diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/Editor.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/Editor.tsx
index f53a293e62..a863721047 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/Editor.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/Editor.tsx
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import {
 import { EditorErrorScreen } from "./EditorErrorScreen";
 import { Header } from "./Header";
 import { ImportProgress } from "./ImportProgress";
+import { deriveImportStatus, deriveRawImportStatus } from "./import-status";
 import { PlayerContent } from "./Player";
 import { Timeline } from "./Timeline";
 import { Dialog, DialogContent, EditorButton, Input, Subfield } from "./ui";
@@ -148,20 +149,12 @@ export function Editor() {
 		refetchOnReconnect: false,
 	}));
 
-	const rawImportStatus = createMemo(() => {
-		const meta = rawMetaQuery.data;
-		if (!meta) return "loading" as const;
-		if (
-			"status" in meta &&
-			meta.status &&
-			typeof meta.status === "object" &&
-			"status" in meta.status &&
-			meta.status.status === "InProgress"
-		) {
-			return "importing" as const;
-		}
-		return "ready" as const;
-	});
+	const rawImportStatus = createMemo(() =>
+		deriveRawImportStatus({
+			data: rawMetaQuery.data,
+			isError: rawMetaQuery.isError,
+		}),
+	);
 
 	const [lockedToImporting, setLockedToImporting] = createSignal(false);
 
@@ -171,10 +164,8 @@ export function Editor() {
 		}
 	});
 
-	const importStatus = () => {
-		if (lockedToImporting()) return "importing" as const;
-		return rawImportStatus();
-	};
+	const importStatus = () =>
+		deriveImportStatus(rawImportStatus(), lockedToImporting());
 
 	const [importAborted, setImportAborted] = createSignal(false);
 
@@ -211,6 +202,12 @@ export function Editor() {
 				</div>
 			}
 		>
+			<Match when={importStatus() === "error"}>
+				<EditorErrorScreen
+					error={getEditorErrorMessage(rawMetaQuery.error)}
+					projectPath={projectPath() ?? ""}
+				/>
+			</Match>
 			<Match
 				when={importStatus() === "importing" ? (projectPath() ?? null) : null}
 			>
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..82599f509f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { deriveImportStatus, deriveRawImportStatus } from "./import-status";
+
+describe("editor import status", () => {
+	it("reports loading while the metadata query is still in flight", () => {
+		expect(deriveRawImportStatus({ data: undefined, isError: false })).toBe(
+			"loading",
+		);
+	});
+
+	it("reports ready once metadata arrives", () => {
+		expect(
+			deriveRawImportStatus({ data: { status: null }, isError: false }),
+		).toBe("ready");
+	});
+
+	it("reports importing while an import is in progress", () => {
+		expect(
+			deriveRawImportStatus({
+				data: { status: { status: "InProgress" } },
+				isError: false,
+			}),
+		).toBe("importing");
+	});
+
+	// #1812: a failed query also has no data. Before the fix this returned
+	// "loading", so an unreadable recording-meta.json left the editor on the
+	// skeleton with no error and no way forward.
+	it("reports error when the metadata query fails", () => {
+		expect(deriveRawImportStatus({ data: undefined, isError: true })).toBe(
+			"error",
+		);
+	});
+
+	it("still reports error when a stale success payload is present", () => {
+		expect(
+			deriveRawImportStatus({ data: { status: null }, isError: true }),
+		).toBe("error");
+	});
+
+	it("keeps showing the import screen while the lock is held", () => {
+		expect(deriveImportStatus("loading", true)).toBe("importing");
+	});
+
+	it("lets an error override the importing lock", () => {
+		expect(deriveImportStatus("error", true)).toBe("error");
+	});
+
+	it("passes through the raw status when nothing is latched", () => {
+		expect(deriveImportStatus("ready", false)).toBe("ready");
+		expect(deriveImportStatus("loading", false)).toBe("loading");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.ts b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..272d44bec0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/routes/editor/import-status.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/**
+ * Which screen the editor should show while a recording's metadata loads.
+ *
+ * Extracted from `Editor.tsx` so the state machine can be tested without a
+ * running editor. The case that matters is `error`: `getRecordingMetaByPath`
+ * returns `Result<RecordingMeta, String>` and fails whenever
+ * `recording-meta.json` is missing or unparseable. A failed query has no
+ * `data`, so treating "no data" as "still loading" leaves the editor on the
+ * loading skeleton indefinitely (#1812).
+ */
+export type EditorImportStatus = "loading" | "importing" | "ready" | "error";
+
+export function deriveRawImportStatus(query: {
+	data: unknown;
+	isError: boolean;
+}): EditorImportStatus {
+	if (query.isError) return "error";
+	if (!query.data) return "loading";
+
+	const meta = query.data as { status?: unknown };
+	if (
+		"status" in meta &&
+		meta.status &&
+		typeof meta.status === "object" &&
+		"status" in meta.status &&
+		(meta.status as { status?: unknown }).status === "InProgress"
+	) {
+		return "importing";
+	}
+
+	return "ready";
+}
+
+/**
+ * `lockedToImporting` latches once an import starts, so the UI doesn't flicker
+ * between screens as the metadata is re-read. An error has to outrank that
+ * latch: if the metadata stops being readable mid-import there is nothing left
+ * to wait for, and without this the editor would stay on the import screen for
+ * the same reason it used to stay on the skeleton.
+ */
+export function deriveImportStatus(
+	rawStatus: EditorImportStatus,
+	lockedToImporting: boolean,
+): EditorImportStatus {
+	if (rawStatus === "error") return "error";
+	if (lockedToImporting) return "importing";
+	return rawStatus;
+}