diff --git a/pdoc/docstrings.py b/pdoc/docstrings.py
index b9588287..5c9dc682 100644
--- a/pdoc/docstrings.py
+++ b/pdoc/docstrings.py
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@
 from textwrap import indent
 import warnings
 
+AnyException = (SystemExit, GeneratorExit, Exception)
+"""BaseException, but excluding KeyboardInterrupt.
+
+Modules may raise SystemExit on import (which we want to catch),
+but we don't want to catch a user's KeyboardInterrupt.
+"""
+
 
 @cache
 def convert(docstring: str, docformat: str, source_file: Path | None) -> str:
@@ -32,17 +39,25 @@ def convert(docstring: str, docformat: str, source_file: Path | None) -> str:
     """
     docformat = docformat.lower()
 
-    if any(x in docformat for x in ["google", "numpy", "restructuredtext"]):
-        docstring = rst(docstring, source_file)
+    try:
+        if any(x in docformat for x in ["google", "numpy", "restructuredtext"]):
+            docstring = rst(docstring, source_file)
+
+        if "google" in docformat:
+            docstring = google(docstring)
 
-    if "google" in docformat:
-        docstring = google(docstring)
+        if "numpy" in docformat:
+            docstring = numpy(docstring)
 
-    if "numpy" in docformat:
-        docstring = numpy(docstring)
+        if source_file is not None and os.environ.get("PDOC_EMBED_IMAGES") != "0":
+            docstring = embed_images(docstring, source_file)
 
-    if source_file is not None and os.environ.get("PDOC_EMBED_IMAGES") != "0":
-        docstring = embed_images(docstring, source_file)
+    except AnyException as e:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            'Docstring processing failed for docstring=\n"""\n'
+            + docstring
+            + f'\n"""\n{source_file=}\n{docformat=}'
+        ) from e
 
     return docstring
 
diff --git a/pdoc/extract.py b/pdoc/extract.py
index fa9f2524..255f6ecc 100644
--- a/pdoc/extract.py
+++ b/pdoc/extract.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ def walk_specs(specs: Sequence[Path | str]) -> list[str]:
                 modspec = importlib.util.find_spec(modname)
                 if modspec is None:
                     raise ModuleNotFoundError(modname)
-        except AnyException:
+        except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException:
             warnings.warn(
                 f"Cannot find spec for {modname} (from {spec}):\n{traceback.format_exc()}",
                 stacklevel=2,
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ def parse_spec(spec: Path | str) -> str:
                 modspec = importlib.util.find_spec(spec)
                 if modspec is None:
                     raise ModuleNotFoundError
-        except AnyException:
+        except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException:
             # Module does not exist, use local file.
             spec = pspec
         else:
@@ -218,18 +218,10 @@ def load_module(module: str) -> types.ModuleType:
     Returns the imported module."""
     try:
         return importlib.import_module(module)
-    except AnyException as e:
+    except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException as e:
         raise RuntimeError(f"Error importing {module}") from e
 
 
-AnyException = (SystemExit, GeneratorExit, Exception)
-"""BaseException, but excluding KeyboardInterrupt.
-
-Modules may raise SystemExit on import (which we want to catch),
-but we don't want to catch a user's KeyboardInterrupt.
-"""
-
-
 def iter_modules2(module: types.ModuleType) -> dict[str, pkgutil.ModuleInfo]:
     """
     Returns all direct child modules of a given module.
@@ -315,7 +307,7 @@ def module_mtime(modulename: str) -> float | None:
     try:
         with mock_some_common_side_effects():
             spec = importlib.util.find_spec(modulename)
-    except AnyException:
+    except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException:
         pass
     else:
         if spec is not None and spec.origin is not None:
@@ -365,7 +357,7 @@ def invalidate_caches(module_name: str) -> None:
                 continue  # some funky stuff going on - one example is typing.io, which is a class.
             with mock_some_common_side_effects():
                 importlib.reload(sys.modules[modname])
-        except AnyException:
+        except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException:
             warnings.warn(
                 f"Error reloading {modname}:\n{traceback.format_exc()}",
                 stacklevel=2,
diff --git a/test/test_docstrings.py b/test/test_docstrings.py
index 8a172538..658d4d0d 100644
--- a/test/test_docstrings.py
+++ b/test/test_docstrings.py
@@ -37,6 +37,19 @@ def test_rst_extract_options_fuzz(s):
     assert not s or content or options
 
 
+def test_convert_exception(monkeypatch):
+    def raise_(*_):
+        raise Exception
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(docstrings, "rst", raise_)
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Docstring processing failed"):
+        docstrings.convert(
+            "Valid minimal docstring without in- or output.",
+            "numpy",
+            None,
+        )
+
+
 def test_rst_extract_options():
     content = (
         ":alpha: beta\n"
diff --git a/test/test_smoke.py b/test/test_smoke.py
index f8c67c49..d2b215d7 100644
--- a/test/test_smoke.py
+++ b/test/test_smoke.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ def test_smoke(module):
     try:
         with pdoc.extract.mock_some_common_side_effects():
             importlib.import_module(module)
-    except pdoc.extract.AnyException:
+    except pdoc.docstrings.AnyException:
         pass
     else:
         try: