diff --git a/sqlite3_opt_vtable.go b/sqlite3_opt_vtable.go
index 2c17d30..25ae3ed 100644
--- a/sqlite3_opt_vtable.go
+++ b/sqlite3_opt_vtable.go
@@ -609,8 +609,14 @@ func goVUpdate(pVTab unsafe.Pointer, argc C.int, argv **C.sqlite3_value, pRowid
 
 		case argc > 1:
 			// Per the xUpdate contract argv[0] identifies the row being
-			// updated while argv[1] is its (possibly changed) new rowid.
-			err = v.Update(vals[0], vals[2:])
+			// updated while argv[1] is its new rowid. VTabUpdater has no
+			// way to convey a rowid change, so reject it instead of
+			// silently updating values under the old rowid.
+			if vals[0] != vals[1] {
+				err = fmt.Errorf("virtual %s table %sdoes not support changing the rowid", vt.module.name, tname)
+			} else {
+				err = v.Update(vals[0], vals[2:])
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/sqlite3_opt_vtable_test.go b/sqlite3_opt_vtable_test.go
index 64511e2..3afa155 100644
--- a/sqlite3_opt_vtable_test.go
+++ b/sqlite3_opt_vtable_test.go
@@ -280,6 +280,19 @@ func TestVUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected table vt entry 1 to be [117 f e], instead: %v", vt.data[1])
 	}
 
+	// a rowid-changing update cannot be expressed via VTabUpdater and
+	// must be rejected instead of updating the wrong row
+	_, err = db.Exec(`update vt set rowid = rowid + 10 where f1 = 117`)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected error on rowid-changing update, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "does not support changing the rowid") {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error on rowid-changing update: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(vt.data[1], []any{int64(117), "f", "e"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected table vt entry 1 to be unchanged, instead: %v", vt.data[1])
+	}
+
 	// delete from vt
 	res, err = db.Exec(`delete from vt where f1 = 117`)
 	if err != nil {