diff --git a/action.yaml b/action.yaml
index 74e84a0..5404d7a 100644
--- a/action.yaml
+++ b/action.yaml
@@ -86,16 +86,22 @@ runs:
     shell: bash
     run: |
       export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+      export TRIVY_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK="true"
       mkdir -p sboms/head sboms/target
 
       cleanup_file() {
         local f="$1"
-        if [ ! -s "$f" ] || [ "$(cat "$f" 2>/dev/null)" = "null" ]; then
-          rm -f "$f"
+        if [ -f "$f" ]; then
+          if [ ! -s "$f" ] || [ "$(cat "$f" 2>/dev/null)" = "null" ]; then
+            rm -f "$f"
+          fi
         fi
       }
 
-      # Extract platform SBOMs for head image
+      head_sbom_err=""
+      target_sbom_err=""
+
+      # --- Head Image SBOM Extraction ---
       echo "Extracting platform SBOMs for head image: ${{ inputs.head-image }}..."
       docker buildx imagetools inspect "${{ inputs.head-image }}" \
         --format '{{ json (index .SBOM "linux/amd64").SPDX }}' > sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -115,11 +121,17 @@ runs:
       # Fallback to generating head SBOM with Trivy if attestation missing
       if [ ! -f sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && [ ! -f sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ]; then
         echo "Head image lacks SBOM attestation; generating with Trivy..."
-        trivy image --format spdx-json --output sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json "${{ inputs.head-image }}" || true
+        if ! trivy image --skip-version-check --format spdx-json --output sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json "${{ inputs.head-image }}"; then
+          head_sbom_err="Failed to generate fallback SBOM with Trivy for head image"
+        fi
         cleanup_file sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json
       fi
 
-      # Extract platform SBOMs for target image
+      if [ ! -f sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && [ ! -f sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ] && [ -z "$head_sbom_err" ]; then
+        head_sbom_err="No SBOM attestation found and head image could not be inspected"
+      fi
+
+      # --- Target Image SBOM Extraction ---
       echo "Extracting platform SBOMs for target image: ${{ inputs.target-image }}..."
       docker buildx imagetools inspect "${{ inputs.target-image }}" \
         --format '{{ json (index .SBOM "linux/amd64").SPDX }}' > sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -138,10 +150,54 @@ runs:
       # Fallback to generating target SBOM with Trivy if attestation missing
       if [ ! -f sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && [ ! -f sboms/target/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ]; then
         echo "Target image lacks SBOM attestation; attempting to generate with Trivy..."
-        trivy image --format spdx-json --output sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json "${{ inputs.target-image }}" || true
+        if ! trivy image --skip-version-check --format spdx-json --output sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json "${{ inputs.target-image }}"; then
+          target_sbom_err="Failed to generate fallback SBOM with Trivy for target image"
+        fi
         cleanup_file sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json
       fi
 
+      if [ ! -f sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && [ ! -f sboms/target/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ] && [ -z "$target_sbom_err" ]; then
+        target_sbom_err="No SBOM attestation found and target baseline image could not be inspected"
+      fi
+
+      # Report on both sides
+      echo ""
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      echo "                      SBOM EXTRACTION DIAGNOSTIC OVERVIEW                       "
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      if [ -n "$head_sbom_err" ]; then
+        echo "HEAD Image (${{ inputs.head-image }}): ❌ FAILED - $head_sbom_err"
+      else
+        echo "HEAD Image (${{ inputs.head-image }}): ✅ SUCCESS"
+        [ -f sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && echo "  - sbom-amd64.spdx.json ($(wc -c < sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json) bytes)"
+        [ -f sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ] && echo "  - sbom-arm64.spdx.json ($(wc -c < sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json) bytes)"
+      fi
+
+      if [ -n "$target_sbom_err" ]; then
+        echo "TARGET Baseline Image (${{ inputs.target-image }}): ❌ FAILED - $target_sbom_err"
+      else
+        echo "TARGET Baseline Image (${{ inputs.target-image }}): ✅ SUCCESS"
+        [ -f sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && echo "  - sbom-amd64.spdx.json ($(wc -c < sboms/target/sbom-amd64.spdx.json) bytes)"
+        [ -f sboms/target/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ] && echo "  - sbom-arm64.spdx.json ($(wc -c < sboms/target/sbom-arm64.spdx.json) bytes)"
+      fi
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      echo ""
+
+      has_sbom_err=false
+      if [ -n "$head_sbom_err" ]; then
+        echo "::error::Head SBOM extraction failed: $head_sbom_err"
+        has_sbom_err=true
+      fi
+      if [ -n "$target_sbom_err" ]; then
+        echo "::error::Target baseline SBOM extraction failed: $target_sbom_err"
+        has_sbom_err=true
+      fi
+
+      if [ "$has_sbom_err" = "true" ]; then
+        echo "::error::Both head and target images must have valid SBOMs to proceed with differential scanning."
+        exit 1
+      fi
+
       # Expose extracted head SBOMs to workspace root for workflow artifact uploads
       [ -f sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ] && cp sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json sbom-amd64.spdx.json || true
       [ -f sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json ] && cp sboms/head/sbom-arm64.spdx.json sbom-arm64.spdx.json || true
@@ -150,31 +206,124 @@ runs:
     shell: bash
     run: |
       export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+      export TRIVY_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK="true"
       mkdir -p cve-reports/head cve-reports/target
 
-      # Scan each available head SBOM
-      for f in sboms/head/sbom-*.spdx.json; do
-        [ -f "$f" ] || continue
-        arch=$(basename "$f" .spdx.json | sed 's/sbom-//')
-        echo "Scanning head SBOM for architecture: $arch"
-        trivy sbom --format json --output "cve-reports/head/cve-${arch}.json" "$f" || true
-      done
+      shopt -s nullglob
+      head_sboms=(sboms/head/sbom-*.spdx.json)
+      target_sboms=(sboms/target/sbom-*.spdx.json)
 
-      # Scan each available target SBOM
-      for f in sboms/target/sbom-*.spdx.json; do
-        [ -f "$f" ] || continue
-        arch=$(basename "$f" .spdx.json | sed 's/sbom-//')
-        echo "Scanning target SBOM for architecture: $arch"
-        trivy sbom --format json --output "cve-reports/target/cve-${arch}.json" "$f" || true
-      done
+      head_ok=true
+      target_ok=true
+      head_report_count=0
+      target_report_count=0
 
-      # Run multi-arch set-based diff
-      node "${{ github.action_path }}/cve-diff.js" \
+      head_summary=()
+      target_summary=()
+
+      # 1. Scan Head SBOMs
+      if [ ${#head_sboms[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
+        head_ok=false
+        head_summary+=("  - ❌ No SBOM files found in sboms/head/")
+      else
+        for f in "${head_sboms[@]}"; do
+          arch=$(basename "$f" .spdx.json | sed 's/sbom-//')
+          out_json="cve-reports/head/cve-${arch}.json"
+          err_log="cve-reports/head/cve-${arch}.err"
+
+          echo "Scanning head SBOM for architecture: $arch"
+          if trivy sbom --skip-version-check --format json --output "$out_json" "$f" 2>"$err_log"; then
+            if [ -s "$out_json" ]; then
+              vuln_cnt=$(grep -o '"VulnerabilityID"' "$out_json" 2>/dev/null | wc -l || echo 0)
+              head_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ✅ OK (${vuln_cnt} vulnerability findings)")
+              head_report_count=$((head_report_count + 1))
+            else
+              head_ok=false
+              head_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ❌ FAILED (Output report was empty / 0 bytes)")
+            fi
+          else
+            head_ok=false
+            err_msg=$(tail -n 2 "$err_log" | tr '\n' ' ' | sed 's/  */ /g')
+            [ -z "$err_msg" ] && err_msg="Trivy scan exited with non-zero status"
+            head_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ❌ FAILED (${err_msg})")
+          fi
+        done
+      fi
+
+      # 2. Scan Target SBOMs
+      if [ ${#target_sboms[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
+        target_ok=false
+        target_summary+=("  - ❌ No SBOM files found in sboms/target/")
+      else
+        for f in "${target_sboms[@]}"; do
+          arch=$(basename "$f" .spdx.json | sed 's/sbom-//')
+          out_json="cve-reports/target/cve-${arch}.json"
+          err_log="cve-reports/target/cve-${arch}.err"
+
+          echo "Scanning target SBOM for architecture: $arch"
+          if trivy sbom --skip-version-check --format json --output "$out_json" "$f" 2>"$err_log"; then
+            if [ -s "$out_json" ]; then
+              vuln_cnt=$(grep -o '"VulnerabilityID"' "$out_json" 2>/dev/null | wc -l || echo 0)
+              target_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ✅ OK (${vuln_cnt} vulnerability findings)")
+              target_report_count=$((target_report_count + 1))
+            else
+              target_ok=false
+              target_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ❌ FAILED (Output report was empty / 0 bytes)")
+            fi
+          else
+            target_ok=false
+            err_msg=$(tail -n 2 "$err_log" | tr '\n' ' ' | sed 's/  */ /g')
+            [ -z "$err_msg" ] && err_msg="Trivy scan exited with non-zero status"
+            target_summary+=("  - ${arch}: ❌ FAILED (${err_msg})")
+          fi
+        done
+      fi
+
+      # 3. Print Comprehensive Diagnostic Overview
+      echo ""
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      echo "                   CVE VULNERABILITY SCAN DIAGNOSTIC OVERVIEW                  "
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      echo "HEAD Image: ${{ inputs.head-image }}"
+      for line in "${head_summary[@]}"; do
+        echo "$line"
+      done
+      echo ""
+      echo "TARGET Baseline Image: ${{ inputs.target-image }} (branch: '${{ inputs.target-branch }}')"
+      for line in "${target_summary[@]}"; do
+        echo "$line"
+      done
+      echo "================================================================================"
+      echo ""
+
+      # 4. Enforce Gating: Both must have succeeded with valid reports
+      has_error=false
+      if [ "$head_ok" != "true" ] || [ "$head_report_count" -eq 0 ]; then
+        echo "::error::Head image CVE analysis failed or produced no reports."
+        has_error=true
+      fi
+
+      if [ "$target_ok" != "true" ] || [ "$target_report_count" -eq 0 ]; then
+        echo "::error::Target baseline CVE analysis failed or produced no reports."
+        has_error=true
+      fi
+
+      if [ "$has_error" = "true" ]; then
+        echo "::error::Aborting differential analysis: both head and target scans must succeed before diffing."
+        exit 1
+      fi
+
+      # 5. Run multi-arch set-based diff (both are guaranteed present and valid)
+      echo "Both head and target scans succeeded. Computing set-based vulnerability delta..."
+      if ! node "${{ github.action_path }}/cve-diff.js" \
         "cve-reports/target" \
         "cve-reports/head" \
-        "${{ inputs.target-branch }}" > "${{ inputs.output-delta }}" || true
+        "${{ inputs.target-branch }}" > "${{ inputs.output-delta }}"; then
+        echo "::error::Failed to generate CVE differential report"
+        exit 1
+      fi
 
-      # Generate full markdown summary report for primary platform
+      # 6. Generate full markdown summary report for primary platform
       primary_sbom=""
       if [ -f sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json ]; then
         primary_sbom="sboms/head/sbom-amd64.spdx.json"
@@ -183,11 +332,15 @@ runs:
       fi
 
       if [ -n "$primary_sbom" ]; then
-        trivy sbom \
+        if ! trivy sbom \
+          --skip-version-check \
           --format template \
           --template "@${{ github.action_path }}/markdown.tpl" \
           --output "${{ inputs.output-summary }}" \
-          "$primary_sbom" || true
+          "$primary_sbom"; then
+          echo "::error::Trivy summary generation failed for primary SBOM: $primary_sbom"
+          exit 1
+        fi
       fi
 
   - name: Publish Reports to Step Summary
diff --git a/cve-diff.js b/cve-diff.js
index 71628ef..00ae61a 100755
--- a/cve-diff.js
+++ b/cve-diff.js
@@ -41,14 +41,24 @@ function loadReportsForArg(arg) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (filePaths.length === 0) {
+    console.error(`::error::No CVE JSON report files found for path: ${arg}`);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  let loadedFiles = 0;
   for (const filePath of filePaths) {
     let stat;
     try {
       stat = fs.statSync(filePath);
-    } catch {
-      continue;
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error(`::error::Failed to access report file ${filePath}: ${e.message}`);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    if (stat.size === 0) {
+      console.error(`::error::CVE report file is empty (0 bytes): ${filePath}`);
+      process.exit(1);
     }
-    if (stat.size === 0) continue;
 
     const baseName = path.basename(filePath).toLowerCase();
     let arch = 'all';
@@ -62,14 +72,18 @@ function loadReportsForArg(arg) {
     try {
       const content = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf8');
       data = JSON.parse(content);
-    } catch {
-      continue;
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error(`::error::Invalid JSON in CVE report file ${filePath}: ${e.message}`);
+      process.exit(1);
     }
 
     if (!data || typeof data !== 'object' || !Array.isArray(data.Results)) {
-      continue;
+      console.error(`::error::Malformed Trivy report structure (missing Results array) in: ${filePath}`);
+      process.exit(1);
     }
 
+    loadedFiles++;
+
     for (const result of data.Results) {
       const target = result.Target || result.Type || 'App';
       const vulns = Array.isArray(result.Vulnerabilities) ? result.Vulnerabilities : [];
@@ -88,6 +102,11 @@ function loadReportsForArg(arg) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (loadedFiles === 0) {
+    console.error(`::error::No valid CVE reports could be loaded for path: ${arg}`);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
   return cves;
 }