diff --git a/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/builtins/functional.ts b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/builtins/functional.ts
index d92f5e2..8a5dad9 100644
--- a/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/builtins/functional.ts
+++ b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/builtins/functional.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import { CatchableError, HAS_CONTEXT, type NixValue } from "../types";
 import { force } from "../thunk";
 import { coerceToString, StringCoercionMode } from "./conversion";
+import { printValue } from "../print";
 
 export const seq =
   (e1: NixValue) =>
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ export const throwFunc = (s: NixValue): never => {
 export const trace =
   (e1: NixValue) =>
   (e2: NixValue): NixValue => {
-    console.log(`trace: ${coerceToString(e1, StringCoercionMode.Base)}`);
+    console.error(`trace: ${printValue(e1)}`);
     return e2;
   };
 
diff --git a/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/print.ts b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/print.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a7018d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/print.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+import { isThunk, IS_CYCLE } from "./thunk";
+import { isStringWithContext } from "./string-context";
+import { isNixPath, type NixValue } from "./types";
+import { is_primop, get_primop_metadata } from "./builtins/index";
+
+export const printValue = (value: NixValue, seen: WeakSet<object> = new WeakSet()): string => {
+  if (isThunk(value)) {
+    return "«thunk»";
+  }
+
+  if (value === null) {
+    return "null";
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "boolean") {
+    return value ? "true" : "false";
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "bigint") {
+    return value.toString();
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "number") {
+    return value.toString();
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "string") {
+    return printString(value);
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "function") {
+    if (is_primop(value)) {
+      const meta = get_primop_metadata(value);
+      if (meta && meta.applied > 0) {
+        return "<PRIMOP-APP>";
+      }
+      return "<PRIMOP>";
+    }
+    return "<LAMBDA>";
+  }
+
+  if (typeof value === "object") {
+    if (IS_CYCLE in value && (value as any)[IS_CYCLE] === true) {
+      return "«repeated»";
+    }
+
+    if (seen.has(value)) {
+      return "«repeated»";
+    }
+    seen.add(value);
+
+    if (isNixPath(value)) {
+      return value.value;
+    }
+
+    if (isStringWithContext(value)) {
+      return printString(value.value);
+    }
+
+    if (Array.isArray(value)) {
+      const items = value.map((v) => printValue(v, seen)).join(" ");
+      return `[ ${items} ]`;
+    }
+
+    const entries = Object.entries(value)
+      .map(([k, v]) => `${printSymbol(k)} = ${printValue(v, seen)};`)
+      .join(" ");
+    return `{${entries ? ` ${entries} ` : " "}}`;
+  }
+
+  return "<unknown>";
+};
+
+const printString = (s: string): string => {
+  let result = '"';
+  for (const c of s) {
+    switch (c) {
+      case "\\":
+        result += "\\\\";
+        break;
+      case '"':
+        result += '\\"';
+        break;
+      case "\n":
+        result += "\\n";
+        break;
+      case "\r":
+        result += "\\r";
+        break;
+      case "\t":
+        result += "\\t";
+        break;
+      default:
+        result += c;
+    }
+  }
+  return result + '"';
+};
+
+const SYMBOL_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_'-]*$/;
+
+const printSymbol = (s: string): string => {
+  if (SYMBOL_REGEX.test(s)) {
+    return s;
+  }
+  return printString(s);
+};
diff --git a/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/thunk.ts b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/thunk.ts
index ff9c8eb..304164d 100644
--- a/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/thunk.ts
+++ b/nix-js/runtime-ts/src/thunk.ts
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ export const CYCLE_MARKER = { [IS_CYCLE]: true };
  * Deeply force a value, handling cycles by returning a special marker.
  * Uses WeakSet to track seen objects and avoid infinite recursion.
  * Returns a fully forced value where thunks are replaced with their results.
- * Cyclic references are replaced with CYCLE_MARKER.
+ * Cyclic references are replaced with CYCLE_MARKER, preserving the container type.
  */
 export const forceDeepSafe = (value: NixValue, seen: WeakSet<object> = new WeakSet()): NixStrictValue => {
   const forced = force(value);
@@ -159,6 +159,9 @@ export const forceDeepSafe = (value: NixValue, seen: WeakSet<object> = new WeakS
   }
 
   if (seen.has(forced)) {
+    if (Array.isArray(forced)) {
+      return [CYCLE_MARKER];
+    }
     return CYCLE_MARKER;
   }
   seen.add(forced);
diff --git a/nix-js/src/value.rs b/nix-js/src/value.rs
index ad3ca89..e385b14 100644
--- a/nix-js/src/value.rs
+++ b/nix-js/src/value.rs
@@ -125,6 +125,24 @@ impl Display for AttrSet {
     }
 }
 
+impl AttrSet {
+    pub fn display_compat(&self) -> AttrSetCompatDisplay<'_> {
+        AttrSetCompatDisplay(self)
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct AttrSetCompatDisplay<'a>(&'a AttrSet);
+
+impl Display for AttrSetCompatDisplay<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> FmtResult {
+        write!(f, "{{")?;
+        for (k, v) in self.0.data.iter() {
+            write!(f, " {k} = {};", v.display_compat())?;
+        }
+        write!(f, " }}")
+    }
+}
+
 /// Represents a Nix list, which is a vector of values.
 #[derive(Constructor, Default, Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub struct List {
@@ -153,6 +171,24 @@ impl Display for List {
     }
 }
 
+impl List {
+    pub fn display_compat(&self) -> ListCompatDisplay<'_> {
+        ListCompatDisplay(self)
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct ListCompatDisplay<'a>(&'a List);
+
+impl Display for ListCompatDisplay<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> FmtResult {
+        write!(f, "[ ")?;
+        for v in self.0.data.iter() {
+            write!(f, "{} ", v.display_compat())?;
+        }
+        write!(f, "]")
+    }
+}
+
 /// Represents any possible Nix value that can be returned from an evaluation.
 #[derive(IsVariant, Unwrap, Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub enum Value {
@@ -218,3 +254,45 @@ impl Display for Value {
         }
     }
 }
+
+impl Value {
+    pub fn display_compat(&self) -> ValueCompatDisplay<'_> {
+        ValueCompatDisplay(self)
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct ValueCompatDisplay<'a>(&'a Value);
+
+impl Display for ValueCompatDisplay<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> FmtResult {
+        use Value::*;
+        match self.0 {
+            &Int(x) => write!(f, "{x}"),
+            &Float(x) => write!(f, "{x}"),
+            &Bool(x) => write!(f, "{x}"),
+            Null => write!(f, "null"),
+            String(x) => {
+                write!(f, "\"")?;
+                for c in x.chars() {
+                    match c {
+                        '\\' => write!(f, "\\\\")?,
+                        '"' => write!(f, "\\\"")?,
+                        '\n' => write!(f, "\\n")?,
+                        '\r' => write!(f, "\\r")?,
+                        '\t' => write!(f, "\\t")?,
+                        c => write!(f, "{c}")?,
+                    }
+                }
+                write!(f, "\"")
+            }
+            Path(x) => write!(f, "{x}"),
+            AttrSet(x) => write!(f, "{}", x.display_compat()),
+            List(x) => write!(f, "{}", x.display_compat()),
+            Thunk => write!(f, "«thunk»"),
+            Func => write!(f, "<LAMBDA>"),
+            PrimOp(_) => write!(f, "<PRIMOP>"),
+            PrimOpApp(_) => write!(f, "<PRIMOP-APP>"),
+            Repeated => write!(f, "«repeated»"),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/nix-js/tests/lang.rs b/nix-js/tests/lang.rs
index 8653661..e564e53 100644
--- a/nix-js/tests/lang.rs
+++ b/nix-js/tests/lang.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ fn read_expected(name: &str) -> String {
 }
 
 fn format_value(value: &Value) -> String {
-    value.to_string()
+    value.display_compat().to_string()
 }
 
 macro_rules! eval_okay_test {