diff --git a/abi3audit/_cli.py b/abi3audit/_cli.py
index 61a3a0f..5552169 100644
--- a/abi3audit/_cli.py
+++ b/abi3audit/_cli.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import argparse
-import itertools
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -20,6 +19,7 @@
 from abi3audit._audit import AuditError, AuditResult, audit
 from abi3audit._extract import (
     Extractor,
+    ExtractorError,
     InvalidSpec,
     PyPISpec,
     SharedObjectSpec,
@@ -177,7 +177,6 @@ def main() -> None:
     )
     parser.add_argument(
         "specs",
-        type=make_specs,
         metavar="SPEC",
         nargs="+",
         help="the files or other dependency specs to scan",
@@ -229,16 +228,24 @@ def main() -> None:
     if args.debug:
         logging.root.setLevel("DEBUG")
 
+    specs = []
+    for spec in args.specs:
+        try:
+            specs.extend(make_specs(spec))
+        except InvalidSpec as e:
+            console.log(f"[red]:thumbs_down: processing error: {e}")
+            sys.exit(1)
+
     logger.debug(f"parsed arguments: {args}")
 
     results = SpecResults()
     all_passed = True
     with status:
-        for spec in itertools.chain.from_iterable(args.specs):
+        for spec in specs:
             status.update(f"auditing {spec}")
             try:
                 extractor = spec._extractor()
-            except InvalidSpec as e:
+            except ExtractorError as e:
                 console.log(f"[red]:thumbs_down: processing error: {e}")
                 sys.exit(1)
 
diff --git a/abi3audit/_extract.py b/abi3audit/_extract.py
index 37f61d4..7226949 100644
--- a/abi3audit/_extract.py
+++ b/abi3audit/_extract.py
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ def make_specs(val: str) -> list[Spec]:
         # audited (e.g. via an abi3 wheel), but not directly (since
         # without a tag here we don't know if it's abi3 at all).
         if ".abi3." not in val:
-            raise InvalidSpec(f"'{val}' looks like a shared object but is not tagged as abi3")
+            raise InvalidSpec(f"'{val}' must contain '.abi3.' to be recognized as a shared object")
         return [SharedObjectSpec(val)]
     elif re.match(_DISTRIBUTION_NAME_RE, val, re.IGNORECASE):
         return [PyPISpec(val)]
diff --git a/test/test_extract.py b/test/test_extract.py
index 10d3239..9ff27b2 100644
--- a/test/test_extract.py
+++ b/test/test_extract.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ def test_make_spec():
     assert make_specs("foo") == [PyPISpec("foo")]
 
     # Shared objects need to be tagged with `.abi3`.
-    with pytest.raises(InvalidSpec):
+    with pytest.raises(InvalidSpec, match="'foo.so' must contain '.abi3.'"):
         make_specs("foo.so")
 
     # Anything that doesn't look like a wheel, shared object, or PyPI package fails.