diff --git a/matchers/have_patterns_test.go b/matchers/have_patterns_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5f19fb39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/matchers/have_patterns_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package matchers
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestHavePatternsMatchString verifies that HavePatterns correctly matches
+// string content (the type it receives after the validate-layer materialization fix).
+func TestHavePatternsMatchString(t *testing.T) {
+	content := "Banner /etc/issue.net\nLogLevel INFO\n"
+
+	m := HavePatterns([]interface{}{"Banner /etc/issue.net"})
+	success, err := m.Match(content)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !success {
+		t.Fatal("expected Match to return true")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHavePatternsFailureResultString verifies that FailureResult returns the
+// actual content as a string — not a Go type repr — when given string input.
+// After the validate-layer fix, FailureResult always receives a materialized string.
+func TestHavePatternsFailureResultString(t *testing.T) {
+	content := "Banner /etc/issue.net\nLogLevel INFO\n"
+	pattern := "nonexistent-pattern"
+
+	m := HavePatterns([]interface{}{pattern})
+	success, err := m.Match(content)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if success {
+		t.Fatal("expected Match to return false for missing pattern")
+	}
+
+	result := m.FailureResult(content)
+
+	actual, ok := result.Actual.(string)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("FailureResult.Actual must be a string, got %T: %v", result.Actual, result.Actual)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(actual, "object:") {
+		t.Errorf("FailureResult.Actual must not contain Go type repr, got: %q", actual)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(actual, "Banner") {
+		t.Errorf("FailureResult.Actual must contain the file content, got: %q", actual)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHavePatternsMatchBytesReader verifies that HavePatterns still accepts
+// io.Reader directly (backwards-compat; the validate layer now sends strings).
+func TestHavePatternsMatchBytesReader(t *testing.T) {
+	content := "pam_faillock.so preauth\n"
+
+	m := HavePatterns([]interface{}{"pam_faillock.so"})
+	reader := bytes.NewReader([]byte(content))
+	success, err := m.Match(reader)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !success {
+		t.Fatal("expected Match to return true")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/resource/validate.go b/resource/validate.go
index 720c7b7d..1914f940 100644
--- a/resource/validate.go
+++ b/resource/validate.go
@@ -159,7 +159,15 @@ func ValidateGomegaValue(res ResourceRead, property string, expectedValue any, a
 	case func() (any, error):
 		foundValue, err = f()
 	case func() (io.Reader, error):
-		foundValue, err = f()
+		var r io.Reader
+		r, err = f()
+		if err == nil {
+			var i interface{}
+			i, err = matchers.ReaderToString{}.Transform(r)
+			if err == nil {
+				foundValue = i.(string)
+			}
+		}
 		gomegaMatcher = matchers.HavePatterns(expectedValue)
 	default:
 		err = fmt.Errorf("Unknown method signature: %t", f)
diff --git a/resource/validate_test.go b/resource/validate_test.go
index 55a45020..89f57ac8 100644
--- a/resource/validate_test.go
+++ b/resource/validate_test.go
@@ -128,6 +128,33 @@ func TestValidateContainsBadRegexErr(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestValidateContainsFailureActual asserts that when a file-contents check fails,
+// the MatcherResult.Actual field contains the readable file content — not the
+// Go internal type representation "object: *bytes.Reader" / "object: *os.File".
+func TestValidateContainsFailureActual(t *testing.T) {
+	fileContent := "Banner /etc/issue.net\nLogLevel INFO\n"
+	missingPattern := "nonexistent-pattern-xyz"
+
+	inFunc := func() (io.Reader, error) {
+		return strings.NewReader(fileContent), nil
+	}
+	got := ValidateValue(&FakeResource{""}, "contents", []interface{}{missingPattern}, inFunc, false)
+
+	if got.Result != FAIL {
+		t.Fatalf("expected FAIL, got %v", got.Result)
+	}
+	actual, ok := got.MatcherResult.Actual.(string)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("MatcherResult.Actual must be a string, got %T: %v", got.MatcherResult.Actual, got.MatcherResult.Actual)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(actual, "object:") {
+		t.Errorf("MatcherResult.Actual must not contain Go type repr, got: %q", actual)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(actual, "Banner") {
+		t.Errorf("MatcherResult.Actual must contain file content, got: %q", actual)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestValidateContainsSkip(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, c := range containsTests {
 		inFunc := func() (io.Reader, error) {
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
index 735d3a63..8c50f2b7 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
     [{"have-len":2}]
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow\n"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
 
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow\n"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
index 3d6ca262..8ee94905 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
 
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow\n"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
index a60f1f65..348c081f 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ not ok 2 - Matching: basic_array_consists_of: matches: Expected ["foo","bar","mo
 not ok 3 - Matching: basic_array_matchers: matches: Expected ["foo","bar","moo"] to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"contain-elements":["fox","box"]},{"contain-elements":["fox","bax"]},["fox","bax","mox"],{"consist-of":["fox",{"have-prefix":"t"},"box"]},{"contain-element":{"have-prefix":"x"}},{"contain-element":{"have-suffix":"x"}}]
 not ok 4 - Matching: basic_int: matches: Expected 42 to be numerically eq 43
 not ok 5 - Matching: basic_len: matches: Expected "123" to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"have-len":2}]
-not ok 6 - Matching: basic_reader: matches: Expected "object: *strings.Reader" to have patterns ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"] the missing elements were ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
+not ok 6 - Matching: basic_reader: matches: Expected "foo bar\nmoo cow\n" to have patterns ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"] the missing elements were ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 not ok 7 - Matching: basic_semver: matches: Expected "1.2.3" to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"semver-constraint":">=9.9.0"}]
 not ok 8 - Matching: basic_string: matches: Expected "this is a test" to equal "this is a failing test"
 not ok 9 - Matching: basic_string_contain_substring: matches: Expected "foo" to contain substring "x"