diff --git a/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go b/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
index aa601a1d6a..f3c7b27e78 100644
--- a/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
+++ b/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
@@ -87,14 +87,23 @@ func readBundleObjects(bundles []Bundle, root fs.FS, path string) error {
 	for bi, b := range bundles {
 		props, err := property.Parse(b.Properties)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("parse properties for bundle %q: %v", b.Name, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: parse properties: %v", b.Package, b.Name, err)
 		}
 		for oi, obj := range props.BundleObjects {
+			objID := fmt.Sprintf(" %q", obj.GetRef())
+			if !obj.IsRef() {
+				objID = fmt.Sprintf("[%d]", oi)
+			}
+
 			d, err := obj.GetData(root, filepath.Dir(path))
 			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("get data for bundle object[%d]: %v", oi, err)
+				return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: get data for bundle object%s: %v", b.Package, b.Name, objID, err)
+			}
+			objJson, err := yaml.ToJSON(d)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: convert object%s to JSON: %v", b.Package, b.Name, objID, err)
 			}
-			bundles[bi].Objects = append(bundles[bi].Objects, string(d))
+			bundles[bi].Objects = append(bundles[bi].Objects, string(objJson))
 		}
 		bundles[bi].CsvJSON = extractCSV(bundles[bi].Objects)
 	}
diff --git a/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load_test.go b/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load_test.go
index 995861c78e..0cc999432d 100644
--- a/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load_test.go
+++ b/staging/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/yaml"
 
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/property"
 )
@@ -188,8 +189,8 @@ func TestLoadFS(t *testing.T) {
 							{Type: "olm.bundle.object", Value: json.RawMessage(`{"ref":"etcdoperator.v0.6.1.clusterserviceversion.yaml"}`)},
 						},
 						RelatedImages: []RelatedImage{{Name: "etcdv0.6.1", Image: "quay.io/coreos/etcd-operator@sha256:bd944a211eaf8f31da5e6d69e8541e7cada8f16a9f7a5a570b22478997819943"}},
-						Objects:       []string{string(etcdCSV.Data)},
-						CsvJSON:       string(etcdCSV.Data),
+						Objects:       []string{toJSON(t, etcdCSV.Data)},
+						CsvJSON:       toJSON(t, etcdCSV.Data),
 					},
 					{
 						Schema:  "olm.bundle",
@@ -280,6 +281,15 @@ func TestLoadFS(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func toJSON(t *testing.T, in []byte) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	out, err := yaml.ToJSON(in)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed converting testdata to JSON: %v", err)
+	}
+	return string(out)
+}
+
 var (
 	invalidBundle = &fstest.MapFile{
 		Data: []byte(`{"schema": "olm.bundle","relatedImages": {}}`),
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go b/vendor/github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
index aa601a1d6a..f3c7b27e78 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg/load.go
@@ -87,14 +87,23 @@ func readBundleObjects(bundles []Bundle, root fs.FS, path string) error {
 	for bi, b := range bundles {
 		props, err := property.Parse(b.Properties)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("parse properties for bundle %q: %v", b.Name, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: parse properties: %v", b.Package, b.Name, err)
 		}
 		for oi, obj := range props.BundleObjects {
+			objID := fmt.Sprintf(" %q", obj.GetRef())
+			if !obj.IsRef() {
+				objID = fmt.Sprintf("[%d]", oi)
+			}
+
 			d, err := obj.GetData(root, filepath.Dir(path))
 			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("get data for bundle object[%d]: %v", oi, err)
+				return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: get data for bundle object%s: %v", b.Package, b.Name, objID, err)
+			}
+			objJson, err := yaml.ToJSON(d)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("package %q, bundle %q: convert object%s to JSON: %v", b.Package, b.Name, objID, err)
 			}
-			bundles[bi].Objects = append(bundles[bi].Objects, string(d))
+			bundles[bi].Objects = append(bundles[bi].Objects, string(objJson))
 		}
 		bundles[bi].CsvJSON = extractCSV(bundles[bi].Objects)
 	}