diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 198a9a705b..0fa4666a66 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -596,6 +596,9 @@ Options:
           Basically, the base URL option resolves links as if the local files were hosted
           at the given base URL address.
 
+          The provided base URL value must either be a URL (with scheme) or an absolute path.
+          Note that certain URL schemes cannot be used as a base, e.g., `data` and `mailto`.
+
       --root-dir <ROOT_DIR>
           Root directory to use when checking absolute links in local files. This option is
           required if absolute links appear in local files, otherwise those links will be
diff --git a/lychee-bin/src/options.rs b/lychee-bin/src/options.rs
index 4a4a019a26..50e1732db8 100644
--- a/lychee-bin/src/options.rs
+++ b/lychee-bin/src/options.rs
@@ -750,7 +750,10 @@ of the base URL. For example, a base URL of `https://example.com/dir/page/` and
 a link of `a` would resolve to `https://example.com/dir/page/a`.
 
 Basically, the base URL option resolves links as if the local files were hosted
-at the given base URL address."
+at the given base URL address.
+
+The provided base URL value must either be a URL (with scheme) or an absolute path.
+Note that certain URL schemes cannot be used as a base, e.g., `data` and `mailto`."
     )]
     #[serde(default)]
     pub(crate) base_url: Option<Base>,
diff --git a/lychee-bin/src/parse.rs b/lychee-bin/src/parse.rs
index 5ecf433396..bb412fecbb 100644
--- a/lychee-bin/src/parse.rs
+++ b/lychee-bin/src/parse.rs
@@ -13,8 +13,20 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_remaps(remaps: &[String]) -> Result<Remaps> {
         .context("Remaps must be of the form '<pattern> <uri>' (separated by whitespace)")
 }
 
-pub(crate) fn parse_base(src: &str) -> Result<Base, lychee_lib::ErrorKind> {
-    Base::try_from(src)
+pub(crate) fn parse_base(src: &str) -> Result<Base> {
+    match Base::try_from(src) {
+        Ok(x) => Ok(x),
+        Err(e) => {
+            // if context is defined, clap displays only the context string in
+            // argument parse errors. to keep the message from within InvalidBase,
+            // we need to retain it manually.
+            let message = format!(
+                "{e}. See `--help` for more information. If you want to resolve \
+                root-relative links in local files, also see `--root-dir`."
+            );
+            Err(e).context(message)
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/lychee-lib/src/types/base.rs b/lychee-lib/src/types/base.rs
index c2ec3b56d3..5fd770031f 100644
--- a/lychee-lib/src/types/base.rs
+++ b/lychee-lib/src/types/base.rs
@@ -56,12 +56,24 @@ impl TryFrom<&str> for Base {
             if url.cannot_be_a_base() {
                 return Err(ErrorKind::InvalidBase(
                     value.to_string(),
-                    "The given URL cannot be a base".to_string(),
+                    "The given URL cannot be used as a base URL".to_string(),
                 ));
             }
             return Ok(Self::Remote(url));
         }
-        Ok(Self::Local(PathBuf::from(value)))
+
+        // require absolute paths in `Base::Local`. a local non-relative base is
+        // basically useless because it cannot be used to join URLs and will
+        // cause InvalidBaseJoin.
+        let path = PathBuf::from(value);
+        if path.is_absolute() {
+            Ok(Self::Local(path))
+        } else {
+            Err(ErrorKind::InvalidBase(
+                value.to_string(),
+                "Base must either be a URL (with scheme) or an absolute local path".to_string(),
+            ))
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -96,7 +108,7 @@ mod test_base {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_valid_local_path_string_as_base() -> Result<()> {
-        let cases = vec!["/tmp/lychee", "/tmp/lychee/", "tmp/lychee/"];
+        let cases = vec!["/tmp/lychee", "/tmp/lychee/"];
 
         for case in cases {
             assert_eq!(Base::try_from(case)?, Base::Local(PathBuf::from(case)));
@@ -104,6 +116,15 @@ mod test_base {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_invalid_local_path_string_as_base() {
+        let cases = vec!["a", "tmp/lychee/", "example.com", "../nonlocal"];
+
+        for case in cases {
+            assert!(Base::try_from(case).is_err());
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_valid_local() -> Result<()> {
         let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();