diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.test.js b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.test.js
index 5a2e6a617fbb5..236677c221761 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.test.js
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.test.js
@@ -548,6 +548,19 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
       );
       expect(onBeforeWrite).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.create(
+        'index-pattern',
+        {
+          title: 'Logstash',
+        },
+        {
+          id: 'foo-id',
+          namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+        }
+      )).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#bulkCreate', () => {
@@ -993,6 +1006,15 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
       expect(onBeforeWrite).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
 
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.bulkCreate(
+        [{ type: 'globaltype', id: 'one', attributes: { title: 'Test One' } }],
+        {
+          namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+        }
+      )).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
+
     it('should return objects in the same order regardless of type', () => {});
   });
 
@@ -1071,6 +1093,12 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
 
       expect(onBeforeWrite).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.delete('globaltype', 'logstash-*', {
+        namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+      })).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#deleteByNamespace', () => {
@@ -1090,6 +1118,15 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
       expect(onBeforeWrite).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      callAdminCluster.mockReturnValue(deleteByQueryResults);
+      expect(
+        savedObjectsRepository.deleteByNamespace(Symbol('namespace-1'))
+      ).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+      expect(callAdminCluster).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(onBeforeWrite).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
     it('constructs a deleteByQuery call using all types that are namespace aware', async () => {
       callAdminCluster.mockReturnValue(deleteByQueryResults);
       const result = await savedObjectsRepository.deleteByNamespace('my-namespace');
@@ -1283,6 +1320,11 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
       expect(callAdminCluster).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
       expect(callAdminCluster.mock.calls[0][1]).toHaveProperty('rest_total_hits_as_int', true);
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.find({ type: 'foo', namespace: Symbol('foo') }))
+        .rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#get', () => {
@@ -1404,6 +1446,12 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
         })
       );
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.get('globaltype', 'logstash-*', {
+        namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+      })).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#bulkGet', () => {
@@ -1645,6 +1693,17 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
         },
       ]);
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.bulkGet([
+        { id: 'one', type: 'config' },
+        { id: 'two', type: 'invalidtype' },
+        { id: 'three', type: 'config' },
+        { id: 'four', type: 'invalidtype' },
+        { id: 'five', type: 'config' },
+      ], { namespace: Symbol('foo') }))
+        .rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#update', () => {
@@ -1857,6 +1916,26 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
 
       expect(onBeforeWrite).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(savedObjectsRepository.update(
+        'index-pattern',
+        'foo',
+        {
+          name: 'bar',
+        },
+        {
+          namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+          references: [
+            {
+              name: 'ref_0',
+              type: 'test',
+              id: '1',
+            },
+          ],
+        }
+      )).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('#incrementCounter', () => {
@@ -2053,6 +2132,14 @@ describe('SavedObjectsRepository', () => {
         )
       ).rejects.toEqual(new Error('"counterFieldName" argument must be a string'));
     });
+
+    it(`doesn't support Symbol namespaces`, async () => {
+      expect(
+        savedObjectsRepository.incrementCounter('globaltype', 'foo', 'counter', {
+          namespace: Symbol('foo-namespace'),
+        })
+      ).rejects.toThrowErrorMatchingSnapshot();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('onBeforeWrite', () => {
diff --git a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.ts b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.ts
index eb41df3a19d2d..7af8e763a4da1 100644
--- a/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/saved_objects/service/lib/repository.ts
@@ -421,6 +421,10 @@ export class SavedObjectsRepository {
       throw new TypeError('options.fields must be an array');
     }
 
+    if (typeof namespace === 'symbol') {
+      throw new TypeError('options.namespace must not be a Symbol');
+    }
+
     const esOptions = {
       index: this.getIndicesForTypes(allowedTypes),
       size: perPage,