diff --git a/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector.rs b/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector.rs
index 0c4488c9..4fca1bdf 100644
--- a/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector.rs
+++ b/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-use std::{error::Error, path::Path};
+use std::error::Error;
+use std::fmt::Display;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use async_trait::async_trait;
 use ndc_client::models;
@@ -12,17 +14,69 @@ pub mod example;
 /// Errors which occur when trying to validate connector
 /// configuration.
 ///
-/// See [`Connector::validate_raw_configuration`].
+/// See [`Connector::parse_configuration`].
 #[derive(Debug, Error)]
-pub enum ValidateError {
-    #[error("error validating configuration: {0:?}")]
-    ValidateError(Vec<InvalidRange>),
+pub enum ParseError {
+    #[error("error parsing configuration: {0}")]
+    ParseError(Position),
+    #[error("error validating configuration: {0}")]
+    ValidateError(InvalidPaths),
+    #[error("error processing configuration: {0}")]
+    IoError(#[from] std::io::Error),
+    #[error("error processing configuration: {0}")]
+    Other(#[from] Box<dyn Error + Send + Sync>),
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize)]
-pub struct InvalidRange {
-    pub path: Vec<KeyOrIndex>,
+/// The position of a single character in a text file.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct Position {
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+    pub line: usize,
+    pub column: usize,
+}
+
+impl Display for Position {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(
+            f,
+            "{0}:{1}:{2}",
+            self.path.display(),
+            self.line,
+            self.column
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct InvalidPath {
     pub message: String,
+    pub path: Vec<KeyOrIndex>,
+}
+
+impl Display for InvalidPath {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "{} at ", self.message)?;
+        for segment in &self.path {
+            write!(f, ".{}", segment)?;
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct InvalidPaths(pub Vec<InvalidPath>);
+
+impl Display for InvalidPaths {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        let mut iterator = self.0.iter();
+        if let Some(first) = iterator.next() {
+            first.fmt(f)?;
+        }
+        for next in iterator {
+            write!(f, ", {next}")?;
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize)]
@@ -32,6 +86,15 @@ pub enum KeyOrIndex {
     Index(u32),
 }
 
+impl Display for KeyOrIndex {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            Self::Key(key) => write!(f, "[{key:?}]"),
+            Self::Index(index) => write!(f, "[{index}]"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Errors which occur when trying to initialize connector
 /// state.
 ///
@@ -200,7 +263,7 @@ pub trait Connector {
     /// returning a configuration error or a validated [`Connector::Configuration`].
     async fn parse_configuration(
         configuration_dir: impl AsRef<Path> + Send,
-    ) -> Result<Self::Configuration, ValidateError>;
+    ) -> Result<Self::Configuration, ParseError>;
 
     /// Initialize the connector's in-memory state.
     ///
diff --git a/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector/example.rs b/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector/example.rs
index 0a19db29..d55f23af 100644
--- a/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector/example.rs
+++ b/rust-connector-sdk/src/connector/example.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ impl Connector for Example {
 
     async fn parse_configuration(
         _configuration_dir: impl AsRef<Path> + Send,
-    ) -> Result<Self::Configuration, ValidateError> {
+    ) -> Result<Self::Configuration, ParseError> {
         Ok(())
     }