diff --git a/src/command_decode.cc b/src/command_decode.cc
index ef362a6f..15fda25b 100644
--- a/src/command_decode.cc
+++ b/src/command_decode.cc
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 #include <sourcemeta/jsonbinpack/compiler.h>
 #include <sourcemeta/jsonbinpack/runtime.h>
 
-#include <cassert>    // assert
 #include <filesystem> // std::filesystem
 #include <fstream>    // std::ifstream
 
@@ -55,11 +54,7 @@ auto sourcemeta::jsonschema::decode(const sourcemeta::core::Options &options)
                                    custom_resolver);
   const auto encoding{sourcemeta::jsonbinpack::load(schema)};
 
-  std::ifstream input_stream{
-      sourcemeta::core::weakly_canonical(options.positional().front()),
-      std::ios::binary};
-  assert(!input_stream.fail());
-  assert(input_stream.is_open());
+  auto input_stream{sourcemeta::core::read_file(options.positional().front())};
 
   const std::filesystem::path output{options.positional().at(1)};
   std::ofstream output_stream(sourcemeta::core::weakly_canonical(output),
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index c1605c60..79a40914 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1196,6 +1196,7 @@ add_jsonschema_test(decode/pass_schema_less)
 add_jsonschema_test(decode/pass_schema_less_jsonl)
 add_jsonschema_test(decode/pass_schema_less_jsonl_verbose)
 add_jsonschema_test(decode/fail_no_document)
+add_jsonschema_test(decode/fail_enoent)
 add_jsonschema_test(decode/fail_truncated_document)
 add_jsonschema_test(decode/fail_no_output)
 
diff --git a/test/decode/fail_enoent.clitest b/test/decode/fail_enoent.clitest
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1ee04ea0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/decode/fail_enoent.clitest
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// A nonexistent input file is reported the same way every other command
+// reports it, not as a bogus "truncated document" error
+
+// Other input error
+RUN decode document.binpack decoded.json STDIN /dev/null IN . INTO result_0.txt EXPECTING 6
+
+REPLACE $CWD WITH '[CWD]' IN result_0.txt
+
+WRITE expected_0.txt UNTIL EOF
+2> error: No such file or directory
+2>   at file path [CWD]/document.binpack
+EOF
+
+COMPARE result_0.txt AGAINST expected_0.txt
+
+// Other input error
+RUN decode document.binpack decoded.json --json STDIN /dev/null IN . INTO result_1.txt EXPECTING 6
+
+REPLACE $CWD WITH '[CWD]' IN result_1.txt
+
+WRITE expected_1.txt UNTIL EOF
+1> {
+1>   "error": "No such file or directory",
+1>   "filePath": "[CWD]/document.binpack"
+1> }
+EOF
+
+COMPARE result_1.txt AGAINST expected_1.txt