diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js b/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js
index dcbe42d59a4cf..7e74b1fea2cf2 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js
@@ -727,13 +727,16 @@ module.exports = cls => class Reifier extends cls {
     // ${REGISTRY} or something.  This has to be threaded through the
     // Shrinkwrap and Node classes carefully, so for now, just treat
     // the default reg as the magical animal that it has been.
-    // const resolvedURL = new URL(resolved)
-    const resolvedURL = hgi.parseUrl(resolved)
+    let resolvedURL = hgi.parseUrl(resolved)
 
     if (!resolvedURL) {
-      // if we could not parse the url at all then returning nothing
-      // here means it will get removed from the tree in the next step
-      return
+      try {
+        resolvedURL = new URL(resolved)
+      } catch {
+        // if we could not parse the url at all then returning nothing
+        // here means it will get removed from the tree in the next step
+        return
+      }
     }
 
     if ((this.options.replaceRegistryHost === resolvedURL.hostname)