diff --git a/internal/decoder/optdec/compile_struct.go b/internal/decoder/optdec/compile_struct.go
index 51552a287..03e3f66f8 100644
--- a/internal/decoder/optdec/compile_struct.go
+++ b/internal/decoder/optdec/compile_struct.go
@@ -39,7 +39,44 @@ func (c *compiler) compileIntStringOption(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
 	panic("unreachable")
 }
 
+func isInteger(vt reflect.Type) bool {
+	switch vt.Kind() {
+		case reflect.Int8, reflect.Int16, reflect.Int32, reflect.Int64, reflect.Uint8, reflect.Uint16, reflect.Uint32, reflect.Uint64, reflect.Uint, reflect.Uintptr, reflect.Int: return true
+		default: return false
+	}
+}
+
+func (c *compiler) assertStringOptTypes(vt reflect.Type) {
+	if c.depth > _CompileMaxDepth {
+		panic(*stackOverflow)
+	}
+
+	c.depth += 1
+	defer func ()  {
+		c.depth -= 1
+	}()
+
+	if isInteger(vt) {
+		return
+	}
+
+	switch vt.Kind() {
+	case reflect.String, reflect.Bool, reflect.Float32, reflect.Float64:
+		return
+	case reflect.Ptr: c.assertStringOptTypes(vt.Elem())
+	default:
+		panicForInvalidStrType(vt)
+	}
+}
+
 func (c *compiler) compileFieldStringOption(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
+	c.assertStringOptTypes(vt)
+
+	unmDec := c.tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt, true)
+	if unmDec != nil { 
+		return unmDec
+	} 
+
 	switch vt.Kind() {
 	case reflect.String:
 		if vt == jsonNumberType {
@@ -80,7 +117,8 @@ func (c *compiler) compileFieldStringOption(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
 			deref: c.compileFieldStringOption(vt.Elem()),
 		}
 	default:
-		panic("string options should appliy only to fields of string, floating point, integer, or boolean types.")
+		panicForInvalidStrType(vt)
+		return nil
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/decoder/optdec/compiler.go b/internal/decoder/optdec/compiler.go
index bb47f91f8..3a2d5ec43 100644
--- a/internal/decoder/optdec/compiler.go
+++ b/internal/decoder/optdec/compiler.go
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ type compiler struct {
 	counts  int
 	opts 	option.CompileOptions
 	namedPtr bool
-	
 }
 
 func newCompiler() *compiler {
@@ -114,7 +113,7 @@ func (c *compiler) compile(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
 		}
 	}
 
-	dec := c.tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt)
+	dec := c.tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt, false)
 	if dec != nil {
 		return dec
 	}
@@ -420,16 +419,21 @@ func (c *compiler) compileMapKey(vt reflect.Type) decKey {
 }
 
 // maybe vt is a named type, and not a pointer receiver, see issue 379  
-func (c *compiler) tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
+func (c *compiler) tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt reflect.Type, strOpt bool) decFunc {
 	pt := reflect.PtrTo(vt)
 
 	/* check for `json.Unmarshaler` with pointer receiver */
 	if pt.Implements(jsonUnmarshalerType) {
 		return &unmarshalJSONDecoder{
 			typ: rt.UnpackType(pt),
+			strOpt: strOpt,
 		}
 	}
 
+	if strOpt {
+		panicForInvalidStrType(vt)
+	}
+
 	/* check for `encoding.TextMarshaler` with pointer receiver */
 	if pt.Implements(encodingTextUnmarshalerType) {
 		return &unmarshalTextDecoder{
@@ -439,3 +443,7 @@ func (c *compiler) tryCompilePtrUnmarshaler(vt reflect.Type) decFunc {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func panicForInvalidStrType(vt reflect.Type) {
+	panic(error_type(rt.UnpackType(vt)))
+}
diff --git a/internal/decoder/optdec/interface.go b/internal/decoder/optdec/interface.go
index b96d3fb1c..0c063d55f 100644
--- a/internal/decoder/optdec/interface.go
+++ b/internal/decoder/optdec/interface.go
@@ -131,7 +131,8 @@ func (d *unmarshalTextDecoder) FromDom(vp unsafe.Pointer, node Node, ctx *contex
 }
 
 type unmarshalJSONDecoder struct {
-	typ *rt.GoType
+	typ 	*rt.GoType
+	strOpt	bool
 }
 
 func (d *unmarshalJSONDecoder) FromDom(vp unsafe.Pointer, node Node, ctx *context) error {
@@ -140,15 +141,28 @@ func (d *unmarshalJSONDecoder) FromDom(vp unsafe.Pointer, node Node, ctx *contex
 		Value: vp,
 	}))
 
+	var input []byte
+	if d.strOpt && node.IsNull() {
+		input = []byte("null")
+	} else if d.strOpt {
+		s, ok := node.AsStringText(ctx)
+		if !ok {
+			return error_mismatch(node, ctx, d.typ.Pack())
+		}
+		input = s
+	} else {
+		input = []byte(node.AsRaw(ctx))
+	}
+
 	// fast path
 	if u, ok :=  v.(json.Unmarshaler); ok {
-		return u.UnmarshalJSON([]byte(node.AsRaw(ctx)))
+		return u.UnmarshalJSON((input))
 	}
 
 	// slow path
 	rv := reflect.ValueOf(v)
 	if u, ok := rv.Interface().(json.Unmarshaler); ok {
-		return u.UnmarshalJSON([]byte(node.AsRaw(ctx)))
+		return u.UnmarshalJSON(input)
 	}
 
 	return error_type(d.typ)