diff --git a/packages/core/src/workspace/environment.ts b/packages/core/src/workspace/environment.ts
index 9e65e9c52c..64e8f8588f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/workspace/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/workspace/environment.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,24 @@ export class NotFoundError extends Schema.TaggedErrorClass<NotFoundError>()("Wor
   path: Schema.String,
 }) {}
 
+/**
+ * Wrap one driver promise, translating the driver's not-found signal into the
+ * environment error vocabulary so drivers and fakes never construct it ad hoc.
+ */
+export const tryOperation = <A>(input: {
+  readonly operation: string
+  readonly path: string
+  readonly run: () => Promise<A>
+  readonly isNotFound: (cause: unknown) => boolean
+}): Effect.Effect<A, Error | NotFoundError> =>
+  Effect.tryPromise({
+    try: input.run,
+    catch: (cause) =>
+      input.isNotFound(cause)
+        ? new NotFoundError({ path: input.path })
+        : new Error({ operation: input.operation, path: input.path, cause }),
+  })
+
 export interface FileInfo {
   readonly type: FileSystem.File.Type
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/test/lib/workspace.ts b/packages/core/test/lib/workspace.ts
index c66b69a621..86c7e8edf1 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/lib/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/lib/workspace.ts
@@ -39,12 +39,11 @@ export const directoryEnvironment = (
   spawn: ChildProcessSpawner["Service"]["spawn"],
 ): WorkspaceEnvironment.Interface => {
   const wrap = <A>(operation: string, path: string, run: () => Promise<A>) =>
-    Effect.tryPromise({
-      try: run,
-      catch: (cause) =>
-        (cause as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === "ENOENT"
-          ? new WorkspaceEnvironment.NotFoundError({ path })
-          : new WorkspaceEnvironment.Error({ operation, path, cause }),
+    WorkspaceEnvironment.tryOperation({
+      operation,
+      path,
+      run,
+      isNotFound: (cause) => (cause as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === "ENOENT",
     })
   return WorkspaceEnvironment.make({
     directory: root,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/workspace/modal.ts b/packages/server/src/workspace/modal.ts
index f1b2debe1a..9f2e7bcac1 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/workspace/modal.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/workspace/modal.ts
@@ -95,12 +95,11 @@ const FILE_TYPE = { file: "File", directory: "Directory", symlink: "SymbolicLink
 
 const files = (sandbox: Sandbox): WorkspaceEnvironment.Files => {
   const wrap = <A>(operation: string, path: string, run: () => Promise<A>) =>
-    Effect.tryPromise({
-      try: run,
-      catch: (cause) =>
-        cause instanceof SandboxFilesystemNotFoundError
-          ? new WorkspaceEnvironment.NotFoundError({ path })
-          : new WorkspaceEnvironment.Error({ operation, path, cause }),
+    WorkspaceEnvironment.tryOperation({
+      operation,
+      path,
+      run,
+      isNotFound: (cause) => cause instanceof SandboxFilesystemNotFoundError,
     })
   return {
     stat: (path) =>