Handle edge cases in compression

**Problem**
When working with lib, the error messages could be more descriptive.

**Suggestion**
Improve error handling and add detailed error messages.

**Context**
This would help with debugging and maintenance.

Start by locating the compression-related code under lib and reviewing how its current errors are handled. Identify the edge cases that need coverage and define completion as producing detailed, descriptive error messages for those failures.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.