diff --git a/spa/plugins/bluez5/quirks.c b/spa/plugins/bluez5/quirks.c
index c386c8a6e..2ca4210a1 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/bluez5/quirks.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/bluez5/quirks.c
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ static void load_quirks(struct spa_bt_quirks *this, const char *str, size_t len)
 	struct spa_json data = SPA_JSON_INIT(str, len);
 	struct spa_json rules;
 	char key[1024];
+	int line, col;
 
 	if (spa_json_enter_object(&data, &rules) <= 0)
 		spa_json_init(&rules, str, len);
@@ -182,6 +183,9 @@ static void load_quirks(struct spa_bt_quirks *this, const char *str, size_t len)
 		else if (spa_streq(key, "bluez5.features.device") && !this->device_rules)
 			this->device_rules = strndup(value, sz);
 	}
+
+	if (spa_json_get_error(&rules, str, &line, &col))
+		spa_log_error(this->log, "spa.bluez5 quirks syntax error, line:%d col:%d", line, col);
 }
 
 static int load_conf(struct spa_bt_quirks *this, const char *path)
diff --git a/src/pipewire/conf.c b/src/pipewire/conf.c
index 3f678c4ad..e1f4e20ee 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/conf.c
+++ b/src/pipewire/conf.c
@@ -387,6 +387,8 @@ static int conf_load(const char *path, struct pw_properties *conf)
 	char *data;
 	struct stat sbuf;
 	int count;
+	int line = -1, col = -1;
+	int res;
 
 	spa_autoclose int fd = open(path,  O_CLOEXEC | O_RDONLY);
 	if (fd < 0)
@@ -399,6 +401,11 @@ static int conf_load(const char *path, struct pw_properties *conf)
 		if ((data = mmap(NULL, sbuf.st_size, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, fd, 0)) == MAP_FAILED)
 			goto error;
 
+		if (!pw_properties_check_string(data, sbuf.st_size, &line, &col)) {
+			errno = EINVAL;
+			goto error;
+		}
+
 		count = pw_properties_update_string(conf, data, sbuf.st_size);
 		munmap(data, sbuf.st_size);
 	} else {
@@ -410,8 +417,12 @@ static int conf_load(const char *path, struct pw_properties *conf)
 	return 0;
 
 error:
-	pw_log_warn("%p: error loading config '%s': %m", conf, path);
-	return -errno;
+	res = -errno;
+	if (line != -1)
+		pw_log_warn("%p: syntax error in config '%s': line:%d col:%d", conf, path, line, col);
+	else
+		pw_log_warn("%p: error loading config '%s': %m", conf, path);
+	return res;
 }
 
 static bool check_override(struct pw_properties *conf, const char *name, int level)
diff --git a/src/tools/pw-dot.c b/src/tools/pw-dot.c
index aa1d766c6..db9367640 100644
--- a/src/tools/pw-dot.c
+++ b/src/tools/pw-dot.c
@@ -1277,6 +1277,7 @@ static int get_data_from_json(struct data *data, const char *json_path)
 	struct stat sbuf;
 	struct spa_json it[2];
 	const char *value;
+	int line, col;
 
 	if ((fd = open(json_path,  O_CLOEXEC | O_RDONLY)) < 0) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "error opening file '%s': %m\n", json_path);
@@ -1312,6 +1313,12 @@ static int get_data_from_json(struct data *data, const char *json_path)
 	}
 
 	munmap(json, sbuf.st_size);
+
+	if (spa_json_get_error(&it[0], json, &line, &col)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "JSON syntax error on line:%d col:%d\n", line, col);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }