diff --git a/compiler/semexprs.nim b/compiler/semexprs.nim
index beb3719e8f..d39ec6b717 100644
--- a/compiler/semexprs.nim
+++ b/compiler/semexprs.nim
@@ -2577,9 +2577,10 @@ proc semWhen(c: PContext, n: PNode, semCheck = true): PNode =
   # If semCheck is set to false, ``when`` will return the verbatim AST of
   # the correct branch. Otherwise the AST will be passed through semStmt.
   result = nil
+  let flags = if semCheck: {efWantStmt} else: {}
 
   template setResult(e: untyped) =
-    if semCheck: result = semExpr(c, e) # do not open a new scope!
+    if semCheck: result = semExpr(c, e, flags) # do not open a new scope!
     else: result = e
 
   # Check if the node is "when nimvm"
@@ -2605,7 +2606,7 @@ proc semWhen(c: PContext, n: PNode, semCheck = true): PNode =
       checkSonsLen(it, 2, c.config)
       if whenNimvm:
         if semCheck:
-          it[1] = semExpr(c, it[1])
+          it[1] = semExpr(c, it[1], flags)
           typ = commonType(c, typ, it[1].typ)
         result = n # when nimvm is not elimited until codegen
       else:
@@ -2621,7 +2622,7 @@ proc semWhen(c: PContext, n: PNode, semCheck = true): PNode =
       checkSonsLen(it, 1, c.config)
       if result == nil or whenNimvm:
         if semCheck:
-          it[0] = semExpr(c, it[0])
+          it[0] = semExpr(c, it[0], flags)
           typ = commonType(c, typ, it[0].typ)
         if result == nil:
           result = it[0]
diff --git a/tests/modules/tmodulesymtype.nim b/tests/modules/tmodulesymtype.nim
index b1378ab698..d17c4cca44 100644
--- a/tests/modules/tmodulesymtype.nim
+++ b/tests/modules/tmodulesymtype.nim
@@ -13,3 +13,10 @@ proc foo() =
     sequtils
 
 foo()
+
+# issue #23399
+when isMainModule:
+  sequtils #[tt.Error
+  ^ expression has no type: sequtils]#
+
+discard