diff --git a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/common.h b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/common.h
index dcd75d6..2f1977f 100644
--- a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/common.h
+++ b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/common.h
@@ -54,4 +54,7 @@ PyObject* ijson_return_self(PyObject *self);
 /* Common function used by empty methods in coroutines/generators */
 PyObject* ijson_return_none(PyObject *self);
 
+/* Unpacks an iterable into multiple values, returns 0 on success, -1 on error */
+int ijson_unpack(PyObject *o, Py_ssize_t expected, ...);
+
 #endif /* COMMON_H */
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/items_basecoro.c b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/items_basecoro.c
index 422d792..a557d96 100644
--- a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/items_basecoro.c
+++ b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/items_basecoro.c
@@ -76,10 +76,17 @@ PyObject* items_basecoro_send_impl(PyObject *self, PyObject *path, PyObject *eve
 
 static PyObject* items_basecoro_send(PyObject *self, PyObject *tuple)
 {
-	PyObject *path  = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 0);
-	PyObject *event = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 1);
-	PyObject *value = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 2);
-	return items_basecoro_send_impl(self, path, event, value);
+	PyObject *path = NULL;
+	PyObject *event = NULL;
+	PyObject *value = NULL;
+	PyObject *result = NULL;
+	if(!ijson_unpack(tuple, 3, &path, &event, &value)) {
+		result = items_basecoro_send_impl(self, path, event, value);
+	}
+	Py_XDECREF(value);
+	Py_XDECREF(event);
+	Py_XDECREF(path);
+	return result;
 }
 
 static PyMethodDef items_basecoro_methods[] = {
diff --git a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/kvitems_basecoro.c b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/kvitems_basecoro.c
index 504d98b..e1cb96f 100644
--- a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/kvitems_basecoro.c
+++ b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/kvitems_basecoro.c
@@ -99,10 +99,17 @@ PyObject* kvitems_basecoro_send_impl(PyObject *self, PyObject *path, PyObject *e
 
 static PyObject* kvitems_basecoro_send(PyObject *self, PyObject *tuple)
 {
-	PyObject *path  = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 0);
-	PyObject *event = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 1);
-	PyObject *value = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 2);
-	return kvitems_basecoro_send_impl(self, path, event, value);
+	PyObject *path = NULL;
+	PyObject *event = NULL;
+	PyObject *value = NULL;
+	PyObject *result = NULL;
+	if(!ijson_unpack(tuple, 3, &path, &event, &value)) {
+		result = kvitems_basecoro_send_impl(self, path, event, value);
+	}
+	Py_XDECREF(value);
+	Py_XDECREF(event);
+	Py_XDECREF(path);
+	return result;
 }
 
 static PyMethodDef kvitems_basecoro_methods[] = {
diff --git a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/module.c b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/module.c
index 6e71ccc..02f3216 100644
--- a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/module.c
+++ b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/module.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
  * Copyright by UWA (in the framework of the ICRAR)
  */
 #include <assert.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
 
 #include "common.h"
 #include "async_reading_generator.h"
@@ -54,6 +55,38 @@ PyObject* ijson_return_none(PyObject *self)
 	Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
+int ijson_unpack(PyObject *o, Py_ssize_t expected, ...)
+{
+	va_list args;
+	va_start(args, expected);
+	PyObject *iter = PyObject_GetIter(o);
+	if (!iter) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "cannot unpack non-iterable %s object", Py_TYPE(o)->tp_name);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	Py_ssize_t count = 0;
+	for (PyObject *o; (o = PyIter_Next(iter)); count++) {
+		if (count >= expected) {
+			continue;
+		}
+		PyObject **target = va_arg(args, PyObject **);
+		*target = o;
+	}
+	Py_DECREF(iter);
+	if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (count > expected) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "too many values to unpack (excepted %d, got %zd)", expected, count);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	else if (count < expected) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "not enough values to unpack (excepted %d, got %zd)", expected, count);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /* Module initialization */
 
 /* Support for Python 2/3 */
diff --git a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/parse_basecoro.c b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/parse_basecoro.c
index bd3bcf7..ba573cd 100644
--- a/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/parse_basecoro.c
+++ b/src/ijson/backends/ext/_yajl2/parse_basecoro.c
@@ -127,9 +127,15 @@ PyObject* parse_basecoro_send_impl(PyObject *self, PyObject *event, PyObject *va
 
 static PyObject* parse_basecoro_send(PyObject *self, PyObject *tuple)
 {
-	PyObject *event = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 0);
-	PyObject *value = PyTuple_GetItem(tuple, 1);
-	return parse_basecoro_send_impl(self, event, value);
+	PyObject *event = NULL;
+	PyObject *value = NULL;
+	PyObject *result = NULL;
+	if(!ijson_unpack(tuple, 2, &event, &value)) {
+		result = parse_basecoro_send_impl(self, event, value);
+	}
+	Py_XDECREF(value);
+	Py_XDECREF(event);
+	return result;
 }
 
 static PyMethodDef parse_basecoro_methods[] = {
diff --git a/tests/test_items.py b/tests/test_items.py
index 76e43a5..b4de142 100644
--- a/tests/test_items.py
+++ b/tests/test_items.py
@@ -67,3 +67,18 @@ def test_multiple_values(adaptor):
         adaptor.items(multiple_json, "", multiple_values=False)
     result = adaptor.items(multiple_json, "", multiple_values=True)
     assert [JSON_OBJECT, JSON_OBJECT, JSON_OBJECT] == result
+
+
+def test_coro_needs_input_with_three_elements(backend):
+    int_element_parse_events = list(backend.parse(b'0'))
+    # all good
+    assert [0] == list(backend.items(int_element_parse_events, ''))
+    # one more element in event
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="too many values"):
+        next(backend.items((event + ('extra dummy',) for event in int_element_parse_events), ''))
+    # one less
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="not enough values"):
+        next(backend.items((event[:-1] for event in int_element_parse_events), ''))
+    # not an iterable
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="cannot unpack"):
+        next(backend.items([None], ''))
diff --git a/tests/test_kvitems.py b/tests/test_kvitems.py
index 564b33b..4e89e70 100644
--- a/tests/test_kvitems.py
+++ b/tests/test_kvitems.py
@@ -43,3 +43,18 @@ def test_kvitems_array(adaptor):
 ])
 def test_kvitems_empty_member(adaptor, test_case):
     assert test_case.kvitems == adaptor.kvitems(test_case.json, test_case.prefix)
+
+
+def test_coro_needs_input_with_three_elements(backend):
+    int_element_parse_events = list(backend.parse(b'{"a": 0}'))
+    # all good
+    assert [('a', 0)] == list(backend.kvitems(int_element_parse_events, ''))
+    # one more element in event
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="too many values"):
+        next(backend.kvitems((event + ('extra dummy',) for event in int_element_parse_events), ''))
+    # one less
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="not enough values"):
+        next(backend.kvitems((event[:-1] for event in int_element_parse_events), ''))
+    # not an iterable
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="cannot unpack"):
+        next(backend.kvitems([None], ''))
diff --git a/tests/test_parse.py b/tests/test_parse.py
index 373a6cf..61cae3b 100644
--- a/tests/test_parse.py
+++ b/tests/test_parse.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for the ijson.parse method"""
 
+import pytest
+
 from .test_base import ARRAY_JSON, ARRAY_JSON_PARSE_EVENTS, JSON, JSON_PARSE_EVENTS
 
 def test_parse(adaptor):
@@ -7,3 +9,17 @@ def test_parse(adaptor):
 
 def test_parse_array(adaptor):
     assert ARRAY_JSON_PARSE_EVENTS == adaptor.parse(ARRAY_JSON)
+
+def test_coro_needs_input_with_two_elements(backend):
+    int_element_basic_parse_events = list(backend.basic_parse(b'0', use_float=True))
+    # all good
+    assert [('', 'number', 0)] == list(backend.parse(int_element_basic_parse_events))
+    # one more element in event
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="too many values"):
+        next(backend.parse(event + ('extra dummy',) for event in int_element_basic_parse_events))
+    # one less
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="not enough values"):
+        next(backend.parse(event[:-1] for event in int_element_basic_parse_events))
+    # not an iterable
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="cannot unpack"):
+        next(backend.parse([None]))