diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 22e6aa4..0f71d58 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -129,12 +129,14 @@ exports.IPFS = IPFS
  * Validation funcs
  */
 
-function and () {
-  const args = Array.from(arguments)
-
-  function matches (a) {
+function makeMatchesFunction (partialMatch) {
+  return function matches (a) {
     if (typeof a === 'string') {
-      a = multiaddr(a)
+      try {
+        a = multiaddr(a)
+      } catch (err) { // catch error
+        return false // also if it's invalid it's propably not matching as well so return false
+      }
     }
     let out = partialMatch(a.protoNames())
     if (out === null) {
@@ -142,7 +144,10 @@ function and () {
     }
     return out.length === 0
   }
+}
 
+function and () {
+  const args = Array.from(arguments)
   function partialMatch (a) {
     if (a.length < args.length) {
       return null
@@ -163,7 +168,7 @@ function and () {
   return {
     toString: function () { return '{ ' + args.join(' ') + ' }' },
     input: args,
-    matches: matches,
+    matches: makeMatchesFunction(partialMatch),
     partialMatch: partialMatch
   }
 }
@@ -171,17 +176,6 @@ function and () {
 function or () {
   const args = Array.from(arguments)
 
-  function matches (a) {
-    if (typeof a === 'string') {
-      a = multiaddr(a)
-    }
-    const out = partialMatch(a.protoNames())
-    if (out === null) {
-      return false
-    }
-    return out.length === 0
-  }
-
   function partialMatch (a) {
     let out = null
     args.some((arg) => {
@@ -200,7 +194,7 @@ function or () {
   const result = {
     toString: function () { return '{ ' + args.join(' ') + ' }' },
     input: args,
-    matches: matches,
+    matches: makeMatchesFunction(partialMatch),
     partialMatch: partialMatch
   }
 
@@ -212,7 +206,11 @@ function base (n) {
 
   function matches (a) {
     if (typeof a === 'string') {
-      a = multiaddr(a)
+      try {
+        a = multiaddr(a)
+      } catch (err) { // catch error
+        return false // also if it's invalid it's propably not matching as well so return false
+      }
     }
 
     const pnames = a.protoNames()
diff --git a/test/index.spec.js b/test/index.spec.js
index 9b89930..1c7d343 100644
--- a/test/index.spec.js
+++ b/test/index.spec.js
@@ -172,6 +172,10 @@ describe('multiaddr validation', function () {
     })
   }
 
+  it('do not throw if multiaddr str is invalid', function () {
+    expect(mafmt.HTTP.matches('/http-google-com')).to.be.eql(false)
+  })
+
   it('DNS validation', function () {
     assertMatches(mafmt.DNS, goodDNS)
     assertMismatches(mafmt.DNS, badDNS, badIP)