diff --git a/src/imap-urlauth/imap-urlauth.c b/src/imap-urlauth/imap-urlauth.c
index 181c123856..17ec764ae1 100644
--- a/src/imap-urlauth/imap-urlauth.c
+++ b/src/imap-urlauth/imap-urlauth.c
@@ -233,7 +233,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	if (imap_urlauth_settings->verbose_proctitle)
 		verbose_proctitle = TRUE;
 
-	login_set.auth_socket_path = t_abspath(auth_socket_path);
+	if (t_abspath(auth_socket_path, &login_set.auth_socket_path, &error) < 0) {
+		i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", auth_socket_path, error);
+	}
 	login_set.callback = login_client_connected;
 	login_set.failure_callback = login_client_failed;
 
diff --git a/src/imap/main.c b/src/imap/main.c
index cd066cd255..132d3cff69 100644
--- a/src/imap/main.c
+++ b/src/imap/main.c
@@ -451,10 +451,17 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			main_stdio_run(username);
 		} T_END;
 	} else T_BEGIN {
-		login_set.auth_socket_path = t_abspath(auth_socket_path);
+		const char *error;
+		if (t_abspath(auth_socket_path, &login_set.auth_socket_path,
+			      &error) < 0) {
+			i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", auth_socket_path,
+				error);
+		}
+
 		if (argv[optind] != NULL) {
-			login_set.postlogin_socket_path =
-				t_abspath(argv[optind]);
+			if (t_abspath(argv[optind], &login_set.postlogin_socket_path, &error) < 0) {
+				i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", argv[optind], error);
+			}
 		}
 		login_set.callback = login_client_connected;
 		login_set.failure_callback = login_client_failed;
diff --git a/src/lda/main.c b/src/lda/main.c
index 5947c513ed..1dda36d012 100644
--- a/src/lda/main.c
+++ b/src/lda/main.c
@@ -353,7 +353,10 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			break;
 		case 'p':
 			/* input path */
-			path = t_abspath(optarg);
+			if (t_abspath(optarg, &path, &errstr) < 0) {
+				i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s",
+					optarg, errstr);
+			}
 			break;
 		case 'r':
 			/* final recipient address */
diff --git a/src/lib/path-util.c b/src/lib/path-util.c
index b0f04b2c56..cc1696b810 100644
--- a/src/lib/path-util.c
+++ b/src/lib/path-util.c
@@ -270,17 +270,25 @@ int t_realpath_to(const char *path, const char *root, const char **npath_r,
 	return t_realpath(t_strconcat(root, "/", path, NULL), npath_r, error_r);
 }
 
-const char *t_abspath(const char *path)
+int t_abspath(const char *path, const char **abspath_r, const char **error_r)
 {
 	i_assert(path != NULL);
+	i_assert(abspath_r != NULL);
+	i_assert(error_r != NULL);
 
-	if (*path == '/')
-		return path;
+	if (*path == '/') {
+		*abspath_r = path;
+		return 0;
+	}
 
 	const char *dir, *error;
-	if (t_get_working_dir(&dir, &error) < 0)
-		i_fatal("Failed to get working directory: %s", error);
-	return t_strconcat(dir, "/", path, NULL);
+	if (t_get_working_dir(&dir, &error) < 0) {
+		*error_r = t_strconcat("Failed to get working directory: ",
+				       error, NULL);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	*abspath_r = t_strconcat(dir, "/", path, NULL);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 const char *t_abspath_to(const char *path, const char *root)
@@ -336,7 +344,12 @@ bool t_binary_abspath(const char **binpath)
 		return TRUE;
 	} else if (strchr(*binpath, '/') != NULL) {
 		/* relative to current directory */
-		*binpath = t_abspath(*binpath);
+		const char *error;
+		if (t_abspath(*binpath, binpath, &error) < 0) {
+			i_error("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s",
+				*binpath, error);
+			return FALSE;
+		}
 		return TRUE;
 	} else if ((path_env = getenv("PATH")) != NULL) {
 		/* we have to find our executable from path */
diff --git a/src/lib/path-util.h b/src/lib/path-util.h
index 0ac0a07e00..6758af8177 100644
--- a/src/lib/path-util.h
+++ b/src/lib/path-util.h
@@ -41,8 +41,11 @@ int t_realpath_to(const char *path, const char *root, const char **npath_r,
  * In the t_abspath functions, the returned paths are not normalized. This
  * means that './' and '../' are not resolved, but they left in the returned
  * path as given in the parameters. Symbolic links are not resolved either.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success, and -1 on failure. error_r is set on failure, and
+ * cannot be NULL.
  */
-const char *t_abspath(const char *path);
+int t_abspath(const char *path, const char **abspath_r, const char **error_r);
 /* Like t_abspath(), but path is relative to given root. */
 const char *t_abspath_to(const char *path, const char *root);
 
diff --git a/src/lmtp/main.c b/src/lmtp/main.c
index 5a4f4f9bbd..5f7841453a 100644
--- a/src/lmtp/main.c
+++ b/src/lmtp/main.c
@@ -62,7 +62,12 @@ static void main_init(void)
 		i_zero(&conn);
 		(void)client_create(STDIN_FILENO, STDOUT_FILENO, &conn);
 	}
-	dns_client_socket_path = i_strdup(t_abspath(DNS_CLIENT_SOCKET_PATH));
+
+	const char *error, *tmp_socket_path;
+	if (t_abspath(DNS_CLIENT_SOCKET_PATH, &tmp_socket_path, &error) < 0) {
+		i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", DNS_CLIENT_SOCKET_PATH, error);
+	}
+	dns_client_socket_path = i_strdup(tmp_socket_path);
 }
 
 static void main_deinit(void)
diff --git a/src/master/main.c b/src/master/main.c
index de2cc24178..aab942eb44 100644
--- a/src/master/main.c
+++ b/src/master/main.c
@@ -556,7 +556,11 @@ static const char *get_full_config_path(struct service_list *list)
 	if (*path == '/')
 		return path;
 
-	return p_strdup(list->pool, t_abspath(path));
+	const char *abspath, *error;
+	if (t_abspath(path, &abspath, &error) < 0) {
+		i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", path, error);
+	}
+	return p_strdup(list->pool, abspath);
 }
 
 static void master_time_moved(time_t old_time, time_t new_time)
diff --git a/src/pop3/main.c b/src/pop3/main.c
index 3ad7746fb1..381b057765 100644
--- a/src/pop3/main.c
+++ b/src/pop3/main.c
@@ -259,9 +259,15 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		}
 	}
 
-	login_set.auth_socket_path = t_abspath(auth_socket_path);
-	if (argv[optind] != NULL)
-		login_set.postlogin_socket_path = t_abspath(argv[optind]);
+	const char *error;
+	if (t_abspath(auth_socket_path, &login_set.auth_socket_path, &error) < 0) {
+		i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", auth_socket_path, error);
+	}
+	if (argv[optind] != NULL) {
+		if (t_abspath(argv[optind], &login_set.postlogin_socket_path, &error) < 0) {
+			i_fatal("t_abspath(%s) failed: %s", argv[optind], error);
+		}
+	}
 	login_set.callback = login_client_connected;
 	login_set.failure_callback = login_client_failed;