diff --git a/docs/src/man/indexmanipulations.md b/docs/src/man/indexmanipulations.md
index fe2c460ef..19d53f79b 100644
--- a/docs/src/man/indexmanipulations.md
+++ b/docs/src/man/indexmanipulations.md
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ removeunit(::AbstractTensorMap, ::Val{i}) where {i}
 These operations reorder indices and/or move them between domain and codomain by applying the transposing or braiding isomorphisms of the underlying category.
 They form a hierarchy from most general to most restricted:
 
-- [`braid`](@ref) is the most general: it accepts any permutation and requires a `levels` argument — a tuple of heights, one per index — that determines whether each index crosses over or under the others it has to pass.
+- [`braid`](@ref) is the most general: it accepts any permutation and requires a `levels` argument — a tuple of depths, one per index — that determines whether each index crosses over or under the others it has to pass. In particular, duplicate levels are not allowed when the braiding is anyonic (`BraidingStyle(I) isa Anyonic`), and the length of `levels` must match the number of indices in the tensor.
 - [`permute`](@ref) is a simpler interface for sector types with a symmetric braiding (`BraidingStyle(I) isa SymmetricBraiding`), where over- and under-crossings are equivalent and `levels` is therefore not needed.
 - [`transpose`](@ref) is restricted to *cyclic* permutations (indices do not cross).
 - [`repartition`](@ref) only moves the codomain/domain boundary without reordering the indices at all.
diff --git a/src/auxiliary/auxiliary.jl b/src/auxiliary/auxiliary.jl
index 8e315e27f..e5ed7cc90 100644
--- a/src/auxiliary/auxiliary.jl
+++ b/src/auxiliary/auxiliary.jl
@@ -76,3 +76,19 @@ end
 else
     _allequal(f, xs) = allequal(f, xs)
 end
+
+"""
+    _check_levels(levels::Tuple) -> Nothing
+
+Check whether all elements of a tuple are distinct, throwing an `ArgumentError` if not.
+This is used to validate the `levels` of [`braid`](@ref).
+For symmetric braidings, this check is skipped since the levels are irrelevant.   
+"""
+_check_levels(::SymmetricBraiding, levels, s) = nothing
+@inline function _check_levels(::BraidingStyle, levels, s)
+    levels[s] == levels[s + 1] && _throw_ambiguous_levels(levels[s])
+    return nothing
+end
+@noinline function _throw_ambiguous_levels(l)
+    throw(ArgumentError(lazy"ambiguous braid: two indices with equal level $l have to cross"))
+end
diff --git a/src/fusiontrees/braiding_manipulations.jl b/src/fusiontrees/braiding_manipulations.jl
index 12926269c..ce08f510c 100644
--- a/src/fusiontrees/braiding_manipulations.jl
+++ b/src/fusiontrees/braiding_manipulations.jl
@@ -217,7 +217,8 @@ braid(f::FusionTree{I, N}, p::IndexTuple{N}, levels::IndexTuple{N}) where {I, N}
 function braid(f::FusionTree{I, N}, (p, _)::Index2Tuple{N, 0}, (levels, _)::Index2Tuple{N, 0}) where {I, N}
     TupleTools.isperm(p) || throw(ArgumentError(lazy"not a valid permutation: $p"))
     @assert FusionStyle(I) isa UniqueFusion
-    if BraidingStyle(I) isa SymmetricBraiding # this assumes Fsymbols are 1!
+    braid_style = BraidingStyle(I)
+    if braid_style isa SymmetricBraiding # this assumes Fsymbols are 1!
         coeff = one(sectorscalartype(I))
         for i in 1:N
             for j in 1:(i - 1)
@@ -236,6 +237,7 @@ function braid(f::FusionTree{I, N}, (p, _)::Index2Tuple{N, 0}, (levels, _)::Inde
         T = sectorscalartype(I)
         c = one(T)
         for s in permutation2swaps(p)
+            _check_levels(braid_style, levels, s)
             inv = levels[s] > levels[s + 1]
             f, c′ = artin_braid(f, s; inv)
             c *= c′
@@ -316,7 +318,9 @@ end
 
         dst, U = repartition(src, numind(src))
 
+        braid_style = BraidingStyle(I)
         for s in permutation2swaps(p)
+            _check_levels(braid_style, levels, s)
             inv = levels[s] > levels[s + 1]
             dst, U_tmp = artin_braid(dst, s; inv)
             U = U_tmp * U
diff --git a/src/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl b/src/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
index 69f738a24..ce4add069 100644
--- a/src/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
+++ b/src/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
@@ -293,8 +293,10 @@ end
 
 Compute `tdst = β * tdst + α * braid(tsrc, (p₁, p₂), levels)`, writing the result into `tdst`.
 The codomain and domain of `tdst` correspond to the indices in `p₁` and `p₂` of `tsrc` respectively.
-Here, `levels` is a tuple of length `numind(tsrc)` that assigns a level or height to the indices of `tsrc`,
+Here, `levels` is a tuple of length `numind(tsrc)` that assigns a level or depth to the indices of `tsrc`,
 which determines whether they will braid over or under any other index with which they have to change places.
+In other words, a smaller value in `levels` means that the corresponding index will be braided over any other index with a higher value.
+
 Optionally specify a `backend` and `allocator` for the underlying array operation.
 
 See also [`braid`](@ref) for creating a new tensor.
@@ -323,8 +325,9 @@ end
 
 Return tensor `tdst` obtained by braiding the indices of `tsrc`.
 The codomain and domain of `tdst` correspond to the indices in `p₁` and `p₂` of `tsrc` respectively.
-Here, `levels` is a tuple of length `numind(tsrc)` that assigns a level or height to the indices of `tsrc`,
+Here, `levels` is a tuple of length `numind(tsrc)` that assigns a level or depth to the indices of `tsrc`,
 which determines whether they will braid over or under any other index with which they have to change places.
+In other words, a smaller value in `levels` means that the corresponding index will be braided over any other index with a higher value.
 
 If `copy=false`, `tdst` might share data with `tsrc` whenever possible. Otherwise, a copy is always made.
 Optionally specify a `backend` and `allocator` for the underlying array operation.
diff --git a/test/symmetries/doubletree.jl b/test/symmetries/doubletree.jl
index f0f7484a0..4fbe43e90 100644
--- a/test/symmetries/doubletree.jl
+++ b/test/symmetries/doubletree.jl
@@ -174,6 +174,14 @@ using TensorKitSectors
     end
 
     BraidingStyle(I) isa HasBraiding && @testset "Double fusion tree: permutation and braiding" begin
+        if !(BraidingStyle(I) isa SymmetricBraiding)
+            eq = ntuple(Returns(1), N) # potential problematic level 1
+            err_str = "ambiguous braid: two indices with equal level 1 have to cross"
+
+            @test TensorKit.braid(src, (ntuple(identity, N), ntuple(i -> i + N, N)), (eq, eq)) isa Pair # equal levels are fine when the indices never meet
+            @test_throws ArgumentError(err_str) TensorKit.braid(src, ((2, 1, ntuple(i -> i + 2, N - 2)...), ntuple(i -> i + N, N)), (eq, eq)) # and rejected when they do
+        end
+
         for n in 0:(2N)
             p = (randperm(2 * N)...,)
             p1, p2 = p[1:n], p[(n + 1):(2N)]
diff --git a/test/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl b/test/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
index 836418b3f..c4b0d924d 100644
--- a/test/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
+++ b/test/tensors/indexmanipulations.jl
@@ -137,6 +137,17 @@ for V in spacelist
             t2 = braid(copy(t'), p, levels)
             @test t1 ≈ t2
         end
+        hasbraiding && !symmetricbraiding && @timedtestset "Braid: invalid levels" begin
+            t = rand(ComplexF64, V1 ⊗ V2 ← V3)
+            p = ((2, 1), (3,))
+            dupe_levels = (2, 2, 1) # level 2 is the duplicate
+            bad_lengths = (1, 2)
+            dupe_err_str = "ambiguous braid: two indices with equal level 2 have to cross"
+            len_err_str = "length of levels should be $(numind(t)), got $(length(bad_lengths))"
+            @test_throws ArgumentError(dupe_err_str) braid(t, p, dupe_levels) # duplicate levels
+            @test_throws ArgumentError(len_err_str) braid(t, p, bad_lengths) # wrong length
+            @test_throws ArgumentError(dupe_err_str) braid!(similar(t, permute(space(t), p)), t, p, dupe_levels)
+        end
     end
     TensorKit.empty_globalcaches!()
 end