diff --git a/src/ast/Collection.js b/src/ast/Collection.js
index f4aee56b..6965cec5 100644
--- a/src/ast/Collection.js
+++ b/src/ast/Collection.js
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ function collectionFromPath(schema, path, value) {
     v = o
   }
   return createNode(v, null, {
+    onAlias() {
+      throw new Error('Repeated objects are not supported here')
+    },
     prevObjects: new Map(),
     schema,
     wrapScalars: false
diff --git a/src/doc/Document.js b/src/doc/Document.js
index 31808f67..58815c3e 100644
--- a/src/doc/Document.js
+++ b/src/doc/Document.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {
+  Alias,
   Collection,
   Node,
   Pair,
@@ -62,15 +63,20 @@ export class Document {
 
   createNode(value, { onTagObj, tag, wrapScalars } = {}) {
     this.setSchema()
+    const aliasNodes = []
     const ctx = {
-      aliasNodes: [],
+      onAlias(source) {
+        const alias = new Alias(source)
+        aliasNodes.push(alias)
+        return alias
+      },
       onTagObj,
       prevObjects: new Map(),
       schema: this.schema,
       wrapScalars: wrapScalars !== false
     }
     const node = createNode(value, tag, ctx)
-    for (const alias of ctx.aliasNodes) {
+    for (const alias of aliasNodes) {
       // With circular references, the source node is only resolved after all of
       // its child nodes are. This is why anchors are set only after all of the
       // nodes have been created.
diff --git a/src/doc/Schema.js b/src/doc/Schema.js
index 47bae1cd..50bd3f1d 100644
--- a/src/doc/Schema.js
+++ b/src/doc/Schema.js
@@ -16,9 +16,15 @@ export class Schema {
   constructor({ customTags, merge, resolveKnownTags, schema, sortMapEntries }) {
     this.merge = !!merge
     this.name = schema
+    this.knownTags = resolveKnownTags ? coreKnownTags : {}
+    this.tags = getSchemaTags(schemas, tags, customTags, schema)
+
+    // Used by createNode(), to avoid circular dependencies
+    this.map = tags.map
+    this.seq = tags.seq
+
+    // Used by createMap()
     this.sortMapEntries =
       sortMapEntries === true ? sortMapEntriesByKey : sortMapEntries || null
-    this.tags = getSchemaTags(schemas, tags, customTags, schema)
-    this.knownTags = resolveKnownTags ? coreKnownTags : {}
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/doc/createNode.js b/src/doc/createNode.js
index 66d5bbe7..48d9b7aa 100644
--- a/src/doc/createNode.js
+++ b/src/doc/createNode.js
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-import { Alias } from '../ast/Alias.js'
 import { Node } from '../ast/Node.js'
 import { Scalar } from '../ast/Scalar.js'
 import { defaultTagPrefix } from '../constants.js'
-import { map } from '../tags/failsafe/map.js'
-import { seq } from '../tags/failsafe/seq.js'
 
 function findTagObject(value, tagName, tags) {
   if (tagName) {
@@ -17,11 +14,12 @@ function findTagObject(value, tagName, tags) {
 
 export function createNode(value, tagName, ctx) {
   if (value instanceof Node) return value
-  const { aliasNodes, onTagObj, prevObjects, schema, wrapScalars } = ctx
+  const { onAlias, onTagObj, prevObjects, wrapScalars } = ctx
+  const { map, seq, tags } = ctx.schema
   if (tagName && tagName.startsWith('!!'))
     tagName = defaultTagPrefix + tagName.slice(2)
 
-  let tagObj = findTagObject(value, tagName, schema.tags)
+  let tagObj = findTagObject(value, tagName, tags)
   if (!tagObj) {
     if (typeof value.toJSON === 'function') value = value.toJSON()
     if (typeof value !== 'object')
@@ -36,15 +34,9 @@ export function createNode(value, tagName, ctx) {
   // Detect duplicate references to the same object & use Alias nodes for all
   // after first. The `obj` wrapper allows for circular references to resolve.
   const obj = {}
-  if (value && typeof value === 'object' && prevObjects) {
+  if (value && typeof value === 'object') {
     const prev = prevObjects.get(value)
-    if (prev) {
-      if (!aliasNodes)
-        throw new Error('Circular references are not supported here')
-      const alias = new Alias(prev) // leaves source dirty; must be cleaned by caller
-      aliasNodes.push(alias)
-      return alias
-    }
+    if (prev) return onAlias(prev)
     obj.value = value
     prevObjects.set(value, obj)
   }
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 808cd373..74beba3c 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 import { parse as parseCST } from './cst/parse.js'
-import { createNode as _createNode } from './doc/createNode.js'
+import { createNode } from './doc/createNode.js'
 import { Document as YAMLDocument } from './doc/Document.js'
 import { Schema } from './doc/Schema.js'
 import { YAMLSemanticError } from './errors.js'
 import { defaultOptions, scalarOptions } from './options.js'
 import { warn } from './warnings.js'
 
-function createNode(value, wrapScalars = true, tag) {
+function _createNode(value, wrapScalars = true, tag) {
   if (tag === undefined && typeof wrapScalars === 'string') {
     tag = wrapScalars
     wrapScalars = true
@@ -17,11 +17,14 @@ function createNode(value, wrapScalars = true, tag) {
     defaultOptions
   )
   const ctx = {
+    onAlias() {
+      throw new Error('Repeated objects are not supported here')
+    },
     prevObjects: new Map(),
     schema: new Schema(options),
     wrapScalars
   }
-  return _createNode(value, tag, ctx)
+  return createNode(value, tag, ctx)
 }
 
 class Document extends YAMLDocument {
@@ -66,7 +69,7 @@ function stringify(value, options) {
 }
 
 export const YAML = {
-  createNode,
+  createNode: _createNode,
   defaultOptions,
   Document,
   parse,
diff --git a/tests/doc/createNode.js b/tests/doc/createNode.js
index 7a5c7fad..e1308151 100644
--- a/tests/doc/createNode.js
+++ b/tests/doc/createNode.js
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ describe('circular references', () => {
       a1: { items: [{ key: 'foo' }, { key: 'map' }] }
     })
     expect(() => YAML.createNode(map)).toThrow(
-      /Circular references are not supported here/
+      'Repeated objects are not supported here'
     )
   })
 
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ describe('circular references', () => {
       a1: { items: [{ key: 'foo' }] }
     })
     expect(() => YAML.createNode(map)).toThrow(
-      /Circular references are not supported here/
+      'Repeated objects are not supported here'
     )
   })
 
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ describe('circular references', () => {
       a2: { items: ['two'] }
     })
     expect(() => YAML.createNode(seq)).toThrow(
-      /Circular references are not supported here/
+      'Repeated objects are not supported here'
     )
   })
 
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ describe('circular references', () => {
     expect(alias).toMatchObject({ type: 'ALIAS' })
     expect(alias.source).toBe(source)
     expect(() => YAML.createNode(seq)).toThrow(
-      /Circular references are not supported here/
+      'Repeated objects are not supported here'
     )
   })
 })