diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a62f1ae7cac52d..67a40b841aa506 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -9606,6 +9606,7 @@ fi
     as_fn_append LINKFORSHARED " -sEXPORTED_RUNTIME_METHODS=FS,callMain,ENV"
     as_fn_append LINKFORSHARED " -sEXPORTED_FUNCTIONS=_main,_Py_Version,__PyRuntime,__PyEM_EMSCRIPTEN_COUNT_ARGS_OFFSET,_PyGILState_GetThisThreadState,__Py_DumpTraceback"
     as_fn_append LINKFORSHARED " -sSTACK_SIZE=5MB"
+        as_fn_append LINKFORSHARED " -sTEXTDECODER=2"
 
     if test "x$enable_wasm_dynamic_linking" = xyes
 then :
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d644c0ca772cd5..bbd0fa8c1ae8f6 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2338,6 +2338,8 @@ AS_CASE([$ac_sys_system],
     AS_VAR_APPEND([LINKFORSHARED], [" -sEXPORTED_RUNTIME_METHODS=FS,callMain,ENV"])
     AS_VAR_APPEND([LINKFORSHARED], [" -sEXPORTED_FUNCTIONS=_main,_Py_Version,__PyRuntime,__PyEM_EMSCRIPTEN_COUNT_ARGS_OFFSET,_PyGILState_GetThisThreadState,__Py_DumpTraceback"])
     AS_VAR_APPEND([LINKFORSHARED], [" -sSTACK_SIZE=5MB"])
+    dnl Avoid bugs in JS fallback string decoding path
+    AS_VAR_APPEND([LINKFORSHARED], [" -sTEXTDECODER=2"])
 
     AS_VAR_IF([enable_wasm_dynamic_linking], [yes], [
       AS_VAR_APPEND([LINKFORSHARED], [" -sMAIN_MODULE"])