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 handling under lib and trace its current error paths, then review how edge cases are represented. Done means the relevant failures produce detailed, descriptive error messages and the edge cases are covered by appropriate checks or tests.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.