diff --git a/lib/fileset/default.nix b/lib/fileset/default.nix
index 3c51c6d4dab4..32bc00a227b3 100644
--- a/lib/fileset/default.nix
+++ b/lib/fileset/default.nix
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ let
 
   inherit (import ./internal.nix { inherit lib; })
     _coerce
+    _coerceResult
     _singleton
     _coerceMany
     _toSourceFilter
@@ -1005,4 +1006,49 @@ in
         {
           submodules = recurseSubmodules;
         };
+
+  /**
+    The empty fileset. It can be useful as a default value or as starting accumulator for a folding operation.
+
+    # Type
+
+    ```
+    empty :: FileSet
+    ```
+  */
+  empty = _emptyWithoutBase;
+
+  /**
+    Tests whether a given value is a fileset, or can be used in place of a fileset.
+
+    # Inputs
+
+    `value`
+
+    : The value to test
+
+    # Type
+
+    ```
+    isFileset :: Any -> Bool
+    ```
+
+    # Examples
+    :::{.example}
+    ## `lib.fileset.isFileset` usage example
+
+    ```nix
+    isFileset ./.
+    => true
+
+    isFileset (unions [  ])
+    => true
+
+    isFileset 1
+    => false
+    ```
+
+    :::
+  */
+  isFileset = x: (_coerceResult "" x).success;
 }
diff --git a/lib/fileset/internal.nix b/lib/fileset/internal.nix
index 59b8408ae8d6..342b284e1f71 100644
--- a/lib/fileset/internal.nix
+++ b/lib/fileset/internal.nix
@@ -165,14 +165,27 @@ rec {
       _noEval = throw _noEvalMessage;
     };
 
-  # Coerce a value to a fileset, erroring when the value cannot be coerced.
-  # The string gives the context for error messages.
-  # Type: String -> (fileset | Path) -> fileset
-  _coerce =
+  # Coerce a value to a fileset. Return a set containing the attribute `success`
+  # indicating whether coercing succeeded, and either `value` when `success ==
+  # true`, or an error `message` when `success == false`. The string gives the
+  # context for error messages.
+  #
+  # Type: String -> (fileset | Path) -> { success :: Bool, value :: fileset } ] -> { success :: Bool, message :: String }
+  _coerceResult =
+    let
+      ok = value: {
+        success = true;
+        inherit value;
+      };
+      error = message: {
+        success = false;
+        inherit message;
+      };
+    in
     context: value:
     if value._type or "" == "fileset" then
       if value._internalVersion > _currentVersion then
-        throw ''
+        error ''
           ${context} is a file set created from a future version of the file set library with a different internal representation:
               - Internal version of the file set: ${toString value._internalVersion}
               - Internal version of the library: ${toString _currentVersion}
@@ -184,27 +197,37 @@ rec {
             _currentVersion - value._internalVersion
           ) migrations;
         in
-        foldl' (value: migration: migration value) value migrationsToApply
+        ok (foldl' (value: migration: migration value) value migrationsToApply)
       else
-        value
+        ok value
     else if !isPath value then
       if value ? _isLibCleanSourceWith then
-        throw ''
+        error ''
           ${context} is a `lib.sources`-based value, but it should be a file set or a path instead.
               To convert a `lib.sources`-based value to a file set you can use `lib.fileset.fromSource`.
               Note that this only works for sources created from paths.''
       else if isStringLike value then
-        throw ''
+        error ''
           ${context} ("${toString value}") is a string-like value, but it should be a file set or a path instead.
               Paths represented as strings are not supported by `lib.fileset`, use `lib.sources` or derivations instead.''
       else
-        throw ''${context} is of type ${typeOf value}, but it should be a file set or a path instead.''
+        error ''${context} is of type ${typeOf value}, but it should be a file set or a path instead.''
     else if !pathExists value then
-      throw ''
+      error ''
         ${context} (${toString value}) is a path that does not exist.
             To create a file set from a path that may not exist, use `lib.fileset.maybeMissing`.''
     else
-      _singleton value;
+      ok (_singleton value);
+
+  # Coerce a value to a fileset, erroring when the value cannot be coerced.
+  # The string gives the context for error messages.
+  # Type: String -> (fileset | Path) -> fileset
+  _coerce =
+    context: value:
+    let
+      result = _coerceResult context value;
+    in
+    if result.success then result.value else throw result.message;
 
   # Coerce many values to filesets, erroring when any value cannot be coerced,
   # or if the filesystem root of the values doesn't match.
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules.sh b/lib/tests/modules.sh
index 02f73310dd9b..093196da16c5 100755
--- a/lib/tests/modules.sh
+++ b/lib/tests/modules.sh
@@ -223,6 +223,17 @@ checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .path in the Nix sto
 checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .path in the Nix store.. Definition values:\n\s*- In .*: ".*/store/.links"' config.pathInStore.bad4 ./types.nix
 checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .path in the Nix store.. Definition values:\n\s*- In .*: "/foo/bar"' config.pathInStore.bad5 ./types.nix
 
+# types.fileset
+checkConfigOutput '^0$' config.filesetCardinal.ok1 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigOutput '^1$' config.filesetCardinal.ok2 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigOutput '^1$' config.filesetCardinal.ok3 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigOutput '^1$' config.filesetCardinal.ok4 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigOutput '^0$' config.filesetCardinal.ok5 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .fileset.. Definition values:\n.*' config.filesetCardinal.err1 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .fileset.. Definition values:\n.*' config.filesetCardinal.err2 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .fileset.. Definition values:\n.*' config.filesetCardinal.err3 ./fileset.nix
+checkConfigError 'A definition for option .* is not of type .fileset.. Definition values:\n.*' config.filesetCardinal.err4 ./fileset.nix
+
 # Check boolean option.
 checkConfigOutput '^false$' config.enable ./declare-enable.nix
 checkConfigError 'The option .* does not exist. Definition values:\n\s*- In .*: true' config.enable ./define-enable.nix
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules/fileset.nix b/lib/tests/modules/fileset.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..40b1a8ef601f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tests/modules/fileset.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+{ config, lib, ... }:
+
+let
+  inherit (lib)
+    mkOption
+    mkIf
+    types
+    mapAttrs
+    length
+    ;
+  inherit (lib.fileset)
+    empty
+    unions
+    toList
+    ;
+in
+
+{
+  options = {
+    fileset = mkOption { type = with types; lazyAttrsOf fileset; };
+
+    ## The following option is only here as a proxy to test `fileset` that does
+    ## not work so well with `modules.sh` because it is not JSONable. It exposes
+    ## the number of elements in the fileset.
+    filesetCardinal = mkOption { default = mapAttrs (_: fs: length (toList fs)) config.fileset; };
+  };
+
+  config = {
+    fileset.ok1 = empty;
+    fileset.ok2 = ./fileset;
+    fileset.ok3 = unions [
+      empty
+      ./fileset
+    ];
+    # fileset.ok4: see imports below
+    fileset.ok5 = mkIf false ./fileset;
+
+    fileset.err1 = 1;
+    fileset.err2 = "foo";
+    fileset.err3 = "./.";
+    fileset.err4 = [ empty ];
+
+  };
+
+  imports = [
+    { fileset.ok4 = ./fileset; }
+    { fileset.ok4 = empty; }
+    { fileset.ok4 = ./fileset; }
+  ];
+}
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules/fileset/keepme b/lib/tests/modules/fileset/keepme
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..27b2fabd2c27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tests/modules/fileset/keepme
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Do not remove. This file is used by the tests in `../fileset.nix`.
diff --git a/lib/types.nix b/lib/types.nix
index 9da1d2247bc0..cb41fb5c85aa 100644
--- a/lib/types.nix
+++ b/lib/types.nix
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ let
     fixupOptionType
     mergeOptionDecls
     ;
+  inherit (lib.fileset)
+    isFileset
+    unions
+    empty
+    ;
 
   inAttrPosSuffix =
     v: name:
@@ -618,6 +623,15 @@ let
         };
       };
 
+      fileset = mkOptionType {
+        name = "fileset";
+        description = "fileset";
+        descriptionClass = "noun";
+        check = isFileset;
+        merge = loc: defs: unions (map (x: x.value) defs);
+        emptyValue.value = empty;
+      };
+
       # A package is a top-level store path (/nix/store/hash-name). This includes:
       # - derivations
       # - more generally, attribute sets with an `outPath` or `__toString` attribute