diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
index f88130763..b7a0e2f29 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/swatchlib.rs
@@ -232,13 +232,16 @@ impl<L: LibraryFile> Libraries<L> {
     /// others are listed as loaded until the app quits.
     pub(crate) fn load(&mut self, p: &Value, cmd: &str, parse: impl FnOnce(&[u8], &str) -> Result<L>) -> Result<(LibraryInfo, Arc<L>)> {
         let path = text_param(p, "path", cmd)?;
-        let bytes = match (path, text_param(p, "data", cmd)?, text_param(p, "dataBase64", cmd)?) {
+        let data = text_param(p, "data", cmd)?;
+        let data_base64 = text_param(p, "dataBase64", cmd)?;
+        let name = text_param(p, "name", cmd)?;
+        let bytes = match (path, data, data_base64) {
             (Some(path), ..) => read_file(path)?,
             (None, Some(text), _) => text.as_bytes().to_vec(),
             (None, None, Some(b64)) => vectorcraft_format::base64_decode(b64).ok_or_else(|| bad(cmd, "bad dataBase64"))?,
             _ => return Err(bad(cmd, "give `path`, `data` or `dataBase64`")),
         };
-        let file = text_param(p, "name", cmd)?.map(str::to_string).or_else(|| path.map(file_name)).unwrap_or_else(|| "Library".into());
+        let file = name.map(str::to_string).or_else(|| path.map(file_name)).unwrap_or_else(|| "Library".into());
         let lib = parse(&bytes, &file)?;
         self.rescan();
         let user =
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests/swatchlib.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests/swatchlib.rs
index 7e3e8d616..c20968db5 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests/swatchlib.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests/swatchlib.rs
@@ -215,6 +215,22 @@ fn library_commands_refuse_params_of_the_wrong_form() {
     assert!(r["added"].as_array().is_some_and(|a| !a.is_empty()), "{r}");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn library_loads_validate_name_before_reading_a_file_or_decoding_data() {
+    let mut s = session();
+    let missing = temp_dir("invalid-load-name").join("missing.vcswatches").to_string_lossy().to_string();
+    for cmd in ["swatch.library.load", "graphicStyle.loadLibrary", "symbol.loadLibrary", "brush.loadLibrary"] {
+        for name in [json!(5), json!([])] {
+            let p = json!({"path": missing, "name": name});
+            let e = s.execute(cmd, &p).unwrap_err().to_string();
+            assert!(e.contains("`name` must be a string"), "{cmd} {p}: {e}");
+        }
+        let p = json!({"dataBase64": "not base64!", "name": 5});
+        let e = s.execute(cmd, &p).unwrap_err().to_string();
+        assert!(e.contains("`name` must be a string"), "{cmd} {p}: {e}");
+    }
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn libraries_saved_in_the_user_folder_are_user_defined() {
     let dir = temp_dir("user");