diff --git a/src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py b/src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py
index 835183a2cb..55e089f083 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/workflows/engine.py
@@ -733,22 +733,21 @@ def load(cls, run_id: str, project_root: Path) -> RunState:
         the lookup path. Without this guard, a caller passing a value like
         ``../escape`` (e.g. via ``specify workflow resume`` CLI argument)
         would interpolate path-traversal segments into
-        ``runs_dir`` below, letting ``state_path.exists()`` probe arbitrary
-        paths and ``json.load`` read attacker-planted JSON from outside
-        the project's ``runs/`` directory. ``__init__`` already runs this
-        check on the stored ``state_data["run_id"]``, but that fires
-        *after* the file lookup — too late to prevent the disclosure.
+        ``runs_dir`` below, letting ``open()`` read attacker-planted JSON
+        from outside the project's ``runs/`` directory. ``__init__`` already
+        runs this check on the stored ``state_data["run_id"]``, but that
+        fires *after* the file lookup — too late to prevent the disclosure.
         Mirrors the precedent in ``agents._ensure_within_directory``.
         """
         cls._validate_run_id(run_id)
         runs_dir = project_root / ".specify" / "workflows" / "runs" / run_id
         state_path = runs_dir / "state.json"
-        if not state_path.exists():
+        try:
+            with open(state_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+                state_data = json.load(f)
+        except FileNotFoundError:
             msg = f"Run state not found: {state_path}"
-            raise FileNotFoundError(msg)
-
-        with open(state_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
-            state_data = json.load(f)
+            raise FileNotFoundError(msg) from None
         if not isinstance(state_data, dict):
             raise ValueError("Invalid run state: expected a JSON object")
         missing_fields = [
diff --git a/tests/test_workflows.py b/tests/test_workflows.py
index 95baf22d3c..8f3e7eab4e 100644
--- a/tests/test_workflows.py
+++ b/tests/test_workflows.py
@@ -7086,6 +7086,27 @@ def test_load_not_found(self, project_dir):
         with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError):
             RunState.load("nonexistent", project_dir)
 
+    def test_load_not_found_custom_message(self, project_dir):
+        """Regression: RunState.load() must raise FileNotFoundError with
+        the custom 'Run state not found:' message, not a raw OSError."""
+        from specify_cli.workflows.engine import RunState
+
+        with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError, match=r"Run state not found:.*nonexistent"):
+            RunState.load("nonexistent", project_dir)
+
+    def test_load_not_found_no_exists_probe(self, project_dir):
+        """Regression: RunState.load() must not call exists() before open(),
+        so it cannot be tricked by a TOCTOU race where the file disappears
+        between the check and the read."""
+        from unittest.mock import patch
+        from specify_cli.workflows.engine import RunState
+
+        # Verify that a nonexistent state.json raises FileNotFoundError
+        # with the custom message even when we can't check exists() first.
+        with patch("builtins.open", side_effect=FileNotFoundError):
+            with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError, match="Run state not found:"):
+                RunState.load("nonexistent", project_dir)
+
     def test_load_rejects_stored_run_id_mismatch(self, project_dir):
         """The state payload cannot redirect later writes to another run."""
         from specify_cli.workflows.engine import RunState