diff --git a/libctf/ctf-create.c b/libctf/ctf-create.c
index 33c13b52fd6..3262c4e6790 100644
--- a/libctf/ctf-create.c
+++ b/libctf/ctf-create.c
@@ -690,7 +690,8 @@ ctf_add_slice (ctf_dict_t *fp, uint32_t flag, ctf_id_t ref,
      point to the unimplemented type, for now, because the compiler can emit
      such slices, though they're not very much use.  */
 
-  resolved_ref = ctf_type_resolve_unsliced (fp, ref);
+  if ((resolved_ref = ctf_type_resolve_unsliced (fp, ref)) == CTF_ERR)
+    return CTF_ERR;		/* errno is set for us.  */
   kind = ctf_type_kind_unsliced (fp, resolved_ref);
 
   if ((kind != CTF_K_INTEGER) && (kind != CTF_K_FLOAT) &&
@@ -1229,6 +1230,7 @@ ctf_add_member_offset (ctf_dict_t *fp, ctf_id_t souid, const char *name,
 		       ctf_id_t type, unsigned long bit_offset)
 {
   ctf_dict_t *ofp = fp;
+  ctf_dict_t *tmp = fp;
   ctf_dtdef_t *dtd = ctf_dtd_lookup (fp, souid);
 
   ssize_t msize, malign, ssize;
@@ -1260,6 +1262,9 @@ ctf_add_member_offset (ctf_dict_t *fp, ctf_id_t souid, const char *name,
   if (dtd == NULL)
     return (ctf_set_errno (ofp, ECTF_BADID));
 
+  if ((ctf_lookup_by_id (&tmp, type)) == NULL)
+    return -1;			/* errno is set for us.  */
+
   if (name != NULL && name[0] == '\0')
     name = NULL;
 
diff --git a/libctf/ctf-types.c b/libctf/ctf-types.c
index b4567c0fba2..6a3dff3e4ca 100644
--- a/libctf/ctf-types.c
+++ b/libctf/ctf-types.c
@@ -1348,7 +1348,9 @@ ctf_type_encoding (ctf_dict_t *fp, ctf_id_t type, ctf_encoding_t *ep)
 	ctf_id_t underlying;
 
 	slice = (ctf_slice_t *) vlen;
-	underlying = ctf_type_resolve (ofp, slice->cts_type);
+	if ((underlying = ctf_type_resolve (ofp, slice->cts_type)) == CTF_ERR)
+	  return -1;
+
 	if (ctf_type_encoding (ofp, underlying, &underlying_en) < 0)
 	  return -1;				/* errno is set for us.  */
 
@@ -1408,7 +1410,7 @@ ctf_type_compat (ctf_dict_t *lfp, ctf_id_t ltype,
   const ctf_type_t *ltp, *rtp;
   ctf_encoding_t le, re;
   ctf_arinfo_t la, ra;
-  uint32_t lkind, rkind;
+  int lkind, rkind;
   int same_names = 0;
 
   if (lfp->ctf_flags & LCTF_NO_STR)
@@ -1427,11 +1429,17 @@ ctf_type_compat (ctf_dict_t *lfp, ctf_id_t ltype,
     return 1;
 
   ltype = ctf_type_resolve (lfp, ltype);
-  lkind = ctf_type_kind (lfp, ltype);
-
   rtype = ctf_type_resolve (rfp, rtype);
+
+  if (ltype == CTF_ERR || rtype == CTF_ERR)
+    return -1;					/* errno is set for us.  */
+
+  lkind = ctf_type_kind (lfp, ltype);
   rkind = ctf_type_kind (rfp, rtype);
 
+  if (lkind < 0 || rkind < 0)
+    return -1;					/* errno is set for us.  */
+
   ltp = ctf_lookup_by_id (&lfp, ltype);
   rtp = ctf_lookup_by_id (&rfp, rtype);