diff --git a/crates/host_env/src/fileutils.rs b/crates/host_env/src/fileutils.rs
index 8db9af895..1674c9074 100644
--- a/crates/host_env/src/fileutils.rs
+++ b/crates/host_env/src/fileutils.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ pub use windows::{StatStruct, fstat};
 
 #[cfg(not(windows))]
 pub fn fstat(fd: crate::crt_fd::Borrowed<'_>) -> std::io::Result<StatStruct> {
+    // Unlike a directory fd, fstat accepts no negative descriptor sentinels.
+    if fd.as_raw() < 0 {
+        return Err(std::io::Error::from_raw_os_error(libc::EBADF));
+    }
     rustix::fs::fstat(fd).map_err(Into::into)
 }
 
diff --git a/extra_tests/snippets/stdlib_os.py b/extra_tests/snippets/stdlib_os.py
index a1f40ef4c..2c673e3de 100644
--- a/extra_tests/snippets/stdlib_os.py
+++ b/extra_tests/snippets/stdlib_os.py
@@ -8,6 +8,26 @@ from testutils import assert_raises
 
 assert os.name == "posix" or os.name == "nt"
 
+
+def stat_rejects_negative_file_descriptors():
+    import errno
+    import os
+
+    for stat in (os.stat, os.fstat):
+        for fd in (-1, -5, -9, -100, -(2**31)):
+            try:
+                stat(fd)
+            except OSError as exc:
+                assert exc.errno == errno.EBADF, (stat, fd, exc)
+            else:
+                raise AssertionError((stat, fd, "accepted a negative file descriptor"))
+
+
+# Keep the original RustPython-only coverage: CPython treats -1 as a path sentinel.
+if os.name == "posix" and sys.implementation.name == "rustpython":
+    stat_rejects_negative_file_descriptors()
+
+
 fd = os.open("README.md", os.O_RDONLY)
 assert fd > 0