diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/_cog_http.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/_cog_http.py
index 97fa584d..8cbd68bc 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/_cog_http.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/_cog_http.py
@@ -236,7 +236,8 @@ def _parse_cog_http_meta(
     if source_path is not None:
         from ._sidecar import discover_remote_sidecar
         ifds, sidecar, sidecar_ifd_ids = discover_remote_sidecar(
-            source_path, ifds, max_cloud_bytes=max_cloud_bytes,
+            source_path, ifds, overview_level=overview_level,
+            max_cloud_bytes=max_cloud_bytes,
         )
 
     ifd = select_overview_ifd(ifds, overview_level)
diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/_sidecar.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/_sidecar.py
index af5f7483..803c9152 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/_sidecar.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/_sidecar.py
@@ -292,6 +292,7 @@ def discover_remote_sidecar(
     source,
     base_ifds: list[IFD],
     *,
+    overview_level: int | None = None,
     max_cloud_bytes: int | None = None,
 ) -> tuple[list[IFD], 'SidecarOverviews | None', set[int]]:
     """Probe for a sibling ``.ovr`` and return a merged IFD list.
@@ -313,27 +314,40 @@ def discover_remote_sidecar(
       selected IFD's ``id()`` is in this set; non-sidecar IFDs fall
       through to the original source.
 
-    Discovery is silent: probes that fail (404, missing fsspec,
-    timeout, etc.) return ``([...base_ifds], None, set())``. A
-    successful probe whose download or parse subsequently fails -- for
-    example a hostile server that returns 200 to every URL but the
-    bytes are not a valid TIFF, or a transient network error during
-    download -- also falls back to base-only behaviour with the
-    exception swallowed, so a misbehaving server cannot poison an
-    otherwise valid base read.
+    ``overview_level`` is the caller's requested level. It is threaded
+    into :func:`handle_sidecar_parse_failure` so a download/parse
+    failure follows the same policy the eager local and fsspec readers
+    use: an explicit level the base file alone cannot serve raises with
+    the real parse error chained, anything else warns and falls back.
+
+    Discovery is silent only for the probe itself: probes that fail
+    (404, missing fsspec, timeout, etc.) return
+    ``([...base_ifds], None, set())``. A successful probe whose download
+    or parse subsequently fails -- for example a hostile server that
+    returns 200 to every URL but the bytes are not a valid TIFF, or a
+    transient network error during download -- is routed through
+    :func:`handle_sidecar_parse_failure` so it warns (and falls back to
+    base-only) instead of being swallowed, matching the eager
+    local/fsspec readers. A misbehaving server still cannot poison an
+    otherwise valid base read unless the caller pinned an
+    ``overview_level`` only the sidecar could serve.
 
     Raises
     ------
     CloudSizeLimitError
         Re-raised verbatim when the sidecar download breaches
         ``max_cloud_bytes`` (the one exception that survives the
-        otherwise silent fall-back). The budget is a caller-set
+        otherwise warn-and-fall-back path). The budget is a caller-set
         contract; surfacing the breach lets the caller distinguish "no
         sidecar" from "sidecar too big" rather than silently dropping
         the level and reading a stale base-only pyramid. Set
-        ``max_cloud_bytes=None`` to disable the budget. Other failures
-        are converted to a base-only return so callers debugging a
-        surprise sidecar miss should reach for this carve-out first.
+        ``max_cloud_bytes=None`` to disable the budget.
+    ValueError
+        Raised by :func:`handle_sidecar_parse_failure` (chained from the
+        underlying parse error) when ``overview_level`` is explicitly
+        requested and exceeds the base IFD count, so a level that
+        depends on the sidecar surfaces the real parse cause instead of
+        degrading to a generic out-of-range error.
 
     Local file paths are accepted too; the helper is shape-agnostic.
     """
@@ -351,14 +365,18 @@ def discover_remote_sidecar(
         # dropping the sidecar level and reading a stale base-only
         # pyramid. See ``load_sidecar`` for the error contract.
         raise
-    except Exception:
-        # Probe succeeded but the download / parse failed. Either the
-        # probe URL was a false positive (a server returning 200 for
-        # every path), the bytes are malformed, or a transient network
-        # error happened during the download. Fall back to base-only
-        # behaviour -- the caller still gets a working read of the in-
-        # file IFD chain. Mirrors the silent-fail-to-base contract
-        # ``find_sidecar`` uses for the probe itself.
+    except Exception as exc:
+        # Probe succeeded but the download / parse failed. Route through
+        # the shared policy the eager CPU/GPU and fsspec metadata paths
+        # use: an explicit ``overview_level`` the base file alone cannot
+        # serve re-raises with the real parse error chained; anything
+        # else warns and falls back to base-only. This replaces the
+        # previous silent swallow so a malformed remote sidecar is no
+        # longer dropped without a trace. Issue #3022.
+        handle_sidecar_parse_failure(
+            exc, sidecar_path, overview_level,
+            base_ifd_count=len(base_ifds),
+        )
         return list(base_ifds), None, set()
     merged = list(base_ifds) + list(sidecar.ifds)
     sidecar_ifd_ids = {id(ifd) for ifd in sidecar.ifds}
diff --git a/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/integration/test_sidecar.py b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/integration/test_sidecar.py
index 5ab8592f..030eec2e 100644
--- a/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/integration/test_sidecar.py
+++ b/xrspatial/geotiff/tests/integration/test_sidecar.py
@@ -1463,14 +1463,17 @@ def test_http_chunked_open_rejects_overview_past_sidecar(
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Defensive: ``discover_remote_sidecar`` swallows ``load_sidecar``
-# failures (parse error, garbage bytes, transient network) and returns
-# the unchanged base IFD list with ``sidecar=None``. The
-# ``CloudSizeLimitError`` budget breach is the one exception that
-# re-raises so a caller-set ceiling stays observable.
+# Defensive: ``discover_remote_sidecar`` routes ``load_sidecar``
+# failures (parse error, garbage bytes, transient network) through the
+# shared ``handle_sidecar_parse_failure`` policy that the eager
+# local/fsspec readers use. A malformed sidecar warns and falls back to
+# the unchanged base IFD list with ``sidecar=None``; an explicit
+# ``overview_level`` only the sidecar could serve re-raises the parse
+# error. The ``CloudSizeLimitError`` budget breach still re-raises so a
+# caller-set ceiling stays observable. Issue #3022.
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 def test_discover_remote_sidecar_falls_back_when_load_fails(monkeypatch):
-    """A probe that succeeds but a load that raises returns base-only."""
+    """A probe that succeeds but a load that raises warns and returns base-only."""
     from xrspatial.geotiff import _sidecar
     from xrspatial.geotiff._sidecar import discover_remote_sidecar
 
@@ -1484,14 +1487,40 @@ def _exploding_load(_path, **_kw):
     monkeypatch.setattr(_sidecar, "load_sidecar", _exploding_load)
 
     sentinel_ifds = [object(), object()]
-    merged, sidecar, sidecar_ifd_ids = discover_remote_sidecar(
-        "http://example/x.tif", sentinel_ifds,
-    )
+    with pytest.warns(RuntimeWarning, match="x.tif.ovr"):
+        merged, sidecar, sidecar_ifd_ids = discover_remote_sidecar(
+            "http://example/x.tif", sentinel_ifds,
+        )
     assert merged == list(sentinel_ifds)
     assert sidecar is None
     assert sidecar_ifd_ids == set()
 
 
+def test_discover_remote_sidecar_surfaces_parse_error_for_sidecar_level(
+        monkeypatch):
+    """An explicit overview_level the base file can't serve re-raises the cause."""
+    from xrspatial.geotiff import _sidecar
+    from xrspatial.geotiff._sidecar import discover_remote_sidecar
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        _sidecar, "find_sidecar", lambda _src: "http://example/x.tif.ovr"
+    )
+
+    def _exploding_load(_path, **_kw):
+        raise RuntimeError("sidecar bytes did not parse")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_sidecar, "load_sidecar", _exploding_load)
+
+    # Base file has a single IFD (level 0); level 1 can only come from the
+    # sidecar, so the parse failure must surface rather than degrade.
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="x.tif.ovr") as excinfo:
+        discover_remote_sidecar(
+            "http://example/x.tif", [object()], overview_level=1,
+        )
+    assert isinstance(excinfo.value.__cause__, RuntimeError)
+    assert "did not parse" in str(excinfo.value.__cause__)
+
+
 def test_discover_remote_sidecar_propagates_cloud_size_limit(monkeypatch):
     """The one exception the helper does NOT swallow is the budget breach."""
     from xrspatial.geotiff import _sidecar