diff --git a/src/specify_cli/bundler/commands_impl/catalog_config.py b/src/specify_cli/bundler/commands_impl/catalog_config.py
index dadc7e9672..37e45bf990 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/bundler/commands_impl/catalog_config.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/bundler/commands_impl/catalog_config.py
@@ -40,9 +40,12 @@ def _read(project_root: Path) -> list[dict]:
     path = ensure_within(project_root, _config_path(project_root))
     if not path.exists():
         return []
+    # ``load_yaml`` returns ``{}`` only for an empty document and the raw parse
+    # otherwise, so a non-mapping top level — a falsy ``[]``/``false``/``0``/``''``
+    # or an explicit null (``load_yaml`` -> ``None``) — is caught by the isinstance
+    # guard below and raised like a truthy one, staying consistent with the other
+    # reader of this file (models/catalog._merge_config).
     data = load_yaml(path)
-    if data is None:
-        return []
     if not isinstance(data, dict):
         raise BundlerError(
             f"Malformed catalog config at {path}: expected a mapping at the top "
diff --git a/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/yamlio.py b/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/yamlio.py
index b5fb0e5691..5143a1f689 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/yamlio.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/bundler/lib/yamlio.py
@@ -39,17 +39,35 @@ def ensure_within(root: Path, candidate: Path) -> Path:
 
 
 def load_yaml(path: Path) -> Any:
-    """Parse a YAML file, returning ``{}`` for an empty document."""
+    """Parse a YAML file, returning ``{}`` only for an *empty* document.
+
+    A non-empty document is returned exactly as parsed — including a
+    non-mapping such as ``[]``, ``false``, ``0``, ``''``, or an explicit null
+    (``null``/``~``) — so callers can validate the top-level shape (e.g. reject
+    a non-mapping config) instead of having it silently coerced to an empty
+    mapping.
+
+    ``yaml.safe_load`` returns ``None`` for *both* an empty document and an
+    explicit null scalar, so ``yaml.compose`` (which yields no node only for a
+    truly empty document) is used to tell them apart: an empty document becomes
+    ``{}`` while an explicit ``null``/``~`` is returned as ``None`` for the
+    caller to reject.
+    """
     path = Path(path)
     if not path.exists():
         raise BundlerError(f"File not found: {path}")
     try:
-        with path.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as handle:
-            return yaml.safe_load(handle) or {}
-    except yaml.YAMLError as exc:
-        raise BundlerError(f"Invalid YAML in {path}: {exc}") from exc
+        text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     except OSError as exc:
         raise BundlerError(f"Could not read {path}: {exc}") from exc
+    try:
+        has_node = yaml.compose(text) is not None
+        data = yaml.safe_load(text)
+    except yaml.YAMLError as exc:
+        raise BundlerError(f"Invalid YAML in {path}: {exc}") from exc
+    if data is None and not has_node:
+        return {}
+    return data
 
 
 def dump_yaml(path: Path, data: Any, *, within: Path | None = None) -> Path:
diff --git a/src/specify_cli/bundler/models/catalog.py b/src/specify_cli/bundler/models/catalog.py
index 848ec789da..9621b5a334 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/bundler/models/catalog.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/bundler/models/catalog.py
@@ -256,8 +256,18 @@ def load_source_stack(project_root: Path, user_config_dir: Path | None = None) -
 def _merge_config(by_id: dict[str, CatalogSource], config_path: Path, scope: Scope) -> None:
     if not config_path.exists():
         return
+    # ``load_yaml`` returns ``{}`` only for an empty document and the raw parse
+    # otherwise, so a non-mapping top level (a YAML list or scalar, including
+    # the falsy ``[]``/``false``/``0``/``''``) is caught here and raised —
+    # matching the sibling reader commands_impl/catalog_config._read. #3623
+    # aligned the inner non-list ``catalogs`` value between the two readers.
     data = load_yaml(config_path)
-    catalogs = data.get("catalogs") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
+    if not isinstance(data, dict):
+        raise BundlerError(
+            f"Malformed catalog config at {config_path}: expected a mapping at "
+            f"the top level, got {type(data).__name__}."
+        )
+    catalogs = data.get("catalogs")
     if catalogs is None:
         return
     if not isinstance(catalogs, list):
diff --git a/tests/contract/test_catalog_schema.py b/tests/contract/test_catalog_schema.py
index 64cd47db6e..97600d21ef 100644
--- a/tests/contract/test_catalog_schema.py
+++ b/tests/contract/test_catalog_schema.py
@@ -68,10 +68,44 @@ def test_falsy_non_list_catalogs_still_raises(tmp_path: Path, value: str):
         load_source_stack(tmp_path)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("body", ["catalogs:\n", "catalogs: []\n"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "body",
+    [
+        "- a\n- b\n",  # truthy list
+        "42\n",        # truthy scalar
+        "[]\n",        # falsy list
+        "false\n",     # falsy bool
+        "0\n",         # falsy int
+        "''\n",        # falsy empty string
+        "null\n",      # explicit null scalar (safe_load -> None, but a real node)
+        "~\n",         # explicit null scalar (alt spelling)
+    ],
+)
+def test_toplevel_non_mapping_raises(tmp_path: Path, body: str):
+    """A top-level non-mapping bundle-catalogs.yml (list/scalar/null) must raise,
+    matching the sibling reader (catalog_config._read) — not silently fall back
+    to the built-in default stack. This includes FALSY non-mappings ([], false,
+    0, '') and an explicit null (null/~); the shared load_yaml would coerce those
+    to {} and hide them, so it distinguishes them from a truly empty document."""
+    make_project(tmp_path)
+    (tmp_path / ".specify" / "bundle-catalogs.yml").write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
+    with pytest.raises(BundlerError, match="expected a mapping at the top level"):
+        load_source_stack(tmp_path)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "body",
+    [
+        "catalogs:\n",       # present key, null value
+        "catalogs: []\n",    # present key, empty list
+        "",                  # truly empty document
+        "# only a comment\n",  # comment-only == empty document
+    ],
+)
 def test_absent_or_empty_catalogs_is_noop(tmp_path: Path, body: str):
-    """An absent (``None``) or empty-list ``catalogs:`` is valid: it contributes
-    no project sources and falls back to the built-in default stack."""
+    """An empty document, comment-only file, or absent/empty-list ``catalogs:``
+    is valid: it contributes no project sources and falls back to the built-in
+    default stack (must not be confused with an explicit top-level null)."""
     make_project(tmp_path)
     (tmp_path / ".specify" / "bundle-catalogs.yml").write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
     # Does not raise; still yields the built-in defaults.
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_bundler_catalog_config.py b/tests/unit/test_bundler_catalog_config.py
index 5ad6ecbb93..46c333700a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_bundler_catalog_config.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_bundler_catalog_config.py
@@ -154,6 +154,20 @@ def test_read_rejects_non_mapping_top_level(tmp_path: Path):
         cc._read(project)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("body", ["[]\n", "false\n", "0\n", "''\n", "null\n", "~\n"])
+def test_read_rejects_falsy_non_mapping_top_level(tmp_path: Path, body: str):
+    # A FALSY non-mapping top level ([], false, 0, '') OR an explicit null
+    # (null/~) must raise like a truthy one. safe_load coerces these to
+    # None/{}, so load_yaml distinguishes them from a truly empty document —
+    # staying consistent with models/catalog._merge_config.
+    project = tmp_path / "proj"
+    (project / ".specify").mkdir(parents=True)
+    cc._config_path(project).write_text(body, encoding="utf-8")
+
+    with pytest.raises(BundlerError, match="expected a mapping at the top level"):
+        cc._read(project)
+
+
 def test_read_rejects_unknown_schema_version(tmp_path: Path):
     project = tmp_path / "proj"
     (project / ".specify").mkdir(parents=True)