diff --git a/esphome/__main__.py b/esphome/__main__.py
index 9292e98043..c88efd6750 100644
--- a/esphome/__main__.py
+++ b/esphome/__main__.py
@@ -1151,9 +1151,65 @@ def upload_program(
     if getattr(args, "file", None) is not None:
         binary = Path(args.file)
 
+    if ota_type == espota2.OTA_TYPE_UPDATE_PARTITION_TABLE:
+        _validate_partition_table_binary(binary)
+
     return espota2.run_ota(network_devices, remote_port, password, binary, ota_type)
 
 
+# Layout of esp_partition_info_t on flash. Each entry is 32 bytes, leading with a
+# 16-bit little-endian magic. ESP-IDF defines ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC = 0x50AA (stored as
+# bytes 0xAA, 0x50) for partition entries and ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC_MD5 = 0xEBEB for the
+# trailing checksum entry. Padding past the last entry is 0xFF. The full table is
+# exactly ESP_PARTITION_TABLE_MAX_LEN bytes.
+_PARTITION_TABLE_MAX_LEN = 0xC00
+_ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC = 0x50AA
+_ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC_MD5 = 0xEBEB
+
+
+def _validate_partition_table_binary(binary: Path) -> None:
+    """Validate that ``binary`` looks like an ESP32 partition table image.
+
+    Catches common mistakes (wrong file, truncated build output, swapped --file path)
+    before opening a network connection so the failure mode is a clear local error
+    instead of a post-handshake device rejection.
+    """
+    try:
+        data = binary.read_bytes()
+    except OSError as err:
+        raise EsphomeError(
+            f"Cannot read partition table file '{binary}': {err}"
+        ) from err
+
+    if len(data) != _PARTITION_TABLE_MAX_LEN:
+        raise EsphomeError(
+            f"Partition table file '{binary}' has wrong size: expected "
+            f"{_PARTITION_TABLE_MAX_LEN} bytes, got {len(data)}. "
+            "Pass the partition table image (e.g. partitions.bin / partition-table.bin), "
+            "not the firmware image."
+        )
+
+    first_magic = data[0] | (data[1] << 8)
+    if first_magic != _ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC:
+        raise EsphomeError(
+            f"Partition table file '{binary}' does not start with the expected "
+            f"partition magic 0x{_ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC:04X} (got 0x{first_magic:04X}). "
+            "This file does not look like an ESP32 partition table."
+        )
+
+    # The MD5 checksum entry is required: without it the device-side
+    # esp_partition_table_verify will accept the table but the bootloader will
+    # refuse to boot from it. Scan the 32-byte entries for the MD5 magic.
+    if not any(
+        (data[off] | (data[off + 1] << 8)) == _ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC_MD5
+        for off in range(0, _PARTITION_TABLE_MAX_LEN, 32)
+    ):
+        raise EsphomeError(
+            f"Partition table file '{binary}' is missing the MD5 checksum entry. "
+            "Regenerate the partition table with gen_esp32part.py or rebuild the project."
+        )
+
+
 def show_logs(config: ConfigType, args: ArgsProtocol, devices: list[str]) -> int | None:
     try:
         module = importlib.import_module("esphome.components." + CORE.target_platform)
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esp_idf_hello_world.bin b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esp_idf_hello_world.bin
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b8fa03b4b3
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esp_idf_hello_world.bin differ
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_dashboard_firmware.bin b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_dashboard_firmware.bin
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e648fa3270
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_dashboard_firmware.bin differ
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_default.bin b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_default.bin
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d39bf337c9
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/unit_tests/fixtures/partition_tables/esphome_default.bin differ
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/test_main.py b/tests/unit_tests/test_main.py
index 5f80a4217b..e5564b6933 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/test_main.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/test_main.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from esphome.__main__ import (
     _get_configured_xtal_freq,
     _make_crystal_freq_callback,
     _resolve_network_devices,
+    _validate_partition_table_binary,
     choose_upload_log_host,
     command_analyze_memory,
     command_bundle,
@@ -1630,6 +1631,21 @@ def test_upload_program_ota_with_file_arg(
     )
 
 
+_PARTITION_TABLE_LEN = 0xC00
+
+
+def _make_partition_table_bytes() -> bytes:
+    """Build a minimal partition table image accepted by _validate_partition_table_binary."""
+    table = bytearray(b"\xff" * _PARTITION_TABLE_LEN)
+    # First entry: ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC (0x50AA) little-endian -> bytes 0xAA, 0x50.
+    table[0] = 0xAA
+    table[1] = 0x50
+    # MD5 checksum entry at offset 32: ESP_PARTITION_MAGIC_MD5 (0xEBEB) little-endian.
+    table[32] = 0xEB
+    table[33] = 0xEB
+    return bytes(table)
+
+
 def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_with_file_arg(
     mock_run_ota: Mock,
     mock_get_port_type: Mock,
@@ -1641,6 +1657,9 @@ def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_with_file_arg(
     mock_get_port_type.return_value = "NETWORK"
     mock_run_ota.return_value = (0, "192.168.1.100")
 
+    partition_file = tmp_path / "partitions.bin"
+    partition_file.write_bytes(_make_partition_table_bytes())
+
     config = {
         CONF_OTA: [
             {
@@ -1650,7 +1669,7 @@ def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_with_file_arg(
             }
         ]
     }
-    args = MockArgs(file="partitions.bin", partition_table=True)
+    args = MockArgs(file=str(partition_file), partition_table=True)
     devices = ["192.168.1.100"]
 
     exit_code, host = upload_program(config, args, devices)
@@ -1661,7 +1680,7 @@ def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_with_file_arg(
         ["192.168.1.100"],
         3232,
         None,
-        Path("partitions.bin"),
+        partition_file,
         OTA_TYPE_UPDATE_PARTITION_TABLE,
     )
 
@@ -1686,6 +1705,93 @@ def test_upload_program_serial_partition_table(
         upload_program(config, args, devices)
 
 
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_accepts_valid(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    f = tmp_path / "partitions.bin"
+    f.write_bytes(_make_partition_table_bytes())
+    _validate_partition_table_binary(f)
+
+
+_PARTITION_FIXTURE_DIR = Path(__file__).parent / "fixtures" / "partition_tables"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "fixture",
+    [
+        # Stock ESP-IDF gen_esp32part.py output for an ESPHome build.
+        "esphome_default.bin",
+        # ESP-IDF Hello-world example partition table (vendored from espressif/esp-serial-flasher).
+        "esp_idf_hello_world.bin",
+        # Partition table shipped with esphome_dashboard's prebuilt firmware.
+        "esphome_dashboard_firmware.bin",
+    ],
+)
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_accepts_real_binaries(fixture: str) -> None:
+    """Real-world partition-table binaries from ESP-IDF / ESPHome tooling pass validation."""
+    _validate_partition_table_binary(_PARTITION_FIXTURE_DIR / fixture)
+
+
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_rejects_wrong_size(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    f = tmp_path / "partitions.bin"
+    f.write_bytes(b"\xaa\x50" + b"\xff" * 100)
+    with pytest.raises(EsphomeError, match="wrong size"):
+        _validate_partition_table_binary(f)
+
+
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_rejects_wrong_magic(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    data = bytearray(_make_partition_table_bytes())
+    data[0] = 0x00
+    data[1] = 0x00
+    f = tmp_path / "partitions.bin"
+    f.write_bytes(bytes(data))
+    with pytest.raises(EsphomeError, match="partition magic"):
+        _validate_partition_table_binary(f)
+
+
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_rejects_missing_md5(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    data = bytearray(_make_partition_table_bytes())
+    data[32] = 0xFF
+    data[33] = 0xFF
+    f = tmp_path / "partitions.bin"
+    f.write_bytes(bytes(data))
+    with pytest.raises(EsphomeError, match="missing the MD5 checksum entry"):
+        _validate_partition_table_binary(f)
+
+
+def test_validate_partition_table_binary_missing_file(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    with pytest.raises(EsphomeError, match="Cannot read partition table file"):
+        _validate_partition_table_binary(tmp_path / "does-not-exist.bin")
+
+
+def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_invalid_file(
+    mock_run_ota: Mock,
+    mock_get_port_type: Mock,
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    """--partition-table must fail before calling run_ota when the file is not a partition table."""
+    setup_core(platform=PLATFORM_ESP32, tmp_path=tmp_path)
+
+    mock_get_port_type.return_value = "NETWORK"
+
+    bad_file = tmp_path / "firmware.bin"
+    bad_file.write_bytes(b"\x00" * 4096)
+
+    config = {
+        CONF_OTA: [
+            {
+                CONF_PLATFORM: CONF_ESPHOME,
+                CONF_PORT: 3232,
+                "allow_partition_access": True,
+            }
+        ]
+    }
+    args = MockArgs(file=str(bad_file), partition_table=True)
+    devices = ["192.168.1.100"]
+
+    with pytest.raises(EsphomeError, match="wrong size"):
+        upload_program(config, args, devices)
+    mock_run_ota.assert_not_called()
+
+
 def test_upload_program_ota_partition_table_without_allow_flag(
     mock_run_ota: Mock,
     mock_get_port_type: Mock,