diff --git a/ingest.go b/ingest.go
index 722b037f62..b37cc4b3d5 100644
--- a/ingest.go
+++ b/ingest.go
@@ -491,14 +491,14 @@ func ingestSortAndVerify(cmp Compare, lr ingestLoadResult, exciseSpan KeyRange)
 	// fit within the exciseSpan.
 	for _, f := range lr.shared {
 		if !exciseSpan.Contains(cmp, f.Smallest) || !exciseSpan.Contains(cmp, f.Largest) {
-			return errors.AssertionFailedf("pebble: shared file outside of excise span, span [%s-%s), file = %s", exciseSpan.Start, exciseSpan.End, f.String())
+			return errors.Newf("pebble: shared file outside of excise span, span [%s-%s), file = %s", exciseSpan.Start, exciseSpan.End, f.String())
 		}
 	}
 	if len(lr.external) > 0 {
 		if len(lr.local) > 0 || len(lr.shared) > 0 {
 			// Currently we only support external ingests on their own. If external
 			// files are present alongside local/shared files, return an error.
-			return errors.AssertionFailedf("pebble: external files cannot be ingested atomically alongside other types of files")
+			return errors.Newf("pebble: external files cannot be ingested atomically alongside other types of files")
 		}
 		// Sort according to the smallest key.
 		slices.SortFunc(lr.external, func(a, b ingestExternalMeta) int {
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ func ingestSortAndVerify(cmp Compare, lr ingestLoadResult, exciseSpan KeyRange)
 		})
 		for i := 1; i < len(lr.external); i++ {
 			if sstableKeyCompare(cmp, lr.external[i-1].Largest, lr.external[i].Smallest) >= 0 {
-				return errors.AssertionFailedf("pebble: external sstables have overlapping ranges")
+				return errors.Newf("pebble: external sstables have overlapping ranges")
 			}
 		}
 		return nil
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ func ingestSortAndVerify(cmp Compare, lr ingestLoadResult, exciseSpan KeyRange)
 
 	for i := 1; i < len(lr.local); i++ {
 		if sstableKeyCompare(cmp, lr.local[i-1].Largest, lr.local[i].Smallest) >= 0 {
-			return errors.AssertionFailedf("pebble: local ingestion sstables have overlapping ranges")
+			return errors.Newf("pebble: local ingestion sstables have overlapping ranges")
 		}
 	}
 	if len(lr.shared) == 0 {
diff --git a/metamorphic/history.go b/metamorphic/history.go
index cac1147b39..3829feef58 100644
--- a/metamorphic/history.go
+++ b/metamorphic/history.go
@@ -148,6 +148,13 @@ type historyRecorder struct {
 
 // Recordf records the results of a single operation.
 func (h historyRecorder) Recordf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+	// Check for assertion errors.
+	for _, a := range args {
+		if err, ok := a.(error); ok && errors.IsAssertionFailure(err) {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%+v", err)
+			panic(err)
+		}
+	}
 	h.history.Recordf(h.op, format, args...)
 	// If the history recorder was configured with an additional record func,
 	// invoke it. This can be used to collect the per-operation output when
diff --git a/sstable/prefix_replacing_iterator.go b/sstable/prefix_replacing_iterator.go
index cf223c9879..b3e93a3c7b 100644
--- a/sstable/prefix_replacing_iterator.go
+++ b/sstable/prefix_replacing_iterator.go
@@ -41,8 +41,13 @@ type prefixReplacingIterator struct {
 	empty bool
 }
 
-var errInputPrefixMismatch = errors.New("key argument does not have prefix required for replacement")
-var errOutputPrefixMismatch = errors.New("key returned does not have prefix required for replacement")
+func errInputPrefixMismatch() error {
+	return errors.AssertionFailedf("key argument does not have prefix required for replacement")
+}
+
+func errOutputPrefixMismatch() error {
+	return errors.AssertionFailedf("key returned does not have prefix required for replacement")
+}
 
 var _ Iterator = (*prefixReplacingIterator)(nil)
 
@@ -101,7 +106,7 @@ func (p *prefixReplacingIterator) rewriteResult(
 		return k, v
 	}
 	if !bytes.HasPrefix(k.UserKey, p.contentPrefix) {
-		p.err = errOutputPrefixMismatch
+		p.err = errOutputPrefixMismatch()
 		if invariants.Enabled {
 			panic(p.err)
 		}
@@ -280,7 +285,7 @@ func newPrefixReplacingFragmentIterator(
 
 func (p *prefixReplacingFragmentIterator) rewriteArg(key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	if !bytes.HasPrefix(key, p.syntheticPrefix) {
-		return nil, errInputPrefixMismatch
+		return nil, errInputPrefixMismatch()
 	}
 	p.arg = append(p.arg[:len(p.contentPrefix)], key[len(p.syntheticPrefix):]...)
 	return p.arg, nil
@@ -293,7 +298,7 @@ func (p *prefixReplacingFragmentIterator) rewriteSpan(
 		return sp, err
 	}
 	if !bytes.HasPrefix(sp.Start, p.contentPrefix) || !bytes.HasPrefix(sp.End, p.contentPrefix) {
-		return nil, errOutputPrefixMismatch
+		return nil, errOutputPrefixMismatch()
 	}
 	sp.Start = append(p.out1[:len(p.syntheticPrefix)], sp.Start[len(p.contentPrefix):]...)
 	sp.End = append(p.out2[:len(p.syntheticPrefix)], sp.End[len(p.contentPrefix):]...)