diff --git a/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/TreeVisitor.java b/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/TreeVisitor.java
index 0b44518c975..0658cd42cc3 100644
--- a/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/TreeVisitor.java
+++ b/rewrite-core/src/main/java/org/openrewrite/TreeVisitor.java
@@ -146,6 +146,12 @@ public final Cursor updateCursor(T currentValue) {
     }
 
     public @Nullable T visit(@Nullable Tree tree, P p, Cursor parent) {
+        if (parent.getValue() instanceof Tree && ((Tree) parent.getValue()).isScope(tree)) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                    "The `parent` cursor must not point to the same `tree` as the tree to be visited. " +
+                    "This usually indicates that you have used getCursor() where getCursor().getParent() is appropriate."
+            );
+        }
         this.cursor = parent;
         return visit(tree, p);
     }
@@ -165,12 +171,7 @@ public final Cursor updateCursor(T currentValue) {
         return t;
     }
 
-    public T visitNonNull(Tree tree, P p, Cursor parent) {
-        if (parent.getValue() instanceof Tree && ((Tree) parent.getValue()).isScope(tree)) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-                    "The `parent` cursor must not point to the same `tree` as the tree to be visited"
-            );
-        }
+    public @NonNull T visitNonNull(Tree tree, P p, Cursor parent) {
         T t = visit(tree, p, parent);
         assert t != null;
         return t;