diff --git a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/formatters.ts b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/formatters.ts
index 6bd2c52..c8fd66f 100644
--- a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/formatters.ts
+++ b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/formatters.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { OrbioApiError, PluginRateLimitError } from "./http";
+import { OrbioApiError, OrbioInvalidResponseError, PluginRateLimitError } from "./http";
 import type {
   AccountSearchResponse,
   ExportCreateResponse,
@@ -123,6 +123,12 @@ export function errorText(error: unknown): string {
     return `Rate limited by plugin policy. Retry in ~${error.retryAfterSec}s.`;
   }
 
+  if (error instanceof OrbioInvalidResponseError) {
+    const status = error.status > 0 ? ` (status=${error.status})` : "";
+    const requestIdSuffix = error.requestId ? ` (request_id=${error.requestId})` : "";
+    return `Orbio API returned an invalid JSON response.${status}${requestIdSuffix}`;
+  }
+
   if (error instanceof OrbioApiError) {
     const code = (error.code ?? "").toLowerCase();
     const requestIdSuffix = error.requestId ? ` (request_id=${error.requestId})` : "";
diff --git a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/http.ts b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/http.ts
index 75dcb33..e97d388 100644
--- a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/http.ts
+++ b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/src/http.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,17 @@ export class OrbioApiError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
+export class OrbioInvalidResponseError extends Error {
+  public readonly status: number;
+  public readonly requestId: string | null;
+
+  constructor(status: number, requestId: string | null) {
+    super("Orbio API returned an invalid JSON response.");
+    this.status = status;
+    this.requestId = requestId;
+  }
+}
+
 export class MinuteWindowLimiter {
   private readonly events = new Map<string, number[]>();
 
@@ -131,16 +142,16 @@ export class OrbioHttpClient {
           if (response.status === 204) {
             return {} as T;
           }
-          const payload = await this.parseJsonSafe(response);
+          const payload = await this.parseJson(response);
           return (payload ?? {}) as T;
         }
 
+        const payload = await this.parseJson(response);
         if (response.status >= 500 && attempt < this.cfg.retryCount) {
           await sleep(this.cfg.retryBackoffMs * (attempt + 1));
           continue;
         }
 
-        const payload = await this.parseJsonSafe(response);
         const { code, detail } = parseProblem(payload);
         throw new OrbioApiError({
           status: response.status,
@@ -156,7 +167,7 @@ export class OrbioHttpClient {
           await sleep(this.cfg.retryBackoffMs * (attempt + 1));
           continue;
         }
-        if (error instanceof OrbioApiError) {
+        if (error instanceof OrbioApiError || error instanceof OrbioInvalidResponseError) {
           throw error;
         }
         const detail = isAbort
@@ -181,7 +192,7 @@ export class OrbioHttpClient {
     });
   }
 
-  private async parseJsonSafe(response: Response): Promise<unknown | null> {
+  private async parseJson(response: Response): Promise<unknown | null> {
     const text = await response.text();
     if (!text.trim()) {
       return null;
@@ -189,7 +200,7 @@ export class OrbioHttpClient {
     try {
       return JSON.parse(text);
     } catch {
-      return null;
+      throw new OrbioInvalidResponseError(response.status, response.headers.get("X-Request-Id"));
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/tests/index.test.ts b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/tests/index.test.ts
index 2f2fe9a..5c433a6 100644
--- a/orbio-openclaw-plugin/tests/index.test.ts
+++ b/orbio-openclaw-plugin/tests/index.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import registerOrbioPlugin from "../src/index";
+import { errorText } from "../src/formatters";
+import { OrbioInvalidResponseError } from "../src/http";
 
 type ToolResult = {
   content: Array<{ type: "text"; text: string }>;
@@ -27,6 +29,14 @@ type SetupOptions = {
   env?: Record<string, string | undefined>;
 };
 
+type ErrorMappingCase = {
+  title: string;
+  status: number;
+  payload: unknown;
+  headers?: Record<string, string>;
+  expected: string;
+};
+
 const SAFE_FIELDS = [
   "cnpj",
   "legal_name",
@@ -60,13 +70,31 @@ const fetchMock = vi.fn();
 function jsonResponse(
   payload: unknown,
   status = 200,
-  headers?: Record<string, string>,
+  headers?: Record<string, string | undefined>,
 ): Response {
-  return new Response(JSON.stringify(payload), { status, headers });
+  const responseHeaders: Record<string, string> = {};
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(headers ?? {})) {
+    if (value !== undefined) {
+      responseHeaders[key] = value;
+    }
+  }
+  return new Response(JSON.stringify(payload), {
+    status,
+    headers: responseHeaders,
+  });
 }
 
-function textResponse(text: string, status = 200, headers?: Record<string, string>): Response {
-  return new Response(text, { status, headers });
+function textResponse(text: string, status = 200, headers?: Record<string, string | undefined>): Response {
+  const responseHeaders: Record<string, string> = {};
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(headers ?? {})) {
+    if (value !== undefined) {
+      responseHeaders[key] = value;
+    }
+  }
+  return new Response(text, {
+    status,
+    headers: responseHeaders,
+  });
 }
 
 function capabilitiesResponse(fieldAllowlist: string[] = SAFE_FIELDS): Response {
@@ -852,7 +880,7 @@ describe("orbio-openclaw plugin", () => {
     expect(text).toContain("Orbio API error: Network failure while calling Orbio API.");
   });
 
-  it.each([
+  it.each<ErrorMappingCase>([
     {
       title: "429 rate limit with retry-after and request id",
       status: 429,
@@ -933,18 +961,26 @@ describe("orbio-openclaw plugin", () => {
     expect(text).toContain(expected);
   });
 
-  it("handles non-json error payloads safely", async () => {
+  it("fails fast on non-json error payloads", async () => {
     fetchMock
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(capabilitiesResponse()).mockResolvedValueOnce(specResponse()).mockResolvedValueOnce(normalizedSpecResponse())
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(textResponse("not-json", 400, { "X-Request-Id": "req-text" }));
 
     const { handlers } = setupPlugin();
     const text = await invokeTool(handlers, "orbio_search", { query_text: "non-json error" });
-    expect(text).toContain("Orbio API error: Orbio API returned an error. (request_id=req-text)");
+    expect(text).toBe("Orbio API returned an invalid JSON response. (status=400) (request_id=req-text)");
   });
 
-  it("handles non-json successful payloads safely", async () => {
-    fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(textResponse("ok-but-not-json", 200));
+  it("fails fast on non-json successful payloads", async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(textResponse("ok-but-not-json", 200, { "X-Request-Id": "req-success-text" }));
+    const { handlers } = setupPlugin();
+
+    const text = await invokeTool(handlers, "orbio_export_status", { export_id: "exp-123" });
+    expect(text).toBe("Orbio API returned an invalid JSON response. (status=200) (request_id=req-success-text)");
+  });
+
+  it("returns empty object for empty successful payloads", async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(textResponse("", 200));
     const { handlers } = setupPlugin();
 
     const text = await invokeTool(handlers, "orbio_export_status", { export_id: "exp-123" });
@@ -952,6 +988,10 @@ describe("orbio-openclaw plugin", () => {
     expect(parseJsonBlock(text)).toEqual({});
   });
 
+  it("formats invalid JSON errors without optional context", () => {
+    expect(errorText(new OrbioInvalidResponseError(0, null))).toBe("Orbio API returned an invalid JSON response.");
+  });
+
   it("handles 204 successful payloads safely", async () => {
     fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(new Response(null, { status: 204 }));
     const { handlers } = setupPlugin();