diff --git a/src/il2cpp/Il2cppMetadataProvider.ts b/src/il2cpp/Il2cppMetadataProvider.ts
index 3074606422..1b7668a905 100644
--- a/src/il2cpp/Il2cppMetadataProvider.ts
+++ b/src/il2cpp/Il2cppMetadataProvider.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ const failureForPrimary = (
   path: string,
   field: "path" | "binary_path" = "path",
   maximum = INPUT_BYTES,
+  metadataPath = path,
 ): AnalysisError => {
   if (cause instanceof AnalysisError) return cause;
   if (cause instanceof Il2cppBinaryFormatFailure && cause.kind === "capacity")
@@ -91,8 +92,11 @@ const failureForPrimary = (
     cause instanceof Il2cppMetadataFormatFailure
   ) {
     const binary = cause instanceof Il2cppBinaryFormatFailure;
+    // Metadata names are read on demand while linking, so a metadata failure
+    // can surface while path still names the binary.
+    const target = binary ? path : metadataPath;
     return cause.kind === "unsupported"
-      ? new AnalysisUnsupportedTargetError(OPERATION, path, cause.message, {
+      ? new AnalysisUnsupportedTargetError(OPERATION, target, cause.message, {
           cause,
         })
       : new AnalysisInputError(OPERATION, { cause }, [
@@ -100,8 +104,8 @@ const failureForPrimary = (
             path: [binary ? field : "path"],
             reason: "invalid_format",
             message: binary
-              ? `Selected binary ${path} does not link to the metadata: ${cause.message}`
-              : `Selected artifact ${path} is corrupt: ${cause.message}`,
+              ? `Selected binary ${target} does not link to the metadata: ${cause.message}`
+              : `Selected artifact ${target} is corrupt: ${cause.message}`,
           },
         ]);
   }
@@ -166,12 +170,14 @@ const failureFor = (
   path: string,
   field: "path" | "binary_path" = "path",
   maximum = INPUT_BYTES,
+  metadataPath = path,
 ): AnalysisError => {
   const primary = failureForPrimary(
     artifactFilePrimaryFailure(cause),
     path,
     field,
     maximum,
+    metadataPath,
   );
   if (
     cause instanceof ArtifactReaderFailure &&
@@ -505,6 +511,7 @@ export class Il2cppMetadataProvider implements Il2cppMetadataPort {
               binaryPath,
               "binary_path",
               BINARY_BYTES,
+              input.path,
             );
             failure.partialObservation = metadataSourceEvidence(
               artifact,
diff --git a/tests/boundary/il2cpp/il2cppMetadataProvider.test.ts b/tests/boundary/il2cpp/il2cppMetadataProvider.test.ts
index c944b04355..4b9aac1041 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/il2cpp/il2cppMetadataProvider.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/il2cpp/il2cppMetadataProvider.test.ts
@@ -575,3 +575,54 @@ it("retains both observed file identities and the selected architecture when nat
     await provider.close();
   }
 });
+
+it("names the metadata, not the binary, when linking reads a malformed metadata name", async () => {
+  const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-il2cpp-link-metadata-name-");
+  const path = join(root, "global-metadata.dat"),
+    binaryPath = join(root, "GameAssembly.dylib");
+  const fixture = createIl2cppMetadataFixture({ version: 39 });
+  // One generic parameter whose name index points past the string table;
+  // only native linking reads it, through a field typed as that parameter.
+  const parameterAt = fixture.bytes.length;
+  const metadata = Buffer.concat([fixture.bytes, Buffer.alloc(13)]);
+  metadata.writeInt32LE(fixture.section("strings").size, parameterAt + 1);
+  metadata.writeInt32LE(parameterAt, 8 + 12 * 12);
+  metadata.writeInt32LE(13, 8 + 12 * 12 + 4);
+  metadata.writeInt32LE(1, 8 + 12 * 12 + 8);
+  metadata.writeUInt8(2, fixture.section("fields").offset + 4);
+  const binary = Buffer.from(createIl2cppBinaryFixture());
+  binary.writeBigUInt64LE(0n, 0x980 + 32);
+  binary.writeUInt32LE(0x13 << 16, 0x980 + 32 + 8);
+  await writeFile(path, metadata);
+  await writeFile(binaryPath, binary);
+  const provider = new Il2cppMetadataProvider();
+  try {
+    const result = await provider.inspect({ path, binary_path: binaryPath });
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (result.ok) throw new Error("Expected the metadata name to be refused");
+    expect(result.error).toMatchObject({
+      _tag: "AnalysisInputError",
+      issues: [
+        {
+          path: ["path"],
+          reason: "invalid_format",
+          message: expect.stringContaining(
+            `Selected artifact ${path} is corrupt: invalid-string:`,
+          ),
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const corrected = Buffer.from(metadata);
+    corrected.writeInt32LE(
+      fixture.stringOffset("Player") - fixture.section("strings").offset,
+      parameterAt + 1,
+    );
+    await writeFile(path, corrected);
+    expect((await provider.inspect({ path, binary_path: binaryPath })).ok).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+  } finally {
+    await provider.close();
+  }
+});