diff --git a/cmdline/scan.c b/cmdline/scan.c
index da027511..7f72aee6 100644
--- a/cmdline/scan.c
+++ b/cmdline/scan.c
@@ -1523,8 +1523,36 @@ static int scan_sub(struct snapraid_scan* scan, int level, int is_diff, char* pa
 		tommy_list_insert_tail(&list, &entry->node, entry);
 
 		/* process ignore files */
-		if (pathcmp(".snapraidignore", dd->d_name) == 0)
-			state_load_ignore_file(&scan->local_filter_list, path_next, sub_next);
+		if (pathcmp(".snapraidignore", dd->d_name) == 0) {
+			int d_type;
+#if HAVE_STRUCT_DIRENT_D_TYPE
+			d_type = dd->d_type;
+#else
+			d_type = DT_UNKNOWN;
+#endif
+
+			if (d_type == DT_UNKNOWN) {
+				struct stat st_ignore;
+
+				if (lstat(path_next, &st_ignore) != 0) {
+					/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
+					log_fatal(errno, "Error stating the ignore file '%s'. %s.\n", path_next, strerror(errno));
+					exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+					/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
+				}
+
+				if (S_ISREG(st_ignore.st_mode))
+					d_type = DT_REG;
+			}
+
+			if (d_type != DT_REG) {
+				log_fatal(EUSER, "Ignore file '%s' is not a regular file.\n", path_next);
+				exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+			}
+
+			if (state_load_ignore_file(&scan->local_filter_list, path_next, sub_next) != 0)
+				exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (closedir(d) != 0) {
diff --git a/cmdline/state.c b/cmdline/state.c
index dfa33adb..649e447a 100644
--- a/cmdline/state.c
+++ b/cmdline/state.c
@@ -6695,16 +6695,17 @@ int state_write_barrier(struct snapraid_state* state, struct snapraid_io* io, st
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const char* sub)
+int state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const char* sub)
 {
 	STREAM* f;
 	int line;
+	int error = 0;
 
-	f = sopen_read(path, 0);
+	f = sopen_read(path, STREAM_FLAGS_NOFOLLOW);
 	if (!f) {
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
-		log_error(errno, "Error opening the ignore file '%s'. %s.\n", path, strerror(errno));
-		return;
+		log_fatal(errno, "Error opening the ignore file '%s'. %s.\n", path, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 	}
 
@@ -6721,7 +6722,8 @@ void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const cha
 		ret = sgetline(f, buffer, sizeof(buffer));
 		if (ret < 0) {
 			/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
-			log_error(EUSER, "Too long line in '%s' at line %u\n", path, line);
+			log_fatal(EUSER, "Too long line in '%s' at line %u\n", path, line);
+			error = 1;
 			break;
 			/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 		}
@@ -6736,7 +6738,8 @@ void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const cha
 			filter = filter_alloc_file(-1, sub, buffer);
 			if (!filter) {
 				/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
-				log_error(EUSER, "Invalid ignore specification '%s' in '%s' at line %u\n", buffer, path, line);
+				log_fatal(EUSER, "Invalid ignore specification '%s' in '%s' at line %u\n", buffer, path, line);
+				error = 1;
 				break;
 				/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 			}
@@ -6751,7 +6754,8 @@ void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const cha
 		}
 		if (c != '\n') {
 			/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
-			log_error(EUSER, "Extra data in '%s' at line %u\n", path, line);
+			log_fatal(EUSER, "Extra data in '%s' at line %u\n", path, line);
+			error = 1;
 			break;
 			/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 		}
@@ -6760,11 +6764,19 @@ void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const cha
 
 	if (serror(f)) {
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
-		log_error(errno, "Error reading the ignore file '%s' at line %u\n", path, line);
+		log_fatal(errno, "Error reading the ignore file '%s' at line %u. %s.\n", path, line, strerror(errno));
+		error = 1;
 		/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
 	}
 
-	sclose(f);
+	if (sclose(f) != 0) {
+		/* LCOV_EXCL_START */
+		log_fatal(errno, "Error closing the ignore file '%s'. %s.\n", path, strerror(errno));
+		error = 1;
+		/* LCOV_EXCL_STOP */
+	}
+
+	return error ? -1 : 0;
 }
 
 static int state_snapshot_dir(struct fssnapshot_struct* fss, const char* name, struct snapraid_disk* disk)
diff --git a/cmdline/state.h b/cmdline/state.h
index 209df4ad..0c2ee353 100644
--- a/cmdline/state.h
+++ b/cmdline/state.h
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ int state_thermal_begin(struct snapraid_state* state, time_t now);
 /**
  * Load the ignore file .snapraidignore
  */
-void state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const char* sub);
+int state_load_ignore_file(tommy_list* filter_list, const char* path, const char* sub);
 
 /**
  * Report attributes into the log
diff --git a/cmdline/stream.c b/cmdline/stream.c
index ff535e75..a7c49e33 100644
--- a/cmdline/stream.c
+++ b/cmdline/stream.c
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ STREAM* sopen_read(const char* file, int flags)
 	advise_init(&s->advise[0], s->flags & STREAM_FLAGS_ADVISE_MASK);
 
 	int open_flags = O_RDONLY | O_BINARY | advise_flags(&s->advise[0]);
+	if ((s->flags & STREAM_FLAGS_NOFOLLOW) != 0)
+		open_flags |= O_NOFOLLOW;
 
 	pathcpy(s->handle[0].path, sizeof(s->handle[0].path), file);
 	s->handle[0].f = open(file, open_flags);
diff --git a/cmdline/stream.h b/cmdline/stream.h
index d432d878..ea9d52f6 100644
--- a/cmdline/stream.h
+++ b/cmdline/stream.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #define STREAM_FLAGS_ADVISE_MASK 0xFF /**< Low bits containing one of ADVISE_*. */
 #define STREAM_FLAGS_CRC 0x100 /**< Enable the CRC computation. */
+#define STREAM_FLAGS_NOFOLLOW 0x200 /**< Don't follow the final symbolic link on open. */
 
 /**
  * Size of the buffer of the stream.