diff --git a/filter_plugins/safe_join.py b/filter_plugins/safe_join.py
index e03812b5..2f4d9d44 100644
--- a/filter_plugins/safe_join.py
+++ b/filter_plugins/safe_join.py
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
 """
 Ansible filter plugin that joins a base string and a tail path safely.
-If the base is falsy (None, empty, etc.), returns an empty string.
+Raises ValueError if base or tail is None.
 """
 
 def safe_join(base, tail):
     """
     Safely join base and tail into a path or URL.
 
-    - base: the base string. If falsy, returns ''.
-    - tail: the string to append. Leading/trailing slashes are handled.
-    - On any exception, returns ''.
+    - base: the base string. Must not be None.
+    - tail: the string to append. Must not be None.
+    - On ValueError, caller should handle it.
     """
+    if base is None or tail is None:
+        raise ValueError("safe_join: base and tail must not be None")
+
     try:
-        if not base:
-            return ''
         base_str = str(base).rstrip('/')
         tail_str = str(tail).lstrip('/')
         return f"{base_str}/{tail_str}"
diff --git a/tests/unit/filter_plugins/test_safe_join.py b/tests/unit/filter_plugins/test_safe_join.py
index 5486e486..96bfa289 100644
--- a/tests/unit/filter_plugins/test_safe_join.py
+++ b/tests/unit/filter_plugins/test_safe_join.py
@@ -24,10 +24,15 @@ class TestSafeJoinFilter(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
     def test_base_none(self):
-        self.assertEqual(safe_join(None, 'path'), '')
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            safe_join(None, 'path')
+
+    def test_tail_none(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            safe_join('http://example.com', None)
 
     def test_base_empty(self):
-        self.assertEqual(safe_join('', 'path'), '')
+        self.assertEqual(safe_join('', 'path'), '/path')
 
     def test_tail_empty(self):
         # joining with empty tail should yield base with trailing slash