diff --git a/doc/api/assert.md b/doc/api/assert.md
index 339351db8b22b1..80b3019ad8a1ee 100644
--- a/doc/api/assert.md
+++ b/doc/api/assert.md
@@ -469,6 +469,11 @@ suppressFrame();
 ## assert.ifError(value)
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.97
+changes:
+  - version: REPLACEME
+    pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18247
+    description: Instead of throwing the original error it is now wrapped into
+                 a AssertionError that contains the full stack trace.
 -->
 * `value` {any}
 
@@ -483,11 +488,11 @@ assert.ifError(null);
 assert.ifError(0);
 // OK
 assert.ifError(1);
-// Throws 1
+// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: 1
 assert.ifError('error');
-// Throws 'error'
+// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: 'error'
 assert.ifError(new Error());
-// Throws Error
+// AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: Error
 ```
 
 ## assert.notDeepEqual(actual, expected[, message])
diff --git a/lib/assert.js b/lib/assert.js
index 9931ce9c222e6e..6ac3cf38ea99ae 100644
--- a/lib/assert.js
+++ b/lib/assert.js
@@ -452,7 +452,53 @@ assert.doesNotThrow = function doesNotThrow(block, error, message) {
   throw actual;
 };
 
-assert.ifError = function ifError(err) { if (err) throw err; };
+assert.ifError = function ifError(err) {
+  if (err) {
+    let message = 'ifError got unwanted exception: ';
+    if (typeof err === 'object' && typeof err.message === 'string') {
+      if (err.message.length === 0 && err.constructor) {
+        message += err.constructor.name;
+      } else {
+        message += err.message;
+      }
+    } else {
+      message += inspect(err);
+    }
+
+    const newErr = new assert.AssertionError({
+      actual: err,
+      expected: null,
+      operator: 'ifError',
+      message,
+      stackStartFn: ifError
+    });
+
+    // Make sure we actually have a stack trace!
+    const origStack = err.stack;
+
+    if (typeof origStack === 'string') {
+      // This will remove any duplicated frames from the error frames taken
+      // from within `ifError` and add the original error frames to the newly
+      // created ones.
+      const tmp2 = origStack.split('\n');
+      tmp2.shift();
+      // Filter all frames existing in err.stack.
+      let tmp1 = newErr.stack.split('\n');
+      for (var i = 0; i < tmp2.length; i++) {
+        // Find the first occurrence of the frame.
+        const pos = tmp1.indexOf(tmp2[i]);
+        if (pos !== -1) {
+          // Only keep new frames.
+          tmp1 = tmp1.slice(0, pos);
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+      newErr.stack = `${tmp1.join('\n')}\n${tmp2.join('\n')}`;
+    }
+
+    throw newErr;
+  }
+};
 
 // Expose a strict only variant of assert
 function strict(...args) {
diff --git a/test/fixtures/uncaught-exceptions/callbackify2.js b/test/fixtures/uncaught-exceptions/callbackify2.js
index 9080da234f3c04..7b4ee4f565596d 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/uncaught-exceptions/callbackify2.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/uncaught-exceptions/callbackify2.js
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ const { callbackify } = require('util');
 {
   const sentinel = new Error(__filename);
   process.once('uncaughtException', (err) => {
-    assert.strictEqual(err, sentinel);
+    assert.notStrictEqual(err, sentinel);
     // Calling test will use `stdout` to assert value of `err.message`
     console.log(err.message);
   });
 
-  async function fn() {
-    return await Promise.reject(sentinel);
+  function fn() {
+    return Promise.reject(sentinel);
   }
 
   const cbFn = callbackify(fn);
diff --git a/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.js b/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..1db25d2fa55a1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+let err;
+// Create some random error frames.
+(function a() {
+  (function b() {
+    (function c() {
+      err = new Error('test error');
+    })();
+  })();
+})();
+
+(function x() {
+  (function y() {
+    (function z() {
+      assert.ifError(err);
+    })();
+  })();
+})();
diff --git a/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.out b/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..fa72322b446f6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/message/if-error-has-good-stack.out
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+assert.js:*
+    throw newErr;
+    ^
+
+AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: ifError got unwanted exception: test error
+    at z (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*
+    at y (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at x (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at Object.<anonymous> (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at c (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at b (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at a (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at Object.<anonymous> (*/if-error-has-good-stack.js:*:*)
+    at Module._compile (module.js:*:*)
+    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:*:*)
+    at Module.load (module.js:*:*)
+    at tryModuleLoad (module.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module._load (module.js:*:*)
+    at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:*:*)
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-assert-if-error.js b/test/parallel/test-assert-if-error.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..bcee765f9afc17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-assert-if-error.js
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert').strict;
+/* eslint-disable no-restricted-properties */
+
+// Test that assert.ifError has the correct stack trace of both stacks.
+
+let err;
+// Create some random error frames.
+(function a() {
+  (function b() {
+    (function c() {
+      err = new Error('test error');
+    })();
+  })();
+})();
+
+const msg = err.message;
+const stack = err.stack;
+
+(function x() {
+  (function y() {
+    (function z() {
+      let threw = false;
+      try {
+        assert.ifError(err);
+      } catch (e) {
+        assert.equal(e.message, 'ifError got unwanted exception: test error');
+        assert.equal(err.message, msg);
+        assert.equal(e.actual, err);
+        assert.equal(e.actual.stack, stack);
+        assert.equal(e.expected, null);
+        assert.equal(e.operator, 'ifError');
+        threw = true;
+      }
+      assert(threw);
+    })();
+  })();
+})();
+
+assert.throws(
+  () => assert.ifError(new TypeError()),
+  {
+    message: 'ifError got unwanted exception: TypeError'
+  }
+);
+
+assert.throws(
+  () => assert.ifError({ stack: false }),
+  {
+    message: 'ifError got unwanted exception: { stack: false }'
+  }
+);
+
+assert.throws(
+  () => assert.ifError({ constructor: null, message: '' }),
+  {
+    message: 'ifError got unwanted exception: '
+  }
+);
+
+assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(null); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(undefined); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(false); });
+
+// https://github.com/nodejs/node-v0.x-archive/issues/2893
+{
+  let threw = false;
+  try {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax
+    assert.throws(() => {
+      assert.ifError(null);
+    });
+  } catch (e) {
+    threw = true;
+    assert.strictEqual(e.message, 'Missing expected exception.');
+    assert(!e.stack.includes('throws'), e.stack);
+  }
+  assert(threw);
+}
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-assert.js b/test/parallel/test-assert.js
index e8bf7949322279..70ba887fee54e1 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-assert.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-assert.js
@@ -452,11 +452,6 @@ assert.throws(makeBlock(thrower, TypeError));
                      'a.doesNotThrow is not catching type matching errors');
 }
 
-assert.throws(() => { assert.ifError(new Error('test error')); },
-              /^Error: test error$/);
-assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(null); });
-assert.doesNotThrow(() => { assert.ifError(); });
-
 common.expectsError(
   () => assert.doesNotThrow(makeBlock(thrower, Error), 'user message'),
   {
@@ -602,22 +597,6 @@ testAssertionMessage({ a: undefined, b: null }, '{ a: undefined, b: null }');
 testAssertionMessage({ a: NaN, b: Infinity, c: -Infinity },
                      '{ a: NaN, b: Infinity, c: -Infinity }');
 
-// https://github.com/nodejs/node-v0.x-archive/issues/2893
-{
-  let threw = false;
-  try {
-    // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax
-    assert.throws(() => {
-      assert.ifError(null);
-    });
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = true;
-    assert.strictEqual(e.message, 'Missing expected exception.');
-    assert.ok(!e.stack.includes('throws'), e.stack);
-  }
-  assert.ok(threw);
-}
-
 // https://github.com/nodejs/node-v0.x-archive/issues/5292
 try {
   assert.strictEqual(1, 2);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-domain-implicit-fs.js b/test/parallel/test-domain-implicit-fs.js
index 6e4127763ce51c..f3695989502a77 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-domain-implicit-fs.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-domain-implicit-fs.js
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@ d.on('error', common.mustCall(function(er) {
   assert.strictEqual(er.domain, d);
   assert.strictEqual(er.domainThrown, true);
   assert.ok(!er.domainEmitter);
-  assert.strictEqual(er.code, 'ENOENT');
-  assert.ok(/\bthis file does not exist\b/i.test(er.path));
-  assert.strictEqual(typeof er.errno, 'number');
+  assert.strictEqual(er.actual.code, 'ENOENT');
+  assert.ok(/\bthis file does not exist\b/i.test(er.actual.path));
+  assert.strictEqual(typeof er.actual.errno, 'number');
 }));
 
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-util-callbackify.js b/test/parallel/test-util-callbackify.js
index bc2154940cb405..d8b2de314c9c49 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-util-callbackify.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-util-callbackify.js
@@ -220,7 +220,9 @@ const values = [
     [fixture],
     common.mustCall((err, stdout, stderr) => {
       assert.ifError(err);
-      assert.strictEqual(stdout.trim(), fixture);
+      assert.strictEqual(
+        stdout.trim(),
+        `ifError got unwanted exception: ${fixture}`);
       assert.strictEqual(stderr, '');
     })
   );