diff --git a/.changeset/fix-74-causes-structural-guard.md b/.changeset/fix-74-causes-structural-guard.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92e634b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-74-causes-structural-guard.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@deessejs/errors": patch
+---
+
+Replace the cast in `causes/index.ts` (`error as ErrorInstance`) with a structural guard (`'causes' in error && Array.isArray(error.causes)`). The function no longer imports `ErrorInstance` and the input is honest about its `unknown` shape. The first example in the JSDoc was broken (a template literal cut mid-sentence); it is now a complete try/catch example. A regression test verifies that an object carrying `causes: 'not an array'`, `causes: null`, or an array-like (non-`Array`) value returns `[]`. Public API unchanged; 83 tests pass (82 → 83). Closes #74.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/errors/src/causes/index.ts b/packages/errors/src/causes/index.ts
index a2c51fd..b9d933f 100644
--- a/packages/errors/src/causes/index.ts
+++ b/packages/errors/src/causes/index.ts
@@ -2,18 +2,27 @@
  * Cause chain traversal utilities.
  */
 
-import type { ErrorInstance } from '../error/types.js';
-
 /**
  * Returns all causes in the error chain, from most recent to root cause.
  *
- * @param error - The error to get causes from
- * @returns Array of errors in the cause chain, ordered newest to oldest
+ * The function uses a structural guard (`'causes' in error && Array.isArray(error.causes)`)
+ * rather than a type cast. This is rule 0004 in operational form: the
+ * guard is named, the scenario it covers is named, and the input can be
+ * `unknown` without an `as ErrorInstance` cast at the call site.
+ *
+ * @param error - The error to get causes from (any value; `null` and
+ * `undefined` return `[]`)
+ * @returns Array of errors in the cause chain, ordered newest to
+ * oldest. Returns `[]` when the input does not carry a `causes` array.
  *
  * @example
- * ```typescript try {
- *   // ... } catch (err) {   const chain = causes(err);
- *   chain.forEach(e => logError(e));
+ * ```typescript
+ * import { causes, raise } from '@deessejs/errors';
+ *
+ * try {
+ *   await sync();
+ * } catch (err) {
+ *   causes(err).forEach((cause) => logError(cause));
  * }
  * ```
  *
@@ -32,14 +41,15 @@ const causes = (error: unknown): Error[] => {
     return [];
   }
 
-  // Get the causes array from the error
-  const instance = error as ErrorInstance;
+  if (typeof error !== 'object') {
+    return [];
+  }
 
-  if (Array.isArray(instance.causes)) {
-    return instance.causes;
+  if (!('causes' in error) || !Array.isArray(error.causes)) {
+    return [];
   }
 
-  return [];
+  return error.causes;
 };
 
 export { causes };
diff --git a/packages/errors/tests/causes.test.ts b/packages/errors/tests/causes.test.ts
index 87f5f06..9ebcbc1 100644
--- a/packages/errors/tests/causes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/errors/tests/causes.test.ts
@@ -114,6 +114,16 @@ describe('causes() function', () => {
       expect(causes({})).toEqual([]);
     });
 
+    it('should return empty array when causes property is not an array', () => {
+      // Regression for issue #74: a non-array `causes` property
+      // (e.g. from a malformed foreign value) must not be returned
+      // as-is. The structural guard rejects the shape before any
+      // cast reaches the consumer.
+      expect(causes({ causes: 'not an array' })).toEqual([]);
+      expect(causes({ causes: null })).toEqual([]);
+      expect(causes({ causes: { length: 1, 0: 'fake' } })).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
     it('should return causes property directly', () => {
       const AppError = error({ name: 'AppError' });
       const cause = AppError();