diff --git a/src/pkg/os/file_unix.go b/src/pkg/os/file_unix.go
index ff1a597e70..d49c70c546 100644
--- a/src/pkg/os/file_unix.go
+++ b/src/pkg/os/file_unix.go
@@ -162,14 +162,18 @@ func (f *File) readdir(n int) (fi []FileInfo, err error) {
 	}
 	dirname += "/"
 	names, err := f.Readdirnames(n)
-	fi = make([]FileInfo, len(names))
-	for i, filename := range names {
+	fi = make([]FileInfo, 0, len(names))
+	for _, filename := range names {
 		fip, lerr := lstat(dirname + filename)
-		if lerr != nil {
-			fi[i] = &fileStat{name: filename}
+		if IsNotExist(lerr) {
+			// File disappeared between readdir + stat.
+			// Just treat it as if it didn't exist.
 			continue
 		}
-		fi[i] = fip
+		if lerr != nil {
+			return fi, lerr
+		}
+		fi = append(fi, fip)
 	}
 	return fi, err
 }
diff --git a/src/pkg/os/os_test.go b/src/pkg/os/os_test.go
index 9462ebd42c..414e4e6243 100644
--- a/src/pkg/os/os_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/os/os_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package os_test
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -13,7 +14,9 @@ import (
 	. "os"
 	osexec "os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"reflect"
 	"runtime"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
@@ -382,6 +385,83 @@ func TestReaddirNValues(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func touch(t *testing.T, name string) {
+	f, err := Create(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReaddirStatFailures(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		// Windows already does this correctly, but is
+		// structured with different syscalls such that it
+		// doesn't use Lstat, so the hook below for testing it
+		// wouldn't work.
+		t.Skipf("skipping test on %v", runtime.GOOS)
+	}
+	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("TempDir: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer RemoveAll(dir)
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(dir, "good1"))
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(dir, "x")) // will disappear or have an error
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(dir, "good2"))
+	defer func() {
+		*LstatP = Lstat
+	}()
+	var xerr error // error to return for x
+	*LstatP = func(path string) (FileInfo, error) {
+		if xerr != nil && strings.HasSuffix(path, "x") {
+			return nil, xerr
+		}
+		return Lstat(path)
+	}
+	readDir := func() ([]FileInfo, error) {
+		d, err := Open(dir)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		defer d.Close()
+		return d.Readdir(-1)
+	}
+	mustReadDir := func(testName string) []FileInfo {
+		fis, err := readDir()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("%s: Readdir: %v", testName, err)
+		}
+		return fis
+	}
+	names := func(fis []FileInfo) []string {
+		s := make([]string, len(fis))
+		for i, fi := range fis {
+			s[i] = fi.Name()
+		}
+		sort.Strings(s)
+		return s
+	}
+
+	if got, want := names(mustReadDir("inital readdir")),
+		[]string{"good1", "good2", "x"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("initial readdir got %q; want %q", got, want)
+	}
+
+	xerr = ErrNotExist
+	if got, want := names(mustReadDir("with x disappearing")),
+		[]string{"good1", "good2"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("with x disappearing, got %q; want %q", got, want)
+	}
+
+	xerr = errors.New("some real error")
+	if _, err := readDir(); err != xerr {
+		t.Errorf("with a non-ErrNotExist error, got error %v; want %v", err, xerr)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHardLink(t *testing.T) {
 	// Hardlinks are not supported under windows or Plan 9.
 	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" || runtime.GOOS == "plan9" {
diff --git a/src/pkg/os/os_unix_test.go b/src/pkg/os/os_unix_test.go
index b0fc0256de..1e8a661225 100644
--- a/src/pkg/os/os_unix_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/os/os_unix_test.go
@@ -74,41 +74,3 @@ func TestChown(t *testing.T) {
 		checkUidGid(t, f.Name(), int(sys.Uid), gid)
 	}
 }
-
-func TestReaddirWithBadLstat(t *testing.T) {
-	handle, err := Open(sfdir)
-	failfile := sfdir + "/" + sfname
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Couldn't open %s: %s", sfdir, err)
-	}
-
-	*LstatP = func(file string) (FileInfo, error) {
-		if file == failfile {
-			var fi FileInfo
-			return fi, ErrInvalid
-		}
-		return Lstat(file)
-	}
-	defer func() { *LstatP = Lstat }()
-
-	dirs, err := handle.Readdir(-1)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected Readdir to return no error, got %v", err)
-	}
-	foundfail := false
-	for _, dir := range dirs {
-		if dir.Name() == sfname {
-			foundfail = true
-			if dir.Sys() != nil {
-				t.Errorf("Expected Readdir for %s should not contain Sys", failfile)
-			}
-		} else {
-			if dir.Sys() == nil {
-				t.Errorf("Readdir for every file other than %s should contain Sys, but %s/%s didn't either", failfile, sfdir, dir.Name())
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	if !foundfail {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected %s from Readdir, but didn't find it", failfile)
-	}
-}
diff --git a/src/pkg/path/filepath/export_test.go b/src/pkg/path/filepath/export_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0cf9e3bca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pkg/path/filepath/export_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// Copyright 2013 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package filepath
+
+var LstatP = &lstat
diff --git a/src/pkg/path/filepath/path.go b/src/pkg/path/filepath/path.go
index f8c7e4b2f4..65d29bf9f9 100644
--- a/src/pkg/path/filepath/path.go
+++ b/src/pkg/path/filepath/path.go
@@ -336,6 +336,8 @@ var SkipDir = errors.New("skip this directory")
 // the next file.
 type WalkFunc func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error
 
+var lstat = os.Lstat // for testing
+
 // walk recursively descends path, calling w.
 func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
 	err := walkFn(path, info, nil)
@@ -350,17 +352,25 @@ func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	list, err := readDir(path)
+	names, err := readDirNames(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return walkFn(path, info, err)
 	}
 
-	for _, fileInfo := range list {
-		err = walk(Join(path, fileInfo.Name()), fileInfo, walkFn)
+	for _, name := range names {
+		filename := Join(path, name)
+		fileInfo, err := lstat(filename)
 		if err != nil {
-			if !fileInfo.IsDir() || err != SkipDir {
+			if err := walkFn(filename, fileInfo, err); err != nil && err != SkipDir {
 				return err
 			}
+		} else {
+			err = walk(filename, fileInfo, walkFn)
+			if err != nil {
+				if !fileInfo.IsDir() || err != SkipDir {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
@@ -380,30 +390,22 @@ func Walk(root string, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
 	return walk(root, info, walkFn)
 }
 
-// readDir reads the directory named by dirname and returns
+// readDirNames reads the directory named by dirname and returns
 // a sorted list of directory entries.
-// Copied from io/ioutil to avoid the circular import.
-func readDir(dirname string) ([]os.FileInfo, error) {
+func readDirNames(dirname string) ([]string, error) {
 	f, err := os.Open(dirname)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	list, err := f.Readdir(-1)
+	names, err := f.Readdirnames(-1)
 	f.Close()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	sort.Sort(byName(list))
-	return list, nil
+	sort.Strings(names)
+	return names, nil
 }
 
-// byName implements sort.Interface.
-type byName []os.FileInfo
-
-func (f byName) Len() int           { return len(f) }
-func (f byName) Less(i, j int) bool { return f[i].Name() < f[j].Name() }
-func (f byName) Swap(i, j int)      { f[i], f[j] = f[j], f[i] }
-
 // Base returns the last element of path.
 // Trailing path separators are removed before extracting the last element.
 // If the path is empty, Base returns ".".
diff --git a/src/pkg/path/filepath/path_test.go b/src/pkg/path/filepath/path_test.go
index d32b70d6e2..1adc8cb072 100644
--- a/src/pkg/path/filepath/path_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/path/filepath/path_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package filepath_test
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -458,6 +459,63 @@ func TestWalk(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func touch(t *testing.T, name string) {
+	f, err := os.Create(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestWalkFileError(t *testing.T) {
+	td, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "walktest")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(td)
+
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(td, "foo"))
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(td, "bar"))
+	dir := filepath.Join(td, "dir")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(td, "dir"), 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(dir, "baz"))
+	touch(t, filepath.Join(dir, "stat-error"))
+	defer func() {
+		*filepath.LstatP = os.Lstat
+	}()
+	statErr := errors.New("some stat error")
+	*filepath.LstatP = func(path string) (os.FileInfo, error) {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(path, "stat-error") {
+			return nil, statErr
+		}
+		return os.Lstat(path)
+	}
+	got := map[string]error{}
+	err = filepath.Walk(td, func(path string, fi os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		rel, _ := filepath.Rel(td, path)
+		got[filepath.ToSlash(rel)] = err
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Walk error: %v", err)
+	}
+	want := map[string]error{
+		".":              nil,
+		"foo":            nil,
+		"bar":            nil,
+		"dir":            nil,
+		"dir/baz":        nil,
+		"dir/stat-error": statErr,
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("Walked %#v; want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 var basetests = []PathTest{
 	{"", "."},
 	{".", "."},