diff --git a/src/eval/mod.rs b/src/eval/mod.rs
index 9ec33b131..34986ffa9 100644
--- a/src/eval/mod.rs
+++ b/src/eval/mod.rs
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ impl<'a> EvalContext<'a> {
     /// Generates an error if the file is not found.
     pub fn resolve(&mut self, path: &str, span: Span) -> Option<FileId> {
         let base = *self.route.last()?;
-        self.loader.resolve_from(base, Path::new(path)).or_else(|| {
+        self.loader.resolve_from(base, Path::new(path)).ok().or_else(|| {
             self.diag(error!(span, "file not found"));
             None
         })
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ impl<'a> EvalContext<'a> {
             return Some(id);
         }
 
-        let buffer = self.loader.load_file(id).or_else(|| {
+        let buffer = self.loader.load_file(id).ok().or_else(|| {
             self.diag(error!(span, "failed to load file"));
             None
         })?;
diff --git a/src/font.rs b/src/font.rs
index 0d6cd8809..93c21441b 100644
--- a/src/font.rs
+++ b/src/font.rs
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ impl FontCache {
             let buffer = match self.buffers.entry(file) {
                 Entry::Occupied(entry) => entry.into_mut(),
                 Entry::Vacant(entry) => {
-                    let buffer = self.loader.load_file(file)?;
+                    let buffer = self.loader.load_file(file).ok()?;
                     entry.insert(Rc::new(buffer))
                 }
             };
diff --git a/src/image.rs b/src/image.rs
index d0719ac78..5738be5fc 100644
--- a/src/image.rs
+++ b/src/image.rs
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ impl ImageCache {
     pub fn load(&mut self, file: FileId) -> Option<ImageId> {
         let id = ImageId(file.into_raw());
         if let Entry::Vacant(entry) = self.images.entry(id) {
-            let buffer = self.loader.load_file(file)?;
+            let buffer = self.loader.load_file(file).ok()?;
             let image = Image::parse(&buffer)?;
             if let Some(callback) = &self.on_load {
                 callback(id, &image);
diff --git a/src/loading/fs.rs b/src/loading/fs.rs
index 407e2d94f..0f6f1076c 100644
--- a/src/loading/fs.rs
+++ b/src/loading/fs.rs
@@ -187,13 +187,16 @@ impl Loader for FsLoader {
         &self.faces
     }
 
-    fn resolve_from(&self, base: FileId, path: &Path) -> Option<FileId> {
-        let full = self.paths.borrow()[&base].parent()?.join(path);
-        self.resolve(&full).ok()
+    fn resolve_from(&self, base: FileId, path: &Path) -> io::Result<FileId> {
+        let full = self.paths.borrow()[&base]
+            .parent()
+            .expect("base is a file")
+            .join(path);
+        self.resolve(&full)
     }
 
-    fn load_file(&self, id: FileId) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
-        fs::read(&self.paths.borrow()[&id]).ok()
+    fn load_file(&self, id: FileId) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+        fs::read(&self.paths.borrow()[&id])
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/loading/mod.rs b/src/loading/mod.rs
index 3be74428a..64a65580b 100644
--- a/src/loading/mod.rs
+++ b/src/loading/mod.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ mod fs;
 #[cfg(feature = "fs")]
 pub use fs::*;
 
+use std::io;
 use std::path::Path;
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
@@ -21,10 +22,13 @@ pub trait Loader {
     ///
     /// This should return the same id for all paths pointing to the same file
     /// and `None` if the file does not exist.
-    fn resolve_from(&self, base: FileId, path: &Path) -> Option<FileId>;
+    fn resolve_from(&self, base: FileId, path: &Path) -> io::Result<FileId>;
 
     /// Load a file by id.
-    fn load_file(&self, id: FileId) -> Option<Vec<u8>>;
+    ///
+    /// This must only be called with an `id` returned by a call to this
+    /// loader's `resolve_from` method.
+    fn load_file(&self, id: FileId) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>>;
 }
 
 /// A file id that can be [resolved](Loader::resolve_from) from a path.
@@ -53,11 +57,11 @@ impl Loader for BlankLoader {
         &[]
     }
 
-    fn resolve_from(&self, _: FileId, _: &Path) -> Option<FileId> {
-        None
+    fn resolve_from(&self, _: FileId, _: &Path) -> io::Result<FileId> {
+        Err(io::ErrorKind::NotFound.into())
     }
 
-    fn load_file(&self, _: FileId) -> Option<Vec<u8>> {
-        None
+    fn load_file(&self, _: FileId) -> io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+        panic!("resolve_from never returns an id")
     }
 }