diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.invalid_templates.test.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.invalid_templates.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ea50159a9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.invalid_templates.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { analyzeJavaScriptSemantics } from "./javascriptSemanticAnalysis.js";
+
+const effects = (call: (value: string) => string, value: string) => {
+  const ir = analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(`
+    const { spawn } = require("child_process");
+    const { EventEmitter } = require("events");
+    ${call(value)}
+  `);
+  return {
+    commands: ir.childProcessSpawns.map(({ command }) => command),
+    endpoints: ir.requestOperations.map(({ endpoint }) => endpoint),
+    events: ir.eventOperations.map(({ eventName }) => eventName),
+  };
+};
+
+const calls = (value: string) =>
+  [
+    `spawn(${value});`,
+    `fetch(${value});`,
+    `new EventEmitter().on(${value}, () => 1);`,
+  ].join("\n");
+
+it("keeps recovered templates without a cooked value dynamic", () => {
+  // `\\unicode` is an invalid escape: Babel recovers it with `cooked: null`.
+  expect(effects(calls, "`\\unicode`")).toEqual({
+    commands: [null],
+    endpoints: [null],
+    events: [null],
+  });
+  // Valid templates keep their cooked value, including escapes.
+  expect(effects(calls, "`ready\\n`")).toEqual({
+    commands: ["ready\n"],
+    endpoints: ["ready\n"],
+    events: ["ready\n"],
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticDataEffectHelpers.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticDataEffectHelpers.ts
index 9112eacd16..5c3ed9ddd4 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticDataEffectHelpers.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticDataEffectHelpers.ts
@@ -924,7 +924,11 @@ export const dataEffectPrimitive = (
   return null;
 };
 
-/** Read one static string or expression-free template. */
+/**
+ * Read one static string or expression-free template. A template recovered
+ * with an invalid escape has no cooked value; its raw spelling is not a
+ * JavaScript string, so it stays dynamic.
+ */
 export const dataEffectLiteralString = (
   node:
     | t.Expression
@@ -935,9 +939,8 @@ export const dataEffectLiteralString = (
 ): string | null => {
   if (node === undefined) return null;
   const literal = readExactJavaScriptLiteral(node);
-  if (literal.found && typeof literal.value === "string") return literal.value;
-  return t.isTemplateLiteral(node) && node.expressions.length === 0
-    ? (node.quasis[0]?.value.raw ?? null)
+  return literal.found && typeof literal.value === "string"
+    ? literal.value
     : null;
 };