diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.test.ts
index 74db1b5a71..5c3cfe2ff2 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -651,5 +651,13 @@ describe('AwsCodeCommitUrlReader', () => {
         'site_name: Test\n',
       );
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        reader.search(
+          'https://eu-west-1.console.aws.amazon.com/codesuite/codecommit/repositories/my-repo/browse/--/catalog-*.yaml',
+        ),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.ts
index 0759140894..7cffe6a28b 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsCodeCommitUrlReader.ts
@@ -389,6 +389,12 @@ export class AwsCodeCommitUrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { path } = parseUrl(url, true);
+
+    if (path.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.test.ts
index ec8ff1694e..b4b1803cc1 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.test.ts
@@ -572,5 +572,13 @@ describe('AwsS3UrlReader', () => {
         'site_name: Test\n',
       );
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        reader.search(
+          'https://test-bucket.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/awsS3-mock-*.yaml',
+        ),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.ts
index 26861b5273..5060f6c632 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/AwsS3UrlReader.ts
@@ -366,6 +366,12 @@ export class AwsS3UrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { path } = parseUrl(url, this.integration.config);
+
+    if (path.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.test.ts
index 4aa1429769..b1d7018308 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -287,5 +287,13 @@ describe('FetchUrlReader', () => {
       expect(data.etag).toBe('');
       expect(data.files.length).toBe(0);
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        fetchUrlReader.search(`https://backstage.io/some-resource*`, {
+          etag: 'etag',
+        }),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.ts
index 5fb7f68809..a1a61e4cdc 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/FetchUrlReader.ts
@@ -171,6 +171,12 @@ export class FetchUrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { pathname } = new URL(url);
+
+    if (pathname.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
index face959b24..4f805779c7 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -466,5 +466,13 @@ describe.skip('GerritUrlReader', () => {
       expect(data.etag).toBe('');
       expect(data.files.length).toBe(0);
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        gerritProcessor.search(
+          'https://gerrit.com/web/project/+/refs/heads/master/*.yaml',
+        ),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsuppported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.ts
index 928ee41b73..0688c8c42e 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GerritUrlReader.ts
@@ -150,6 +150,12 @@ export class GerritUrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { pathname } = new URL(url);
+
+    if (pathname.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.test.ts
index d0432a6162..0c545b898c 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -387,5 +387,13 @@ describe('GiteaUrlReader', () => {
       expect(data.etag).toBe('');
       expect(data.files.length).toBe(0);
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        giteaProcessor.search(
+          'https://gitea.com/owner/project/src/branch/branch2/*.yaml',
+        ),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.ts
index 920faa386c..bce033c2ae 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/GiteaUrlReader.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import {
 } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { Readable } from 'stream';
 import { parseLastModified } from './util';
+import parseGitUrl from 'git-url-parse';
 
 /**
  * Implements a {@link @backstage/backend-plugin-api#UrlReaderService} for the Gitea v1 api.
@@ -161,6 +162,12 @@ export class GiteaUrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { filepath } = parseGitUrl(url);
+
+    if (filepath.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.test.ts
index b3f851a894..c5cdaa9928 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -280,5 +280,13 @@ describe('HarnessUrlReader', () => {
       expect(data.etag).toBe('');
       expect(data.files.length).toBe(0);
     });
+
+    it('throws if given URL with wildcard', async () => {
+      await expect(
+        harnessProcessor.search(
+          'https://app.harness.io/ng/account/accountId/module/code/orgs/orgName/projects/projName/repos/repoName/files/refMain/~/*.yaml',
+        ),
+      ).rejects.toThrow('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.ts
index 6c53b25c0d..bc2e0dab11 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/urlReader/lib/HarnessUrlReader.ts
@@ -160,6 +160,12 @@ export class HarnessUrlReader implements UrlReaderService {
     url: string,
     options?: UrlReaderServiceSearchOptions,
   ): Promise<UrlReaderServiceSearchResponse> {
+    const { path } = parseHarnessUrl(this.integration.config, url);
+
+    if (path.match(/[*?]/)) {
+      throw new Error('Unsupported search pattern URL');
+    }
+
     try {
       const data = await this.readUrl(url, options);