diff --git a/Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Composite/CompositeObfuscationProvider.cs b/Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Composite/CompositeObfuscationProvider.cs
index cc80a1f..6c900b6 100644
--- a/Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Composite/CompositeObfuscationProvider.cs
+++ b/Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Composite/CompositeObfuscationProvider.cs
@@ -58,10 +58,9 @@ public bool TryObfuscate(ReadOnlySpan<byte> data, Span<byte> destination, out in
 	{
 		bytesWritten = 0;
 
-		byte[] current = data.ToArray();
-		foreach (IObfuscationProvider stage in _stages)
+		if (!TryRunForward(data.ToArray(), out byte[] current))
 		{
-			current = stage.Obfuscate(current);
+			return false;
 		}
 
 		if (destination.Length < current.Length)
@@ -84,10 +83,9 @@ public bool TryObfuscate(Stream data, Stream destination)
 
 		using MemoryStream buffer = new();
 		data.CopyTo(buffer);
-		byte[] current = buffer.ToArray();
-		foreach (IObfuscationProvider stage in _stages)
+		if (!TryRunForward(buffer.ToArray(), out byte[] current))
 		{
-			current = stage.Obfuscate(current);
+			return false;
 		}
 
 		destination.Write(current, 0, current.Length);
@@ -99,10 +97,9 @@ public bool TryDeobfuscate(ReadOnlySpan<byte> obfuscatedData, Span<byte> destina
 	{
 		bytesWritten = 0;
 
-		byte[] current = obfuscatedData.ToArray();
-		for (int i = _stages.Count - 1; i >= 0; i--)
+		if (!TryRunReverse(obfuscatedData.ToArray(), out byte[] current))
 		{
-			current = _stages[i].Deobfuscate(current);
+			return false;
 		}
 
 		if (destination.Length < current.Length)
@@ -125,13 +122,58 @@ public bool TryDeobfuscate(Stream obfuscatedData, Stream destination)
 
 		using MemoryStream buffer = new();
 		obfuscatedData.CopyTo(buffer);
-		byte[] current = buffer.ToArray();
-		for (int i = _stages.Count - 1; i >= 0; i--)
+		if (!TryRunReverse(buffer.ToArray(), out byte[] current))
 		{
-			current = _stages[i].Deobfuscate(current);
+			return false;
 		}
 
 		destination.Write(current, 0, current.Length);
 		return true;
 	}
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Obfuscates <paramref name="data"/> through every stage in order, stopping at the first stage
+	/// that fails. Each stage runs through its own <c>Try</c> method, so a failure is reported rather
+	/// than thrown and the composite keeps the <c>Try</c> contract of its stages.
+	/// </summary>
+	private bool TryRunForward(byte[] data, out byte[] result)
+	{
+		result = data;
+		foreach (IObfuscationProvider stage in _stages)
+		{
+			byte[] buffer = new byte[stage.GetMaxObfuscatedLength(result.Length)];
+			if (!stage.TryObfuscate(result, buffer, out int written))
+			{
+				result = [];
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			result = buffer.AsSpan(0, written).ToArray();
+		}
+
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Deobfuscates <paramref name="data"/> through every stage in reverse order, stopping at the
+	/// first stage that fails, for the same reason as <see cref="TryRunForward"/>.
+	/// </summary>
+	private bool TryRunReverse(byte[] data, out byte[] result)
+	{
+		result = data;
+		for (int i = _stages.Count - 1; i >= 0; i--)
+		{
+			IObfuscationProvider stage = _stages[i];
+			byte[] buffer = new byte[stage.GetMaxDeobfuscatedLength(result.Length)];
+			if (!stage.TryDeobfuscate(result, buffer, out int written))
+			{
+				result = [];
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			result = buffer.AsSpan(0, written).ToArray();
+		}
+
+		return true;
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Essentials.Tests/ObfuscationProviderTests.cs b/Essentials.Tests/ObfuscationProviderTests.cs
index fc27435..5107881 100644
--- a/Essentials.Tests/ObfuscationProviderTests.cs
+++ b/Essentials.Tests/ObfuscationProviderTests.cs
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ namespace ktsu.Essentials.Tests;
 using System.Text;
 using ktsu.Essentials;
 using ktsu.Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Base64;
+using ktsu.Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Composite;
 using ktsu.Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Hex;
+using ktsu.Essentials.ObfuscationProviders.Xor;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
 
@@ -95,4 +97,38 @@ public void Obfuscation_Hex_Roundtrip_String()
 		Assert.AreNotEqual(original, obfuscated, "Obfuscated text should not match the input");
 		Assert.AreEqual(original, restored);
 	}
+
+	private static IObfuscationProvider CompositeWithFallibleStage()
+		=> new CompositeObfuscationProvider([new XorObfuscationProvider(), new Base64ObfuscationProvider()]);
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Obfuscation_Composite_TryDeobfuscate_Span_ReturnsFalseWhenAStageFails()
+	{
+		IObfuscationProvider provider = CompositeWithFallibleStage();
+		byte[] invalid = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("!!!");
+		byte[] destination = new byte[provider.GetMaxDeobfuscatedLength(invalid.Length)];
+
+		Assert.IsFalse(provider.TryDeobfuscate(invalid, destination, out int bytesWritten));
+		Assert.AreEqual(0, bytesWritten);
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Obfuscation_Composite_TryDeobfuscate_Stream_ReturnsFalseWhenAStageFails()
+	{
+		IObfuscationProvider provider = CompositeWithFallibleStage();
+		using MemoryStream invalid = new(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("!!!"));
+		using MemoryStream destination = new();
+
+		Assert.IsFalse(provider.TryDeobfuscate(invalid, destination));
+		Assert.AreEqual(0, destination.Length, "Nothing should be written when a stage fails");
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Obfuscation_Composite_WithFallibleStage_Roundtrips()
+	{
+		IObfuscationProvider provider = CompositeWithFallibleStage();
+		byte[] original = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("composite with a base64 stage");
+
+		CollectionAssert.AreEqual(original, provider.Deobfuscate(provider.Obfuscate(original)));
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file