diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index cc6f826eee7bd..fadeab945b1d3 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -334,6 +334,8 @@
 
 - Added `dom.scrollIntoView` proc with options
 
+- add `std/exceptions` containing `enforce`
+
 ## Language changes
 
 - `nimscript` now handles `except Exception as e`.
diff --git a/lib/std/exceptions.nim b/lib/std/exceptions.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..496536bf3d799
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/std/exceptions.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import system/assertions
+import std/private/miscdollars
+
+proc onEnforceFail[T](typ: typedesc, prefix: string, arg: T) {.noreturn, noinline.} =
+  ## Making this a proc reduces size of binaries
+  raise newException(typ, prefix & $arg)
+
+template enforce*[T](cond: untyped, arg: T, typ: typedesc = EnforceError) =
+  ## similar to `doAssert` but defaults to raising catchable exception
+  ## instead of `AssertionDefect`, and allows customizing the raised exception type.
+  # `-d:nimLeanMessages` further reduces size of binaries at expense of not
+  # showing location information; in future we can avoid generating un-necessary
+  # strings and forward `TLineInfo` directly (or some equivalent compact type),
+  # and then defer the string rendering until needed in `onEnforceFail`,
+  # reducing binary size while preserving location information. stacktraces
+  # can benefit from the same optimization.
+  runnableExamples:
+    let a = 1
+    enforce a == 1, $(a,)
+    doAssertRaises(EnforceError): enforce a == 2, $(a,)
+    doAssertRaises(ValueError): enforce a == 2, $(a,), ValueError
+  const loc = instantiationInfo(fullPaths = compileOption("excessiveStackTrace"))
+  {.line: loc.}:
+    if not cond:
+      const prefix =
+        when defined(nimLeanMessages): ""
+        else: $loc & " `" & astToStr(cond) & "` "
+      onEnforceFail(typ, prefix, arg)
diff --git a/lib/std/private/miscdollars.nim b/lib/std/private/miscdollars.nim
index a41cf1bc1715a..bfdad19123b35 100644
--- a/lib/std/private/miscdollars.nim
+++ b/lib/std/private/miscdollars.nim
@@ -13,3 +13,13 @@ template toLocation*(result: var string, file: string | cstring, line: int, col:
       when declared(addInt): result.addInt col
       else: result.add $col
     result.add ")"
+
+type InstantiationInfo* = tuple[filename: string, line: int, column: int]
+
+proc `$`(x: int): string {.magic: "IntToStr", noSideEffect.}
+
+proc `$`*(info: InstantiationInfo): string =
+  # The +1 is needed here
+  # instead of overriding `$` (and changing its meaning), consider explicit name.
+  result = ""
+  result.toLocation(info.filename, info.line, info.column + 1)
diff --git a/lib/system.nim b/lib/system.nim
index cae0ec3e2c1ca..2244a6c85f897 100644
--- a/lib/system.nim
+++ b/lib/system.nim
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ type
   RootRef* = ref RootObj ## Reference to `RootObj`.
 
 
-include "system/exceptions"
+include "system/exceptions_impl"
 
 when defined(js) or defined(nimdoc):
   type
diff --git a/lib/system/assertions.nim b/lib/system/assertions.nim
index cd789845b57e5..b02b8f45d2482 100644
--- a/lib/system/assertions.nim
+++ b/lib/system/assertions.nim
@@ -2,24 +2,13 @@
 ##
 ## **Note:** This module is reexported by `system` and thus does not need to be
 ## imported directly (with `system/assertions`).
+##
+## See also: `std/exceptions`
 
 when not declared(sysFatal):
   include "system/fatal"
 
 import std/private/miscdollars
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# helpers
-
-type InstantiationInfo = tuple[filename: string, line: int, column: int]
-
-proc `$`(x: int): string {.magic: "IntToStr", noSideEffect.}
-proc `$`(info: InstantiationInfo): string =
-  # The +1 is needed here
-  # instead of overriding `$` (and changing its meaning), consider explicit name.
-  result = ""
-  result.toLocation(info.filename, info.line, info.column + 1)
-
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 when not defined(nimHasSinkInference):
   {.pragma: nosinks.}
@@ -94,6 +83,7 @@ template doAssertRaises*(exception: typedesc, code: untyped) =
   const begin = "expected raising '" & astToStr(exception) & "', instead"
   const msgEnd = " by: " & astToStr(code)
   template raisedForeign = raiseAssert(begin & " raised foreign exception" & msgEnd)
+  mixin `$` # for `tests/test_nimscript.nims` (import assertions appears before dollars)
   when Exception is exception:
     try:
       if true:
diff --git a/lib/system/exceptions.nim b/lib/system/exceptions_impl.nim
similarity index 98%
rename from lib/system/exceptions.nim
rename to lib/system/exceptions_impl.nim
index 5dcd77bd0be88..c9212a0d458e5 100644
--- a/lib/system/exceptions.nim
+++ b/lib/system/exceptions_impl.nim
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ type
 
   CatchableError* = object of Exception ## \
     ## Abstract class for all exceptions that are catchable.
+  EnforceError* = object of Exception ## \
+    ## Default exception raised by `asserts.enforce`.
   IOError* = object of CatchableError ## \
     ## Raised if an IO error occurred.
   EOFError* = object of IOError ## \
diff --git a/tests/stdlib/texceptions.nim b/tests/stdlib/texceptions.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..9aedcda6f963f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/stdlib/texceptions.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#[
+see also tassert2
+]#
+
+import std/exceptions
+import std/strutils
+
+
+
+# line 10
+block: ## checks AST isn't transformed as it used to
+  let a = 1
+  enforce a == 1, $a
+  var raised = false
+  try:
+    enforce a > 1, $a
+  except EnforceError as e:
+    raised = true
+    doAssert e.msg.endsWith "texceptions.nim(16, 13) `a > 1` 1"
+  doAssert raised
+  doAssertRaises(EnforceError): enforce a > 1, $a