diff --git a/apps/pkeyutl.c b/apps/pkeyutl.c
index 30a4259fe46e63..ca2575bc179cbe 100644
--- a/apps/pkeyutl.c
+++ b/apps/pkeyutl.c
@@ -490,12 +490,14 @@ int pkeyutl_main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     /* Sanity check the input if the input is not raw */
     if (!rawin
-            && buf_inlen > EVP_MAX_MD_SIZE
-            && (pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_SIGN
-                || pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_VERIFY)) {
-        BIO_printf(bio_err,
-                   "Error: The input data looks too long to be a hash\n");
-        goto end;
+        && (pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_SIGN || pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_VERIFY
+            || pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_VERIFYRECOVER)) {
+        if (buf_inlen > EVP_MAX_MD_SIZE) {
+            BIO_printf(bio_err,
+                       "Error: The non-raw input data length %d is too long - max supported hashed size is %d\n",
+                       buf_inlen, EVP_MAX_MD_SIZE);
+            goto end;
+        }
     }
 
     if (pkey_op == EVP_PKEY_OP_VERIFY) {