diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a6b2f336..3c125d84 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@
     ],
     "recursive": "true",
     "reporter": "mocha-multi-reporters",
-    "reporter-options": "configFile=.mocha-multi.json",
-    "loader": "esmock"
+    "reporter-options": "configFile=.mocha-multi.json"
   },
   "engines": {
     "node": ">=16.x"
diff --git a/src/utils/json-filter.js b/src/utils/json-filter.js
index f07ceb48..e7c082d8 100644
--- a/src/utils/json-filter.js
+++ b/src/utils/json-filter.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export default function jsonFilter(state, res, query) {
     };
   }
 
-  const { data } = state.content;
+  const { data, sourceBus } = state.content;
   let json;
   try {
     state.timer?.update('json-parse');
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ export default function jsonFilter(state, res, query) {
   }
 
   if (!json[NAMES_KEY]) {
-    throw new PipelineStatusError(502, 'multisheet data invalid. missing ":names" property.');
+    throw new PipelineStatusError(sourceBus === 'code' ? 400 : 502, 'multisheet data invalid. missing ":names" property.');
   }
 
   state.timer?.update('json-filter');
diff --git a/test/json-pipe.test.js b/test/json-pipe.test.js
index 8de1e062..99a9664b 100644
--- a/test/json-pipe.test.js
+++ b/test/json-pipe.test.js
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ describe('JSON Pipe Test', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(resp.status, 500);
   });
 
-  it('handles error from filter', async () => {
+  it('handles error from filter (code)', async () => {
     const state = DEFAULT_STATE({
       path: '/en/index.json',
       config: DEFAULT_CONFIG,
@@ -542,6 +542,33 @@ describe('JSON Pipe Test', () => {
         ),
     });
     const resp = await jsonPipe(state, new PipelineRequest('https://json-filter.com/?limit=5'));
+    assert.strictEqual(resp.status, 400);
+    assert.strictEqual(resp.headers.get('x-error'), 'multisheet data invalid. missing ":names" property.');
+  });
+
+  it('handles error from filter (content)', async () => {
+    const state = DEFAULT_STATE({
+      path: '/en/index.json',
+      config: DEFAULT_CONFIG,
+      ref: 'ref',
+      partition: 'preview',
+      s3Loader: new StaticS3Loader()
+        .reply(
+          'helix-content-bus',
+          'foobar/preview/en/index.json',
+          new PipelineResponse(JSON.stringify({
+            version: 123,
+            message: 'hello, world',
+          }), {
+            headers: {
+              'content-type': 'application/json',
+              'x-amz-meta-x-source-location': 'foo-bar',
+              'last-modified': 'Wed, 12 Oct 2009 17:50:00 GMT',
+            },
+          }),
+        ),
+    });
+    const resp = await jsonPipe(state, new PipelineRequest('https://json-filter.com/?limit=5'));
     assert.strictEqual(resp.status, 502);
     assert.strictEqual(resp.headers.get('x-error'), 'multisheet data invalid. missing ":names" property.');
   });