diff --git a/src/mono/nuget/Microsoft.NET.Runtime.MonoTargets.Sdk/Sdk/RuntimeComponentManifest.targets b/src/mono/nuget/Microsoft.NET.Runtime.MonoTargets.Sdk/Sdk/RuntimeComponentManifest.targets
index 411aeec01e563..fcf1ff70d9a8f 100644
--- a/src/mono/nuget/Microsoft.NET.Runtime.MonoTargets.Sdk/Sdk/RuntimeComponentManifest.targets
+++ b/src/mono/nuget/Microsoft.NET.Runtime.MonoTargets.Sdk/Sdk/RuntimeComponentManifest.targets
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 <Project>
   <Target Name="_MonoReadAvailableComponentsManifest">
-    <Error Condition="'%(ResolvedRuntimePack.PackageDirectory)' == '' and '$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)' == ''"
-           Text="Empty ResolvedRuntimePack.PackageDirectory while trying to read runtime components manifest" />
+    <Error Condition="'%(ResolvedFrameworkReference.Identity)' == 'Microsoft.NETCore.App' and '%(ResolvedFrameworkReference.RuntimePackPath)' == '' and '$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)' == ''"
+           Text="Empty ResolveFrameworkReference.RuntimePackPath while trying to read runtime components manifest. ResolvedFrameworkReference available: @(ResolvedFrameworkReference -> '{ %(Identity), RuntimePackPath: %(RuntimePackPath) }')" />
+
     <PropertyGroup>
-      <_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath Condition="'$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)' == ''">%(ResolvedRuntimePack.PackageDirectory)\runtimes\$(RuntimeIdentifier)\build\RuntimeComponentManifest.json</_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath>
+      <_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath 
+        Condition="'$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)' == '' and '%(ResolvedFrameworkReference.Identity)' == 'Microsoft.NETCore.App'">$([MSBuild]::NormalizePath('%(RuntimePackPath)', 'runtimes', '$(RuntimeIdentifier)', 'build', 'RuntimeComponentManifest.json'))</_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath>
     </PropertyGroup>
+
+    <Error Condition="!Exists('$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)')"
+           Text="Unable to read the runtime components manifest as the path: $(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath) does not exist" />
+
     <MonoRuntimeComponentManifestReadTask JsonFilePath="$(_MonoRuntimeComponentManifestJsonFilePath)">
       <Output TaskParameter="_MonoRuntimeComponentSharedLibExt" ItemName="_MonoRuntimeComponentSharedLibExt" />
       <Output TaskParameter="_MonoRuntimeComponentStaticLibExt" ItemName="_MonoRuntimeComponentStaticLibExt" />
diff --git a/src/tasks/JsonToItemsTaskFactory/JsonToItemsTaskFactory.cs b/src/tasks/JsonToItemsTaskFactory/JsonToItemsTaskFactory.cs
index 2f7d1dc7ebfbe..b0d710e77f714 100644
--- a/src/tasks/JsonToItemsTaskFactory/JsonToItemsTaskFactory.cs
+++ b/src/tasks/JsonToItemsTaskFactory/JsonToItemsTaskFactory.cs
@@ -173,6 +173,12 @@ public bool Execute()
                     Log.LogError($"no {nameof(JsonFilePath)} specified");
                     return false;
                 }
+                if (!File.Exists(jsonFilePath))
+                {
+                    Log.LogError($"Could not find {nameof(JsonFilePath)}={jsonFilePath}");
+                    return false;
+                }
+
                 if (!TryGetJson(jsonFilePath, out var json))
                     return false;
 
diff --git a/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Blazor.Directory.Build.targets b/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Blazor.Directory.Build.targets
index b0384d714e345..f77fc96c48d05 100644
--- a/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Blazor.Directory.Build.targets
+++ b/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Blazor.Directory.Build.targets
@@ -36,13 +36,12 @@
                             PackageDirectory="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
                             RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
 
-       <ResolvedFrameworkReference
-                                    TargetingPackPath="$(_MicrosoftNetCoreAppRefDir.TrimEnd('/\'))"
-                                     Include="Microsoft.NETCore.App"
-                                     RuntimePackName="Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm"
-                                     RuntimePackVersion="$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
-                                     RuntimePackPath="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
-                                     RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
+       <ResolvedFrameworkReference Update="Microsoft.NETCore.App"
+                                   TargetingPackPath="$(_MicrosoftNetCoreAppRefDir.TrimEnd('/\'))"
+                                   RuntimePackName="Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm"
+                                   RuntimePackVersion="$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
+                                   RuntimePackPath="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
+                                   RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
     </ItemGroup>
   </Target>
 
diff --git a/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Workloads.Directory.Build.targets b/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Workloads.Directory.Build.targets
index 62e463bb19958..105c0a74c0875 100644
--- a/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Workloads.Directory.Build.targets
+++ b/src/tests/BuildWasmApps/Wasm.Build.Tests/data/Workloads.Directory.Build.targets
@@ -53,13 +53,12 @@
                             PackageDirectory="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
                             RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
 
-       <ResolvedFrameworkReference
-                                    TargetingPackPath="$(_MicrosoftNetCoreAppRefDir.TrimEnd('/\'))"
-                                     Include="Microsoft.NETCore.App"
-                                     RuntimePackName="Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm"
-                                     RuntimePackVersion="$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
-                                     RuntimePackPath="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
-                                     RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
+       <ResolvedFrameworkReference Update="Microsoft.NETCore.App"
+                                   TargetingPackPath="$(_MicrosoftNetCoreAppRefDir.TrimEnd('/\'))"
+                                   RuntimePackName="Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm"
+                                   RuntimePackVersion="$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
+                                   RuntimePackPath="$(NetCoreTargetingPackRoot)\Microsoft.NETCore.App.Runtime.Mono.browser-wasm\$(RuntimePackInWorkloadVersion)"
+                                   RuntimeIdentifier="browser-wasm" />
     </ItemGroup>
   </Target>