diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/11959-xml-boolean-value.yml b/changelogs/fragments/11959-xml-boolean-value.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..563a21fd22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/11959-xml-boolean-value.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - "xml - emit an error when ``value`` is not a string, pointing to the offending xpath
+    (https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/issues/7171,
+    https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/pull/11959)."
diff --git a/plugins/modules/xml.py b/plugins/modules/xml.py
index 514ae13a46..65d0ff3411 100644
--- a/plugins/modules/xml.py
+++ b/plugins/modules/xml.py
@@ -688,6 +688,16 @@ def set_target_inner(module, tree, xpath, namespaces, attribute, value):
             msg=f"Xpath {xpath} does not reference a node! tree is {etree.tostring(tree, pretty_print=True)}"
         )
 
+    if not isinstance(value, str):
+        target = f"attribute '{attribute}' at xpath '{xpath}'" if attribute else f"element text at xpath '{xpath}'"
+        module.fail_json(
+            msg=(
+                f"A non-string value {value!r} was parsed for {target}. "
+                "YAML values for booleans, octals, floats may not yield the string you intended. "
+                """Quote the value to be explicit, like `value: "yes"`."""
+            )
+        )
+
     for element in tree.xpath(xpath, namespaces=namespaces):
         if not attribute:
             changed = changed or (element.text != value)
diff --git a/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/main.yml b/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/main.yml
index 620fcb0331..8b613c6a08 100644
--- a/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/main.yml
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
     - include_tasks: test-remove-element.yml
     - include_tasks: test-remove-element-nochange.yml
     - include_tasks: test-set-attribute-value.yml
+    - include_tasks: test-set-attribute-value-boolean.yml
     - include_tasks: test-set-children-elements.yml
     - include_tasks: test-set-children-elements-level.yml
     - include_tasks: test-set-children-elements-value.yml
diff --git a/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/test-set-attribute-value-boolean.yml b/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/test-set-attribute-value-boolean.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..08ec26d20c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/targets/xml/tasks/test-set-attribute-value-boolean.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+# Copyright (c) Ansible Project
+# GNU General Public License v3.0+ (see LICENSES/GPL-3.0-or-later.txt or https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt)
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+# Regression test for https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/issues/7171
+# Passing an unquoted YAML boolean as `value` must now fail with an explicit error.
+
+- name: Setup test fixture
+  copy:
+    src: fixtures/ansible-xml-beers.xml
+    dest: /tmp/ansible-xml-beers.xml
+
+
+- name: "Set '/business/rating/@subjective' to boolean false (unquoted YAML boolean) - must fail"
+  xml:
+    path: /tmp/ansible-xml-beers.xml
+    xpath: /business/rating
+    attribute: subjective
+    value: false
+  register: set_attribute_boolean_false
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: Assert that passing a boolean attribute value raises an error
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - set_attribute_boolean_false is failed
+      - "'was parsed for' in set_attribute_boolean_false.msg"
+      - "'attribute' in set_attribute_boolean_false.msg"
+
+
+- name: "Set '/business/rating' text content to boolean true (unquoted YAML boolean) - must fail"
+  xml:
+    path: /tmp/ansible-xml-beers.xml
+    xpath: /business/rating
+    value: true
+  register: set_element_boolean_true
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: Assert that passing a boolean element value raises an error
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - set_element_boolean_true is failed
+      - "'was parsed for' in set_element_boolean_true.msg"
+      - "'element text' in set_element_boolean_true.msg"
+
+
+- name: "Set '/business/rating/@subjective' to quoted string 'false' - must succeed"
+  xml:
+    path: /tmp/ansible-xml-beers.xml
+    xpath: /business/rating
+    attribute: subjective
+    value: "false"
+  register: set_attribute_string_false
+
+- name: Assert that passing a quoted string attribute value succeeds
+  assert:
+    that:
+      - set_attribute_string_false is changed