diff --git a/.changeset/heavy-pianos-shout.md b/.changeset/heavy-pianos-shout.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..827917c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/heavy-pianos-shout.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@germ-network/atprototypes": patch
+---
+
+preserve the body-decode error when a recognized response fails to parse
diff --git a/Sources/AtprotoTypes/XRPC/ResponseParsing.swift b/Sources/AtprotoTypes/XRPC/ResponseParsing.swift
index a14e837..53980ab 100644
--- a/Sources/AtprotoTypes/XRPC/ResponseParsing.swift
+++ b/Sources/AtprotoTypes/XRPC/ResponseParsing.swift
@@ -59,6 +59,11 @@ extension Atproto.XRPC {
 			error: ErrorResponse
 		)
 		case unrecognized(HTTPResponse)
+		//A recognized status whose body failed to decode. Distinct from .unrecognized
+		//so a well-formed 200 with an undecodable body (e.g. a record whose format
+		//drifted) keeps its DecodingError — coding path and all — instead of being
+		//reported identically to an unknown status.
+		case undecodable(HTTPResponse, underlying: any Error)
 
 		public var errorDescription: String? {
 			switch self {
@@ -66,6 +71,8 @@ extension Atproto.XRPC {
 				"\(status): \(error.error)"
 			case .unrecognized(let response):
 				"Unrecognized response: \(response)"
+			case .undecodable(let response, let underlying):
+				"Undecodable response: \(response), underlying: \(underlying)"
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -105,7 +112,7 @@ extension Atproto.XRPC.ResponseParsing {
 
 			return .error(.unrecognized(fullResponse.response))
 		} catch {
-			return .error(.unrecognized(fullResponse.response))
+			return .error(.undecodable(fullResponse.response, underlying: error))
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/Tests/AtprotoTypesTests/ResponseParsingTests.swift b/Tests/AtprotoTypesTests/ResponseParsingTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4055534
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/AtprotoTypesTests/ResponseParsingTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+//
+//  ResponseParsingTests.swift
+//  AtprotoTypes
+//
+//  Created by Mark @ Germ on 7/15/26.
+//
+
+import AtprotoTypes
+import Foundation
+import GermConvenience
+import HTTPTypes
+import Testing
+
+struct ResponseParsingTests {
+	private struct Body: Decodable, Sendable {
+		let name: String
+	}
+
+	private enum MockParsing: Atproto.XRPC.ResponseParsing {
+		typealias Output = Body
+		static var badRequestErrors: Set<String> { defaultErrors }
+	}
+
+	//A 200 whose body fails to decode must keep the DecodingError (coding path
+	//and all) rather than collapsing into .unrecognized, which reports nothing
+	//beyond the response headers.
+	@Test func undecodableBodyPreservesUnderlyingError() throws {
+		let response = HTTPDataResponse(
+			data: Data("{\"name\": 42}".utf8),
+			response: .init(status: .ok)
+		)
+
+		let parsed = try MockParsing.parse(fullResponse: response)
+		guard case .error(.undecodable(_, let underlying)) = parsed else {
+			Issue.record("expected .undecodable, got \(parsed)")
+			return
+		}
+		guard case DecodingError.typeMismatch(_, let context) = underlying else {
+			Issue.record("expected DecodingError.typeMismatch, got \(underlying)")
+			return
+		}
+		#expect(context.codingPath.map(\.stringValue) == ["name"])
+	}
+
+	//an unknown status without a decode attempt still reports .unrecognized
+	@Test func unknownStatusReportsUnrecognized() throws {
+		let response = HTTPDataResponse(
+			data: Data(),
+			response: .init(status: .init(code: 418))
+		)
+
+		let parsed = try MockParsing.parse(fullResponse: response)
+		guard case .error(.unrecognized) = parsed else {
+			Issue.record("expected .unrecognized, got \(parsed)")
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}