diff --git a/binlog_streamer.go b/binlog_streamer.go
index fcdf3e0f..93b6cc6b 100644
--- a/binlog_streamer.go
+++ b/binlog_streamer.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/tls"
 	sqlorig "database/sql"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
@@ -281,6 +282,7 @@ func (s *BinlogStreamer) Run() {
 		es.isEventPositionResumable = false
 		es.isEventPositionValid = true
 
+		// if there is a handler associated with this eventType, call it
 		eventTypeString := ev.Header.EventType.String()
 		if handler, ok := s.eventHandlers[eventTypeString]; ok {
 			query, err = handler(ev, query, &es)
@@ -289,6 +291,7 @@ func (s *BinlogStreamer) Run() {
 				s.ErrorHandler.Fatal("binlog_streamer", err)
 			}
 		} else {
+			// call the default event handler for everything else
 			query, err = s.defaultEventHandler(ev, query, &es)
 		}
 
@@ -300,11 +303,22 @@ func (s *BinlogStreamer) Run() {
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *BinlogStreamer) AddBinlogEventHandler(ev string, eh func(*replication.BinlogEvent, []byte, *BinlogEventState) ([]byte, error)) {
+// Attach an event handler to a replication BinLogEvent
+// We only support attaching events to any of the events defined in
+// https://github.com/go-mysql-org/go-mysql/blob/master/replication/const.go
+func (s *BinlogStreamer) AddBinlogEventHandler(evType replication.EventType, eh func(*replication.BinlogEvent, []byte, *BinlogEventState) ([]byte, error)) error {
+	// verify that event-type is valid
+	// if eventTypeString is unrecognized, bail
+	eventTypeString := evType.String()
+	if eventTypeString == "UnknownEvent" {
+		return errors.New("Unknown event type")
+	}
+
 	if s.eventHandlers == nil {
 		s.eventHandlers = make(map[string]func(*replication.BinlogEvent, []byte, *BinlogEventState) ([]byte, error))
 	}
-	s.eventHandlers[ev] = eh
+	s.eventHandlers[eventTypeString] = eh
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (s *BinlogStreamer) AddEventListener(listener func([]DMLEvent) error) {
diff --git a/test/go/binlog_streamer_test.go b/test/go/binlog_streamer_test.go
index e1a204f7..b16a4088 100644
--- a/test/go/binlog_streamer_test.go
+++ b/test/go/binlog_streamer_test.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Shopify/ghostferry"
 	"github.com/Shopify/ghostferry/testhelpers"
 
+	"github.com/go-mysql-org/go-mysql/replication"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
 )
 
@@ -195,6 +196,20 @@ func (this *BinlogStreamerTestSuite) TestBinlogStreamerSetsQueryEventOnRowsEvent
 	this.Require().True(eventAsserted)
 }
 
+func (this *BinlogStreamerTestSuite) TestBinlogStreamerAddEventHandlerEventTypes() {
+	qe := func(ev *replication.BinlogEvent, query []byte, es *ghostferry.BinlogEventState) ([]byte, error) {
+		return query, nil
+	}
+
+	// try attaching a handler to a valid event type
+	err := this.binlogStreamer.AddBinlogEventHandler(replication.TABLE_MAP_EVENT, qe)
+	this.Require().Nil(err)
+
+	// try attaching a handler to an invalid event type
+	err = this.binlogStreamer.AddBinlogEventHandler(replication.EventType(byte(0)), qe)
+	this.Require().NotNil(err)
+}
+
 func TestBinlogStreamerTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
 	testhelpers.SetupTest()
 	suite.Run(t, &BinlogStreamerTestSuite{GhostferryUnitTestSuite: &testhelpers.GhostferryUnitTestSuite{}})
diff --git a/test/lib/go/ddl_ghostferry/main.go b/test/lib/go/ddl_ghostferry/main.go
index 3dca411c..7b49f108 100644
--- a/test/lib/go/ddl_ghostferry/main.go
+++ b/test/lib/go/ddl_ghostferry/main.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ func queryEventHandler(ev *replication.BinlogEvent, query []byte, es *ghostferry
 }
 
 func AfterInitialize(f *tf.IntegrationFerry) error {
-	f.Ferry.BinlogStreamer.AddBinlogEventHandler("QueryEvent", queryEventHandler)
+	_ := f.Ferry.BinlogStreamer.AddBinlogEventHandler(replication.QUERY_EVENT, queryEventHandler)
 	return nil
 }