diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/init.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/init.go
index 30fe446e43..943547e71b 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/init.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/modload/init.go
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ func InitWorkfile() {
 		workFilePath = findWorkspaceFile(base.Cwd())
 	default:
 		if !filepath.IsAbs(cfg.WorkFile) {
-			base.Errorf("the path provided to -workfile must be an absolute path")
+			base.Fatalf("the path provided to -workfile must be an absolute path")
 		}
 		workFilePath = cfg.WorkFile
 	}
@@ -590,9 +590,8 @@ func ReadWorkFile(path string) (*modfile.WorkFile, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	wf, err := modfile.ParseWork(path, workData, nil)
 
-	return wf, nil
+	return modfile.ParseWork(path, workData, nil)
 }
 
 // WriteWorkFile cleans and writes out the go.work file to the given path.
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go b/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
index b7bbcb4513..7ea9d4f1f1 100644
--- a/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go
@@ -619,8 +619,8 @@ var defaultVetFlags = []string{
 }
 
 func runTest(ctx context.Context, cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
-	modload.InitWorkfile()
 	pkgArgs, testArgs = testFlags(args)
+	modload.InitWorkfile() // The test command does custom flag processing; initialize workspaces after that.
 
 	if cfg.DebugTrace != "" {
 		var close func() error
diff --git a/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/work_workfile.txt b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/work_workfile.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b62918147e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/work_workfile.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+! go list -workfile=stop.work a # require absolute path
+! stderr panic
+! go list -workfile=doesnotexist a
+! stderr panic
+
+go list -n -workfile=$GOPATH/src/stop.work a
+go build -n -workfile=$GOPATH/src/stop.work a
+go test -n -workfile=$GOPATH/src/stop.work a
+
+-- stop.work --
+go 1.18
+
+use ./a
+-- a/a.go --
+package a
+-- a/a_test.go --
+package a
+-- a/go.mod --
+module a
+
+go 1.18
\ No newline at end of file