diff --git a/pkg/blob/load.go b/pkg/blob/load.go
index c92d49c4ca3..26db1367848 100644
--- a/pkg/blob/load.go
+++ b/pkg/blob/load.go
@@ -23,6 +23,14 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 )
 
+type UnrecognizedSchemeError struct {
+	Scheme string
+}
+
+func (e *UnrecognizedSchemeError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("loading URL: unrecognized scheme: %s", e.Scheme)
+}
+
 func LoadFileOrURL(fileRef string) ([]byte, error) {
 	var raw []byte
 	var err error
@@ -51,7 +59,7 @@ func LoadFileOrURL(fileRef string) ([]byte, error) {
 			}
 			raw = []byte(value)
 		default:
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("loading URL: unrecognized scheme: %s", scheme)
+			return nil, &UnrecognizedSchemeError{Scheme: scheme}
 		}
 	} else {
 		raw, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Clean(fileRef))
diff --git a/pkg/signature/keys.go b/pkg/signature/keys.go
index 21f22ce5ef8..6c89d22b974 100644
--- a/pkg/signature/keys.go
+++ b/pkg/signature/keys.go
@@ -43,9 +43,19 @@ func LoadPublicKey(ctx context.Context, keyRef string) (verifier signature.Verif
 // verifier using the provided hash algorithm
 func VerifierForKeyRef(ctx context.Context, keyRef string, hashAlgorithm crypto.Hash) (verifier signature.Verifier, err error) {
 	// The key could be plaintext, in a file, at a URL, or in KMS.
-	if kmsKey, err := kms.Get(ctx, keyRef, hashAlgorithm); err == nil {
+	var perr *kms.ProviderNotFoundError
+	kmsKey, err := kms.Get(ctx, keyRef, hashAlgorithm)
+	switch {
+	case err == nil:
 		// KMS specified
 		return kmsKey, nil
+	case errors.As(err, &perr):
+		// We can ignore ProviderNotFoundError; that just means the keyRef
+		// didn't match any of the KMS schemes.
+	default:
+		// But other errors indicate something more insidious; pass those
+		// through.
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	raw, err := blob.LoadFileOrURL(keyRef)
diff --git a/pkg/signature/keys_test.go b/pkg/signature/keys_test.go
index ef5600d104d..fc1ed81f18f 100644
--- a/pkg/signature/keys_test.go
+++ b/pkg/signature/keys_test.go
@@ -16,10 +16,15 @@ package signature
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto"
+	"errors"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/sigstore/cosign/pkg/blob"
 	"github.com/sigstore/cosign/pkg/cosign"
+	sigsignature "github.com/sigstore/sigstore/pkg/signature"
+	"github.com/sigstore/sigstore/pkg/signature/kms"
 )
 
 func generateKeyFile(t *testing.T, tmpDir string, pf cosign.PassFunc) (privFile, pubFile string) {
@@ -134,6 +139,28 @@ func TestSignerVerifierFromEnvVar(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestVerifierForKeyRefError(t *testing.T) {
+	kms.AddProvider("errorkms://", func(ctx context.Context, _ string, hf crypto.Hash, _ ...sigsignature.RPCOption) (kms.SignerVerifier, error) {
+		return nil, errors.New("bad")
+	})
+	var uerr *blob.UnrecognizedSchemeError
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	_, err := PublicKeyFromKeyRef(ctx, "errorkms://bad")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("PublicKeyFromKeyRef didn't return any error")
+	} else if errors.As(err, &uerr) {
+		t.Fatalf("PublicKeyFromKeyRef returned UnrecognizedSchemeError: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = PublicKeyFromKeyRef(ctx, "badscheme://bad")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("PublicKeyFromKeyRef didn't return any error")
+	} else if !errors.As(err, &uerr) {
+		t.Fatalf("PublicKeyFromKeyRef didn't return UnrecognizedSchemeError: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func pass(s string) cosign.PassFunc {
 	return func(_ bool) ([]byte, error) {
 		return []byte(s), nil