diff --git a/tests/cli.js b/tests/cli.js
index 0efab4a8..492e9df3 100644
--- a/tests/cli.js
+++ b/tests/cli.js
@@ -601,3 +601,79 @@ test('run `cli --check` on duplicate patterns without TTY', macro.testCLI, {
   message: 'Should not list `bad-1/package.json` more than once. Exit code 1',
   isTerminal: { stderr: false, stdout: false },
 })
+
+const badFormat = `{`
+
+test('run `cli --check` on 1 non-json file', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json', '--check'],
+  message: 'Should fail to check, but not end execution.',
+})
+
+test('run `cli --check --quiet` on 1 non-json file', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json', '--check', '--quiet'],
+  message: 'Should output error message, but not count.',
+})
+
+test('run `cli --check` on 1 non-json file without TTY', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json', '--check'],
+  message: 'Should output filename on stderr.',
+  isTerminal: { stdout: false, stderr: false },
+})
+
+test('run `cli` on 1 non-json file', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json'],
+  message: 'Should fail to check, but not end execution.',
+})
+
+test('run `cli --quiet` on 1 non-json file', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json', '--quiet'],
+  message: 'Should output error message',
+})
+
+test('run `cli` on 1 non-json file without TTY', macro.testCLI, {
+  fixtures: [
+    {
+      file: 'notJson/package.json',
+      content: badFormat,
+      expect: badFormat,
+    },
+  ],
+  args: ['*/package.json'],
+  message: 'Should output filename on stderr.',
+  isTerminal: { stdout: false, stderr: false },
+})
diff --git a/tests/snapshots/cli.js.md b/tests/snapshots/cli.js.md
index ee2f5824..8fe722cc 100644
--- a/tests/snapshots/cli.js.md
+++ b/tests/snapshots/cli.js.md
@@ -1331,7 +1331,7 @@ Generated by [AVA](https://avajs.dev).
 
 ## run `cli --check` on 2 good files and 2 bad files without stdout TTY
 
-> Should output bad files on stderr and exit code 2.
+> Should output bad files on stdout and exit code 2.
 
     {
       args: [
@@ -1836,3 +1836,176 @@ Generated by [AVA](https://avajs.dev).
         `,
       },
     }
+
+## run `cli --check` on 1 non-json file
+
+> Should fail to check, but not end execution.
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+        '--check',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: true,
+        stdout: true,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `could not check notJson/package.json␊
+        Expected property name or '}' in JSON at position 1␊
+        `,
+        stdout: `␊
+        1 of 1 matched file is not sorted.␊
+        `,
+      },
+    }
+
+## run `cli --check --quiet` on 1 non-json file
+
+> Should output error message, but not count.
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+        '--check',
+        '--quiet',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: true,
+        stdout: true,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `could not check notJson/package.json␊
+        Expected property name or '}' in JSON at position 1␊
+        `,
+        stdout: '',
+      },
+    }
+
+## run `cli --check` on 1 non-json file without TTY
+
+> Should output filename on stderr.
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+        '--check',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: false,
+        stdout: false,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `notJson/package.json␊
+        `,
+        stdout: '',
+      },
+    }
+
+## run `cli` on 1 non-json file
+
+> Should fail to check, but not end execution.
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: true,
+        stdout: true,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `could not sort notJson/package.json␊
+        Expected property name or '}' in JSON at position 1␊
+        `,
+        stdout: '',
+      },
+    }
+
+## run `cli --quiet` on 1 non-json file
+
+> Should output error message
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+        '--quiet',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: true,
+        stdout: true,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `could not sort notJson/package.json␊
+        Expected property name or '}' in JSON at position 1␊
+        `,
+        stdout: '',
+      },
+    }
+
+## run `cli` on 1 non-json file without TTY
+
+> Should output filename on stderr.
+
+    {
+      args: [
+        '*/package.json',
+      ],
+      fixtures: [
+        {
+          expect: '{',
+          file: 'notJson/package.json',
+          original: '{',
+        },
+      ],
+      isTerminal: {
+        stderr: false,
+        stdout: false,
+      },
+      result: {
+        errorCode: 1,
+        stderr: `notJson/package.json␊
+        `,
+        stdout: '',
+      },
+    }
diff --git a/tests/snapshots/cli.js.snap b/tests/snapshots/cli.js.snap
index 76a99e98..24bd21e6 100644
Binary files a/tests/snapshots/cli.js.snap and b/tests/snapshots/cli.js.snap differ