDoesNotThrow();
diff --git a/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.h b/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.h
index 9d253705..a3bec9c2 100644
--- a/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.h
+++ b/codon/cir/llvm/llvisitor.h
@@ -198,6 +198,9 @@ private:
   // Shared library setup
   void setupGlobalCtorForSharedLibrary();
 
+  // Python extension setup
+  llvm::Function *createPyTryCatchWrapper(llvm::Function *func);
+
   // LLVM passes
   void runLLVMPipeline();
 
diff --git a/stdlib/internal/python.codon b/stdlib/internal/python.codon
index 58755839..f6e88578 100644
--- a/stdlib/internal/python.codon
+++ b/stdlib/internal/python.codon
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ PyObject_IsInstance = Function[[cobj, cobj], i32](cobj())
 Py_None = cobj()
 Py_True = cobj()
 Py_False = cobj()
-PyExc_TypeError = cobj()
+PyExc_RuntimeError = cobj()
 Py_LT = 0
 Py_LE = 1
 Py_EQ = 2
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ def init_dl_handles(py_handle: cobj):
     global Py_None
     global Py_True
     global Py_False
-    global PyExc_TypeError
+    global PyExc_RuntimeError
 
     Py_DecRef = dlsym(py_handle, "Py_DecRef")
     Py_IncRef = dlsym(py_handle, "Py_IncRef")
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ def init_dl_handles(py_handle: cobj):
     Py_None = dlsym(py_handle, "_Py_NoneStruct")
     Py_True = dlsym(py_handle, "_Py_TrueStruct")
     Py_False = dlsym(py_handle, "_Py_FalseStruct")
-    PyExc_TypeError = Ptr[cobj](dlsym(py_handle, "PyExc_TypeError"))[0]
+    PyExc_RuntimeError = Ptr[cobj](dlsym(py_handle, "PyExc_RuntimeError"))[0]
 
 def setup_python(python_loaded: bool):
     global _PY_INITIALIZED
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ def _isinstance(what: pyobj, typ: pyobj) -> bool:
 
 def _extension_bad_args(got: int, expected: int) -> bool:
     if got != expected:
-        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
+        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
                         f"expected {expected} arguments, but got {got}".c_str())
         return True
     return False