diff --git a/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/config.d.ts b/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/config.d.ts
index b6d3df633d..b70681f61a 100644
--- a/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/config.d.ts
+++ b/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/config.d.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import { FilterPredicate } from '@backstage/filter-predicates';
+
 export interface Config {
   events?: {
     modules?: {
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ export interface Config {
                *       'message.data.action': { $in: ['created', 'deleted'] }
                * ```
                */
-              filter?: object;
+              filter?: FilterPredicate;
 
               /**
                * Pub/Sub message attributes are by default copied to the event
@@ -190,7 +192,7 @@ export interface Config {
                *       'event.eventPayload.action': { $in: ['created', 'deleted'] }
                * ```
                */
-              filter?: object;
+              filter?: FilterPredicate;
 
               /**
                * Event metadata fields are by default copied to the Pub/Sub
diff --git a/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/src/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher.ts b/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/src/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher.ts
index ae7b7e57f5..12f7225da1 100644
--- a/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/src/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher.ts
+++ b/plugins/events-backend-module-google-pubsub/src/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher/GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ import {
   RootConfigService,
   RootLifecycleService,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { ForwardedError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { EventParams, EventsService } from '@backstage/plugin-events-node';
+import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
 import { Message, PubSub, Subscription } from '@google-cloud/pubsub';
 import { Counter, metrics } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { readSubscriptionTasksFromConfig } from './config';
@@ -197,7 +199,13 @@ export class GooglePubSubConsumingEventPublisher {
     message: Message,
     task: SubscriptionTask,
   ): EventParams | undefined {
-    const eventPayload = JSON.parse(message.data.toString());
+    let eventPayload: JsonValue;
+    try {
+      eventPayload = JSON.parse(message.data.toString());
+    } catch (error) {
+      throw new ForwardedError('Payload was not valid JSON', error);
+    }
+
     const attributes = message.attributes;
 
     const context: MessageContext = {