diff --git a/sigma/cli/rules.py b/sigma/cli/rules.py
index e4c0cd8..1a8879c 100644
--- a/sigma/cli/rules.py
+++ b/sigma/cli/rules.py
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from sys import stderr
 import click
+import yaml
 from sigma.collection import SigmaCollection
+from sigma.exceptions import SigmaCollectionError
 
 
 def load_rules(input, file_pattern):
@@ -10,27 +12,31 @@ def load_rules(input, file_pattern):
     """
     rule_collection = SigmaCollection([], [])
 
-    for path in list(input):
-        if path == Path("-"):
-            rule_collection = SigmaCollection.merge([
-                rule_collection,
-                SigmaCollection.from_yaml(click.get_text_stream("stdin"))
-            ])
-        else:
-            rule_paths = SigmaCollection.resolve_paths(
-                [path],
-                recursion_pattern="**/" + file_pattern,
-            )
-            with click.progressbar(
-                    list(rule_paths), label="Parsing Sigma rules", file=stderr
-            ) as progress_rule_paths:
+    try:
+        for path in list(input):
+            if path == Path("-"):
                 rule_collection = SigmaCollection.merge([
                     rule_collection,
-                    SigmaCollection.load_ruleset(
-                        progress_rule_paths,
-                        collect_errors=True,
-                    )
+                    SigmaCollection.from_yaml(click.get_text_stream("stdin"))
                 ])
+            else:
+                rule_paths = SigmaCollection.resolve_paths(
+                    [path],
+                    recursion_pattern="**/" + file_pattern,
+                )
+                with click.progressbar(
+                        list(rule_paths), label="Parsing Sigma rules", file=stderr
+                ) as progress_rule_paths:
+                    rule_collection = SigmaCollection.merge([
+                        rule_collection,
+                        SigmaCollection.load_ruleset(
+                            progress_rule_paths,
+                            collect_errors=True,
+                        )
+                    ])
+    except yaml.YAMLError as e:
+        # Report YAML syntax errors like other Sigma errors instead of crashing with a traceback.
+        raise SigmaCollectionError(f"YAML syntax error: {e}") from e
 
     rule_collection.resolve_rule_references()
 
diff --git a/tests/test_check.py b/tests/test_check.py
index ad514f3..f3105b3 100644
--- a/tests/test_check.py
+++ b/tests/test_check.py
@@ -151,6 +151,22 @@ def test_check_cli_generates_junitxml(tmp_path):
     assert tree.getroot().tag == "testsuites"
 
 
+def test_check_yaml_syntax_error_junitxml(tmp_path):
+    """A YAML syntax error is reported as check error and still produces the JUnit report."""
+    rules = tmp_path / "rules"
+    rules.mkdir()
+    (rules / "broken.yml").write_text("title: [unclosed\n")
+    out = tmp_path / "report.xml"
+    cli = CliRunner()
+    result = cli.invoke(check, ["--junitxml", str(out), str(rules)])
+    assert result.exit_code == 1
+    assert "Check error: YAML syntax error" in result.output
+    assert "broken.yml" in result.output
+    tree = ET.parse(str(out))
+    failures = tree.getroot().findall(".//failure")
+    assert any("YAML syntax error" in (f.text or "") for f in failures)
+
+
 def test_check_unknown_collection_action(tmp_path):
     """Collection-level errors (not attached to any rule) must be reported and fail the check."""
     (tmp_path / "typo.yml").write_text("action: repaet\ntitle: typo in action keyword\n")
diff --git a/tests/test_convert.py b/tests/test_convert.py
index c5848ce..3f4a535 100644
--- a/tests/test_convert.py
+++ b/tests/test_convert.py
@@ -49,6 +49,15 @@ def test_convert_invalid_rule():
     assert "at least one condition" in result.stderr
 
 
+def test_convert_yaml_syntax_error(tmp_path):
+    (tmp_path / "broken.yml").write_text("title: [unclosed\n")
+    cli = CliRunner()
+    result = cli.invoke(convert, ["-t", "text_query_test", str(tmp_path)])
+    assert result.exit_code == 1
+    assert "Error while converting: YAML syntax error" in result.stderr
+    assert "broken.yml" in result.stderr
+
+
 def test_convert_stdin():
     cli = CliRunner()
     with open("tests/files/valid/sigma_rule.yml", "rt") as yml_file: