diff --git a/src/terminal/snapshot/page.zig b/src/terminal/snapshot/page.zig
index 3e1f618eb..97a9c932a 100644
--- a/src/terminal/snapshot/page.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/snapshot/page.zig
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ fn decodePayloadBody(
     // Styles
     for (0..header.style_count) |_| {
         const native_id = try io.readInt(reader, TerminalStyleId);
-        const value: ?TerminalStyle = style.decodeOrDiscard(reader) catch null;
+        const value = try style.decodeOrNull(reader);
 
         // Zero is reserved for the implicit default. For a duplicate encoded
         // ID, the first entry wins and this complete entry is simply ignored.
@@ -1309,6 +1309,82 @@ test "decode validates dimensions" {
     }
 }
 
+test "decode propagates a style table read failure" {
+    const FailOnceReader = struct {
+        source: std.Io.Reader,
+        interface: std.Io.Reader,
+        bytes_before_failure: usize,
+        failed: bool = false,
+
+        fn init(bytes: []const u8, bytes_before_failure: usize) @This() {
+            return .{
+                .source = .fixed(bytes),
+                .interface = .{
+                    .vtable = &.{ .stream = stream },
+                    .buffer = &.{},
+                    .seek = 0,
+                    .end = 0,
+                },
+                .bytes_before_failure = bytes_before_failure,
+            };
+        }
+
+        fn stream(
+            reader: *std.Io.Reader,
+            writer: *std.Io.Writer,
+            limit: std.Io.Limit,
+        ) std.Io.Reader.StreamError!usize {
+            const self: *@This() = @fieldParentPtr("interface", reader);
+            if (self.bytes_before_failure == 0 and !self.failed) {
+                self.failed = true;
+                return error.ReadFailed;
+            }
+
+            const read_limit = if (self.failed)
+                limit
+            else
+                limit.min(.limited(self.bytes_before_failure));
+            const n = try self.source.stream(writer, read_limit);
+            if (!self.failed) self.bytes_before_failure -= n;
+            return n;
+        }
+    };
+
+    const header: Header = .{
+        .columns = 1,
+        .rows = 1,
+        .style_count = 1,
+        .hyperlink_count = 0,
+        .style_capacity = 8,
+        .hyperlink_capacity_bytes = 0,
+        .grapheme_capacity_bytes = 0,
+        .string_capacity_bytes = 0,
+    };
+
+    // If the style read error is swallowed, its sixteen zero bytes are then
+    // misread as a valid empty grid and the unframed payload appears to decode.
+    var encoded: [Header.len + @sizeOf(TerminalStyleId) + style.len]u8 =
+        @splat(0);
+    var writer: std.Io.Writer = .fixed(&encoded);
+    try header.encode(&writer);
+    try io.writeInt(&writer, TerminalStyleId, 1);
+    try writer.splatByteAll(0, style.len);
+
+    var source = FailOnceReader.init(
+        writer.buffered(),
+        Header.len + @sizeOf(TerminalStyleId),
+    );
+    var decoded = decodePayload(
+        &source.interface,
+        std.testing.allocator,
+    ) catch |err| {
+        try std.testing.expectEqual(error.ReadFailed, err);
+        return;
+    };
+    defer decoded.deinit();
+    try std.testing.expect(false);
+}
+
 test "decode normalizes duplicate default and invalid style entries" {
     const header: Header = .{
         .columns = 1,
diff --git a/src/terminal/snapshot/screen.zig b/src/terminal/snapshot/screen.zig
index 72c79a999..20bc24a8e 100644
--- a/src/terminal/snapshot/screen.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/snapshot/screen.zig
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ pub const SavedCursor = struct {
         return .{
             .x = try io.readInt(reader, u16),
             .y = try io.readInt(reader, u16),
-            .pen = style.decodeOrDiscard(reader) catch .{},
+            .pen = (try style.decodeOrNull(reader)) orelse .{},
             .flags = try Flags.decode(reader),
             .charset = decodeCharsetState(
                 try io.readInt(reader, u16),
@@ -1008,7 +1008,8 @@ pub const Header = struct {
             try reader.takeByte(),
         ) orelse .block;
         const cursor_flags = try CursorFlags.decode(reader);
-        const cursor_pen: TerminalStyle = style.decodeOrDiscard(reader) catch .{};
+        const cursor_pen: TerminalStyle =
+            (try style.decodeOrNull(reader)) orelse .{};
         const hyperlink_implicit_id = try io.readInt(reader, u32);
 
         // Charset and selective-erase state.
diff --git a/src/terminal/snapshot/style.zig b/src/terminal/snapshot/style.zig
index 6df8ba03c..176190b75 100644
--- a/src/terminal/snapshot/style.zig
+++ b/src/terminal/snapshot/style.zig
@@ -172,6 +172,27 @@ pub fn decodeOrDiscard(
     return decode(&source);
 }
 
+/// Decode one complete entry, returning null for invalid semantic contents.
+///
+/// Reader errors remain structural and are always propagated. This is the
+/// lenient entry point for enclosing codecs which can safely replace an
+/// invalid fixed-size style without treating truncation as invalid styling.
+pub fn decodeOrNull(
+    reader: *std.Io.Reader,
+) std.Io.Reader.Error!?terminal_style.Style {
+    return decodeOrDiscard(reader) catch |err| switch (err) {
+        error.ReadFailed => return error.ReadFailed,
+        error.EndOfStream => return error.EndOfStream,
+
+        error.InvalidColorKind,
+        error.InvalidColor,
+        error.InvalidUnderline,
+        error.InvalidFlags,
+        error.InvalidReserved,
+        => null,
+    };
+}
+
 fn encodeColor(
     value: terminal_style.Style.Color,
     writer: *std.Io.Writer,
@@ -383,6 +404,16 @@ test "decodeOrDiscard preserves the next entry boundary" {
     try std.testing.expectEqual(@as(u8, 0xFF), try reader.takeByte());
 }
 
+test "decodeOrNull distinguishes semantic errors from truncation" {
+    var invalid: [len]u8 = @splat(0);
+    invalid[0] = 3;
+    var invalid_reader: std.Io.Reader = .fixed(&invalid);
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(null, try decodeOrNull(&invalid_reader));
+
+    var truncated: std.Io.Reader = .fixed(invalid[0 .. len - 1]);
+    try std.testing.expectError(error.EndOfStream, decodeOrNull(&truncated));
+}
+
 test "reject every truncation" {
     const fixture = [_]u8{0} ** len;
     for (0..len) |fixture_len| {