diff --git a/client/rpc/pin.go b/client/rpc/pin.go
index 9ce92b4cf155..6407d09bd8c5 100644
--- a/client/rpc/pin.go
+++ b/client/rpc/pin.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package rpc
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
 	"strings"
 
 	iface "github.com/ipfs/boxo/coreiface"
@@ -129,16 +130,21 @@ func (api *PinAPI) Update(ctx context.Context, from path.Path, to path.Path, opt
 type pinVerifyRes struct {
 	ok       bool
 	badNodes []iface.BadPinNode
+	err      error
 }
 
-func (r *pinVerifyRes) Ok() bool {
+func (r pinVerifyRes) Ok() bool {
 	return r.ok
 }
 
-func (r *pinVerifyRes) BadNodes() []iface.BadPinNode {
+func (r pinVerifyRes) BadNodes() []iface.BadPinNode {
 	return r.badNodes
 }
 
+func (r pinVerifyRes) Err() error {
+	return r.err
+}
+
 type badNode struct {
 	err error
 	cid cid.Cid
@@ -169,6 +175,7 @@ func (api *PinAPI) Verify(ctx context.Context) (<-chan iface.PinStatus, error) {
 		for {
 			var out struct {
 				Cid string
+				Err string
 				Ok  bool
 
 				BadNodes []struct {
@@ -177,7 +184,28 @@ func (api *PinAPI) Verify(ctx context.Context) (<-chan iface.PinStatus, error) {
 				}
 			}
 			if err := dec.Decode(&out); err != nil {
-				return // todo: handle non io.EOF somehow
+				if err == io.EOF {
+					return
+				}
+				select {
+				case res <- pinVerifyRes{
+					err: err,
+				}:
+					return
+				case <-ctx.Done():
+					return
+				}
+			}
+
+			if out.Err != "" {
+				select {
+				case res <- pinVerifyRes{
+					err: errors.New(out.Err),
+				}:
+					return
+				case <-ctx.Done():
+					return
+				}
 			}
 
 			badNodes := make([]iface.BadPinNode, len(out.BadNodes))
@@ -201,7 +229,7 @@ func (api *PinAPI) Verify(ctx context.Context) (<-chan iface.PinStatus, error) {
 			}
 
 			select {
-			case res <- &pinVerifyRes{
+			case res <- pinVerifyRes{
 				ok: out.Ok,
 
 				badNodes: badNodes,
diff --git a/core/commands/pin/pin.go b/core/commands/pin/pin.go
index 94072864c0eb..626c536dbd2a 100644
--- a/core/commands/pin/pin.go
+++ b/core/commands/pin/pin.go
@@ -648,13 +648,14 @@ var verifyPinCmd = &cmds.Command{
 
 // PinVerifyRes is the result returned for each pin checked in "pin verify"
 type PinVerifyRes struct {
-	Cid string
+	Cid string `json:",omitempty"`
+	Err string `json:",omitempty"`
 	PinStatus
 }
 
 // PinStatus is part of PinVerifyRes, do not use directly
 type PinStatus struct {
-	Ok       bool
+	Ok       bool      `json:",omitempty"`
 	BadNodes []BadNode `json:",omitempty"`
 }
 
@@ -669,7 +670,8 @@ type pinVerifyOpts struct {
 	includeOk bool
 }
 
-func pinVerify(ctx context.Context, n *core.IpfsNode, opts pinVerifyOpts, enc cidenc.Encoder) (<-chan interface{}, error) {
+// FIXME: this implementation is duplicated sith core/coreapi.PinAPI.Verify, remove this one and exclusively rely on CoreAPI.
+func pinVerify(ctx context.Context, n *core.IpfsNode, opts pinVerifyOpts, enc cidenc.Encoder) (<-chan any, error) {
 	visited := make(map[cid.Cid]PinStatus)
 
 	bs := n.Blocks.Blockstore()
@@ -715,18 +717,18 @@ func pinVerify(ctx context.Context, n *core.IpfsNode, opts pinVerifyOpts, enc ci
 		return status
 	}
 
-	out := make(chan interface{})
+	out := make(chan any)
 	go func() {
 		defer close(out)
 		for p := range n.Pinning.RecursiveKeys(ctx) {
 			if p.Err != nil {
-				out <- p.Err
+				out <- PinVerifyRes{Err: p.Err.Error()}
 				return
 			}
 			pinStatus := checkPin(p.C)
 			if !pinStatus.Ok || opts.includeOk {
 				select {
-				case out <- &PinVerifyRes{enc.Encode(p.C), pinStatus}:
+				case out <- PinVerifyRes{Cid: enc.Encode(p.C), PinStatus: pinStatus}:
 				case <-ctx.Done():
 					return
 				}
@@ -739,12 +741,18 @@ func pinVerify(ctx context.Context, n *core.IpfsNode, opts pinVerifyOpts, enc ci
 
 // Format formats PinVerifyRes
 func (r PinVerifyRes) Format(out io.Writer) {
+	if r.Err != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "error: %s\n", r.Err)
+		return
+	}
+
 	if r.Ok {
 		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s ok\n", r.Cid)
-	} else {
-		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s broken\n", r.Cid)
-		for _, e := range r.BadNodes {
-			fmt.Fprintf(out, "  %s: %s\n", e.Cid, e.Err)
-		}
+		return
+	}
+
+	fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s broken\n", r.Cid)
+	for _, e := range r.BadNodes {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "  %s: %s\n", e.Cid, e.Err)
 	}
 }