diff --git a/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/java_bytecode_language.cpp b/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/java_bytecode_language.cpp
index 65a4c8aac09..92ed7db4747 100644
--- a/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/java_bytecode_language.cpp
+++ b/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/java_bytecode_language.cpp
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ void java_bytecode_languaget::initialize_class_loader()
 
 static void throwMainClassLoadingError(const std::string &main_class)
 {
-  throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont(
+  throw system_exceptiont(
     "Error: Could not find or load main class " + main_class);
 }
 
@@ -392,8 +392,7 @@ bool java_bytecode_languaget::parse(
     std::ifstream jar_file(path);
     if(!jar_file.good())
     {
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont(
-        "Error: Unable to access jarfile " + path);
+      throw system_exceptiont("Error: Unable to access jarfile " + path);
     }
 
     // build an object to potentially limit which classes are loaded
diff --git a/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/lazy_goto_model.cpp b/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/lazy_goto_model.cpp
index 1f3a4fc25a3..a0e9585c431 100644
--- a/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/lazy_goto_model.cpp
+++ b/jbmc/src/java_bytecode/lazy_goto_model.cpp
@@ -152,14 +152,14 @@ void lazy_goto_modelt::initialize(
 
     if(dynamic_cast<java_bytecode_languaget &>(language).parse())
     {
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("PARSING ERROR");
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("PARSING ERROR");
     }
 
     msg.status() << "Converting" << messaget::eom;
 
     if(language_files.typecheck(symbol_table))
     {
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("CONVERSION ERROR");
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("CONVERSION ERROR");
     }
   }
   else
diff --git a/src/crangler/ctokenit.cpp b/src/crangler/ctokenit.cpp
index 1067dcfdf62..a9f727d6d5f 100644
--- a/src/crangler/ctokenit.cpp
+++ b/src/crangler/ctokenit.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ ctokenitt match_bracket(ctokenitt t, char open, char close)
   while(true)
   {
     if(!t)
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("expected " + std::string(1, close));
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("expected " + std::string(1, close));
 
     const auto &token = *(t++);
 
diff --git a/src/crangler/mini_c_parser.cpp b/src/crangler/mini_c_parser.cpp
index b7f4b5ac76c..0cb72bc7855 100644
--- a/src/crangler/mini_c_parser.cpp
+++ b/src/crangler/mini_c_parser.cpp
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ void mini_c_parsert::parse_brackets(char open, char close, tokenst &dest)
   while(true)
   {
     if(eof())
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("expected " + std::string(1, close));
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("expected " + std::string(1, close));
 
     auto &token = consume_token();
     dest.push_back(token);
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ mini_c_parsert::tokenst mini_c_parsert::parse_initializer()
     while(true)
     {
       if(eof())
-        throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("expected an initializer");
+        throw invalid_input_exceptiont("expected an initializer");
       auto &token = consume_token();
       result.push_back(token);
       if(token == ';')
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ mini_c_parsert::tokenst mini_c_parsert::parse_initializer()
     while(true)
     {
       if(eof())
-        throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("eof in function body");
+        throw invalid_input_exceptiont("eof in function body");
       auto &token = consume_token();
       result.push_back(token);
       if(token == '{')
diff --git a/src/memory-analyzer/analyze_symbol.cpp b/src/memory-analyzer/analyze_symbol.cpp
index eb84cc95ca3..565285ebfe2 100644
--- a/src/memory-analyzer/analyze_symbol.cpp
+++ b/src/memory-analyzer/analyze_symbol.cpp
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ exprt gdb_value_extractort::get_pointer_to_function_value(
   const auto function_symbol = symbol_table.lookup(function_name);
   if(function_symbol == nullptr)
   {
-    throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont{
+    throw invalid_input_exceptiont{
       "input source code does not contain function: " + function_name};
   }
   CHECK_RETURN(function_symbol->type.id() == ID_code);
diff --git a/src/symtab2gb/symtab2gb_parse_options.cpp b/src/symtab2gb/symtab2gb_parse_options.cpp
index f1a6204a419..afcea1cfcbd 100644
--- a/src/symtab2gb/symtab2gb_parse_options.cpp
+++ b/src/symtab2gb/symtab2gb_parse_options.cpp
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ static void run_symtab2gb(
 
     if(failed(linking(linked_symbol_table, symtab, message_handler)))
     {
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont{"failed to link `" +
-                                           symtab_filename + "'"};
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont{
+        "failed to link `" + symtab_filename + "'"};
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/util/exception_utils.cpp b/src/util/exception_utils.cpp
index 624f9d0f167..d1c6e4214bf 100644
--- a/src/util/exception_utils.cpp
+++ b/src/util/exception_utils.cpp
@@ -80,6 +80,11 @@ analysis_exceptiont::analysis_exceptiont(std::string reason)
 {
 }
 
+invalid_input_exceptiont::invalid_input_exceptiont(std::string reason)
+  : cprover_exception_baset(std::move(reason))
+{
+}
+
 invalid_source_file_exceptiont::invalid_source_file_exceptiont(
   std::string reason)
   : cprover_exception_baset(std::move(reason))
diff --git a/src/util/exception_utils.h b/src/util/exception_utils.h
index f10e2b0689a..217c50bad23 100644
--- a/src/util/exception_utils.h
+++ b/src/util/exception_utils.h
@@ -156,6 +156,15 @@ class analysis_exceptiont : public cprover_exception_baset
   explicit analysis_exceptiont(std::string reason);
 };
 
+/// Thrown when user-provided input cannot be processed. Use
+/// \ref invalid_source_file_exceptiont when the precise location of erroneous
+/// input is known.
+class invalid_input_exceptiont : public cprover_exception_baset
+{
+public:
+  explicit invalid_input_exceptiont(std::string reason);
+};
+
 /// Thrown when we can't handle something in an input source file.
 /// For example, if we get C source code that is not syntactically valid
 /// or that has type errors.
diff --git a/unit/testing-utils/get_goto_model_from_c.cpp b/unit/testing-utils/get_goto_model_from_c.cpp
index 18a8b927fd4..f6e9c2cd456 100644
--- a/unit/testing-utils/get_goto_model_from_c.cpp
+++ b/unit/testing-utils/get_goto_model_from_c.cpp
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ goto_modelt get_goto_model_from_c(std::istream &in)
     const bool error = language.parse(in, "");
 
     if(error)
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("parsing failed");
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("parsing failed");
   }
 
   language_file.get_modules();
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ goto_modelt get_goto_model_from_c(std::istream &in)
     const bool error = language_files.typecheck(goto_model.symbol_table);
 
     if(error)
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont("typechecking failed");
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("typechecking failed");
   }
 
   {
@@ -77,8 +77,7 @@ goto_modelt get_goto_model_from_c(std::istream &in)
       language_files.generate_support_functions(goto_model.symbol_table);
 
     if(error)
-      throw invalid_source_file_exceptiont(
-        "support function generation failed");
+      throw invalid_input_exceptiont("support function generation failed");
   }
 
   goto_convert(