diff --git a/src/component.py b/src/component.py
index 01b587a..9daff32 100644
--- a/src/component.py
+++ b/src/component.py
@@ -46,14 +46,23 @@ class Component(ComponentBase):
     def __init__(self):
         super().__init__()
         self._set_init_logging_handler()
-        self.parameters = dacite.from_dict(
-            Configuration,
-            self.configuration.parameters,
-            config=dacite.Config(
-                cast=[AuthEnum, SourceEnum, VenvEnum],
-                convert_key=encrypted_keys,
-            ),
-        )
+        try:
+            self.parameters = dacite.from_dict(
+                Configuration,
+                self.configuration.parameters,
+                config=dacite.Config(
+                    cast=[AuthEnum, SourceEnum, VenvEnum],
+                    convert_key=encrypted_keys,
+                ),
+            )
+        except dacite.DaciteFieldError as err:
+            # A configuration field with an unexpected type or a missing required field is a user
+            # problem, not an internal one. Re-raise as UserException so the job exits 1 with an
+            # actionable message instead of exiting 2 with an opaque internal error.
+            raise UserException(
+                f'Invalid component configuration: please check the "{err.field_path}" parameter '
+                f"in the configuration. Detail: {err}"
+            ) from err
 
     def run(self):
         if self.parameters.source == SourceEnum.CODE:
diff --git a/tests/test_component.py b/tests/test_component.py
index db13111..cbe119e 100644
--- a/tests/test_component.py
+++ b/tests/test_component.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
+import json
 import os
+import tempfile
 import unittest
 
 import mock
@@ -6,7 +8,7 @@
 from keboola.component.exceptions import UserException
 
 from component import Component
-from configuration import Configuration
+from configuration import Configuration, SourceEnum, VenvEnum
 
 
 class TestComponent(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -60,6 +62,72 @@ def test_default_user_properties_is_empty_dict(self):
         self.assertIsInstance(config.user_properties, dict)
 
 
+class TestConfigurationParsingErrors(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Configuration parsing errors must surface as UserException, not as an internal error.
+
+    A configuration field with an unexpected type used to escape ``dacite.from_dict`` as a raw
+    ``DaciteFieldError``, which the entrypoint caught as a generic exception and turned into an
+    opaque internal error (exit 2). Such input is a user problem, so it must exit 1 with a message
+    naming the offending field.
+    """
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _datadir(parameters: dict):
+        """Create a temporary data folder holding a config.json with the given parameters."""
+        datadir = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
+        with open(os.path.join(datadir.name, "config.json"), "w") as config_file:
+            json.dump({"parameters": parameters}, config_file)
+        return datadir
+
+    def _build_component(self, parameters: dict) -> Component:
+        datadir = self._datadir(parameters)
+        self.addCleanup(datadir.cleanup)
+        with mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"KBC_DATADIR": datadir.name}):
+            return Component()
+
+    def test_string_user_properties_raises_user_exception(self):
+        """A string in user_properties must raise UserException naming the field, not exit 2."""
+        with self.assertRaises(UserException) as context:
+            self._build_component({"source": "code", "venv": "base", "user_properties": '{"key": "value"}'})
+        self.assertIn("Invalid component configuration", str(context.exception))
+        self.assertIn("user_properties", str(context.exception))
+
+    def test_wrong_type_in_other_field_raises_user_exception(self):
+        """Any field of an unexpected type is reported the same way."""
+        with self.assertRaises(UserException) as context:
+            self._build_component(
+                {"source": "code", "venv": "base", "user_properties": {}, "packages": "pandas"}
+            )
+        self.assertIn("Invalid component configuration", str(context.exception))
+        self.assertIn("packages", str(context.exception))
+
+    def test_post_init_user_exception_is_not_rewrapped(self):
+        """UserException raised in Configuration.__post_init__ keeps its original message."""
+        with self.assertRaises(UserException) as context:
+            self._build_component(
+                {"source": "code", "venv": "base", "user_properties": ["item1", "item2"]}
+            )
+        self.assertIn("non-empty list not supported", str(context.exception))
+        self.assertNotIn("Invalid component configuration", str(context.exception))
+
+    def test_valid_configuration_is_parsed_unchanged(self):
+        """A valid configuration still parses into the expected Configuration values."""
+        component = self._build_component(
+            {
+                "source": "code",
+                "venv": "3.13",
+                "user_properties": {"debug": False},
+                "packages": ["pandas"],
+                "code": "print('hello')",
+            }
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(component.parameters.source, SourceEnum.CODE)
+        self.assertEqual(component.parameters.venv, VenvEnum.PY_3_13)
+        self.assertEqual(component.parameters.user_properties, {"debug": False})
+        self.assertEqual(component.parameters.packages, ["pandas"])
+        self.assertEqual(component.parameters.code, "print('hello')")
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     # import sys;sys.argv = ['', 'Test.testName']
     unittest.main()