diff --git a/internal/commands/permission.go b/internal/commands/permission.go
index bf42452..b4706af 100644
--- a/internal/commands/permission.go
+++ b/internal/commands/permission.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/metadata"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/protojson"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/encoding/prototext"
 
 	"github.com/authzed/zed/internal/client"
 	"github.com/authzed/zed/internal/console"
@@ -222,8 +223,15 @@ func checkCmdFunc(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	resp, err := client.CheckPermission(ctx, request, grpc.Trailer(&trailerMD))
 	if err != nil {
 		var debugInfo *v1.DebugInformation
-		if resp != nil {
-			debugInfo = resp.DebugTrace
+
+		// Check for the debug trace contained in the error details.
+		if errInfo, ok := grpcErrorInfoFrom(err); ok {
+			if encodedDebugInfo, ok := errInfo.Metadata["debug_trace_proto_text"]; ok {
+				debugInfo = &v1.DebugInformation{}
+				if uerr := prototext.Unmarshal([]byte(encodedDebugInfo), debugInfo); uerr != nil {
+					return uerr
+				}
+			}
 		}
 
 		derr := displayDebugInformationIfRequested(cmd, debugInfo, trailerMD, true)
diff --git a/internal/commands/permission_test.go b/internal/commands/permission_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a56fbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/commands/permission_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+package commands
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc/errdetails"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+
+	v1 "github.com/authzed/authzed-go/proto/authzed/api/v1"
+	"github.com/authzed/spicedb/pkg/spiceerrors"
+
+	"github.com/authzed/zed/internal/client"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	zerolog.SetGlobalLevel(zerolog.Disabled)
+}
+
+type mockCheckClient struct {
+	v1.SchemaServiceClient
+	v1.PermissionsServiceClient
+	v1.WatchServiceClient
+	v1.ExperimentalServiceClient
+
+	t              *testing.T
+	validProtoText bool
+}
+
+func (m *mockCheckClient) CheckPermission(_ context.Context, _ *v1.CheckPermissionRequest, _ ...grpc.CallOption) (*v1.CheckPermissionResponse, error) {
+	debugInfo := &v1.DebugInformation{}
+	protoText := debugInfo.String()
+	if !m.validProtoText {
+		protoText = "invalid"
+	}
+
+	err := spiceerrors.WithCodeAndDetailsAsError(fmt.Errorf("test"), codes.ResourceExhausted, &errdetails.ErrorInfo{
+		Reason: v1.ErrorReason_name[int32(v1.ErrorReason_ERROR_REASON_MAXIMUM_DEPTH_EXCEEDED)],
+		Domain: "test",
+		Metadata: map[string]string{
+			"debug_trace_proto_text": protoText,
+		},
+	})
+	return &v1.CheckPermissionResponse{}, err
+}
+
+func TestCheckErrorWithDebugInformation(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := func(*cobra.Command) (client.Client, error) {
+		return &mockCheckClient{t: t, validProtoText: true}, nil
+	}
+
+	originalClient := client.NewClient
+	client.NewClient = mock
+	defer func() {
+		client.NewClient = originalClient
+	}()
+
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{}
+	cmd.Flags().String("revision", "", "optional revision at which to check")
+	_ = cmd.Flags().MarkHidden("revision")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("explain", false, "requests debug information from SpiceDB and prints out a trace of the requests")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("schema", false, "requests debug information from SpiceDB and prints out the schema used")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("error-on-no-permission", false, "if true, zed will return exit code 1 if subject does not have unconditional permission")
+	cmd.Flags().String("caveat-context", "", "the caveat context to send along with the check, in JSON form")
+	registerConsistencyFlags(cmd.Flags())
+
+	err := checkCmdFunc(cmd, []string{"object:1", "perm", "object:2"})
+	require.NotNil(t, err)
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "test")
+}
+
+func TestCheckErrorWithInvalidDebugInformation(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := func(*cobra.Command) (client.Client, error) {
+		return &mockCheckClient{t: t, validProtoText: false}, nil
+	}
+
+	originalClient := client.NewClient
+	client.NewClient = mock
+	defer func() {
+		client.NewClient = originalClient
+	}()
+
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{}
+	cmd.Flags().String("revision", "", "optional revision at which to check")
+	_ = cmd.Flags().MarkHidden("revision")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("explain", false, "requests debug information from SpiceDB and prints out a trace of the requests")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("schema", false, "requests debug information from SpiceDB and prints out the schema used")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("error-on-no-permission", false, "if true, zed will return exit code 1 if subject does not have unconditional permission")
+	cmd.Flags().String("caveat-context", "", "the caveat context to send along with the check, in JSON form")
+	registerConsistencyFlags(cmd.Flags())
+
+	err := checkCmdFunc(cmd, []string{"object:1", "perm", "object:2"})
+	require.NotNil(t, err)
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "unknown field: invalid")
+}