diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/xform.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/xform.rs
index 6bd63a57..8b7d286b 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/xform.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/xform.rs
@@ -132,32 +132,29 @@ fn warp_node(n: &mut Node, pr: &Projective) {
 }
 
 fn distort(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
-    let corners: Vec<Point> = p
+    const C: &str = "object.distort";
+    // All four corners or nothing, each exactly [x, y]: nothing malformed is left out.
+    let corners: Option<Vec<Point>> = p
         .get("corners")
         .and_then(Value::as_array)
-        .map(|a| a.iter().filter_map(|c| Some(Point::new(c.get(0)?.as_f64()?, c.get(1)?.as_f64()?))).collect())
-        .unwrap_or_default();
-    if corners.len() != 4 {
-        return Err(bad("object.distort", "corners must be 4 [x,y] points (TL, TR, BR, BL)"));
+        .filter(|a| a.len() == 4)
+        .and_then(|a| a.iter().map(|c| finite_numbers(c).map(|[x, y]| Point::new(x, y))).collect());
+    let Some(&[tl, tr, br, bl]) = corners.as_deref() else { return Err(bad(C, "corners must be 4 [x, y] points (TL, TR, BR, BL)")) };
+    let ids = if p.get("ids").is_some_and(|v| !v.is_null()) { checked_ids_param(s, p, "ids", C)? } else { selected_roots(s)? };
+    if ids.is_empty() {
+        return Err(bad(C, "nothing to distort"));
     }
-    let ids = match ids_param(p, "ids") {
-        Some(v) => v,
-        None => selected_roots(s)?,
-    };
-    let src = match p.get("from").and_then(Value::as_array) {
-        Some(a) if a.len() == 4 => {
-            let f: Vec<f64> = a.iter().filter_map(Value::as_f64).collect();
-            if f.len() != 4 {
-                return Err(bad("object.distort", "from must be [x0,y0,x1,y1]"));
-            }
-            Rect::new(f[0], f[1], f[2], f[3])
+    let src = match p.get("from").filter(|v| !v.is_null()) {
+        None => s.doc()?.doc.bounds_of(&ids, false).ok_or_else(|| bad(C, "nothing to distort"))?,
+        Some(v) => {
+            let [x0, y0, x1, y1] = finite_numbers(v).ok_or_else(|| bad(C, "from must be [x0, y0, x1, y1]"))?;
+            Rect::new(x0, y0, x1, y1)
         }
-        _ => s.doc()?.doc.bounds_of(&ids, false).ok_or_else(|| EngineError::Other("nothing to distort".into()))?,
     };
-    if src.width().abs() < 1e-9 || src.height().abs() < 1e-9 {
-        return Err(EngineError::Other("cannot distort a zero-size bounding box".into()));
+    if !src.width().is_finite() || !src.height().is_finite() || src.width().abs() < 1e-9 || src.height().abs() < 1e-9 {
+        return Err(bad(C, "cannot distort a zero-size or non-finite bounding box"));
     }
-    let pr = Projective::from_rect(src, [corners[0], corners[1], corners[2], corners[3]]);
+    let pr = Projective::from_rect(src, [tl, tr, br, bl]);
     s.edit("Free Distort", |d, _| {
         for id in &ids {
             if let Some(n) = d.node_mut(*id) {
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests_xform.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests_xform.rs
index 0faf7cea..f5798ffb 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests_xform.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests_xform.rs
@@ -572,3 +572,27 @@ fn copy_from_requires_source() {
     assert!(s.execute("appearance.copyFrom", &json!({})).is_err());
     assert!(s.execute("appearance.copyFrom", &json!({"source": 9999})).is_err());
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn distort_rejects_malformed_coordinates_and_ids_without_editing_art() {
+    let mut s = session();
+    let a = rect(&mut s, 0.0, 0.0, 100.0, 100.0);
+    let original = bounds(&s, a);
+    let history = undo_len(&s);
+    let corners = json!([[10, 0], [90, 0], [100, 100], [0, 100]]);
+    for p in [
+        json!({"corners": [[10, 0, 50], [90, 0], [100, 100], [0, 100]]}),
+        json!({"corners": [[10, 0], [90, 0], ["bad", 100], [0, 100]]}),
+        json!({"corners": [[10, 0], [90, 0], [100, 100], [0, 100], ["bad"]]}),
+        json!({"corners": corners, "from": [0, 0, 100]}),
+        json!({"corners": corners, "from": "not bounds"}),
+        json!({"corners": corners, "ids": [a.0, "bad"]}),
+        json!({"corners": corners, "ids": [a.0, u64::MAX]}),
+    ] {
+        assert!(s.execute("object.distort", &p).is_err(), "invalid input: {p}");
+        assert!(close(bounds(&s, a), original));
+        assert_eq!(undo_len(&s), history);
+    }
+    s.execute("object.distort", &json!({"corners": corners, "from": [0, 0, 100, 100], "ids": [a.0]})).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(undo_len(&s), history + 1);
+}