diff --git a/src/packs/file_utils.rs b/src/packs/file_utils.rs
index 0198da7b..8e5c77f1 100644
--- a/src/packs/file_utils.rs
+++ b/src/packs/file_utils.rs
@@ -132,22 +132,13 @@ pub(crate) fn file_content_digest(file: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
 pub fn file_read_contents(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> String {
+) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     if is_stdin_file(path, configuration) {
-        io::read_to_string(io::stdin()).unwrap_or_else(|_| {
-            panic!(
-                "Failed to read contents of {} from stdin",
-                path.to_string_lossy()
-            )
-        })
+        Ok(io::read_to_string(io::stdin())
+            .context(format!("Failed to read contents of {} from stdin", path.to_string_lossy()))?)
     } else {
-        fs::read_to_string(path).unwrap_or_else(|_| {
-            println!(
-                "Failed to read contents of {} – skipping this file",
-                path.to_string_lossy()
-            );
-            "".to_string()
-        })
+        fs::read_to_string(path)
+            .context(format!("Failed to read contents of {}", path.to_string_lossy()))
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/packs/parsing/erb/experimental/parser.rs b/src/packs/parsing/erb/experimental/parser.rs
index 01d3aaa1..62f9bd10 100644
--- a/src/packs/parsing/erb/experimental/parser.rs
+++ b/src/packs/parsing/erb/experimental/parser.rs
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ use crate::packs::parsing::ruby::experimental::parser::process_from_contents as
 pub(crate) fn process_from_path(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> ProcessedFile {
-    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration);
-    process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration)
+) -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
+    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration)?;
+    Ok(process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration))
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn process_from_contents(
diff --git a/src/packs/parsing/erb/packwerk/parser.rs b/src/packs/parsing/erb/packwerk/parser.rs
index 11306218..04d32c04 100644
--- a/src/packs/parsing/erb/packwerk/parser.rs
+++ b/src/packs/parsing/erb/packwerk/parser.rs
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ use crate::packs::parsing::ruby::packwerk::parser::process_from_contents as proc
 pub(crate) fn process_from_path(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> ProcessedFile {
-    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration);
-    process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration)
+) -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
+    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration)?;
+    Ok(process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration))
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn process_from_contents(
diff --git a/src/packs/parsing/mod.rs b/src/packs/parsing/mod.rs
index b3cb0cdc..43e09929 100644
--- a/src/packs/parsing/mod.rs
+++ b/src/packs/parsing/mod.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ use super::{
 pub fn process_file(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> ProcessedFile {
+) -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
     if configuration.print_files {
         println!("Started processing {}", path.display());
     }
@@ -49,11 +49,11 @@ pub fn process_file(
     } else {
         // Later, we can perhaps have this error, since in theory the Configuration.intersect
         // method should make sure we never get any files we can't handle.
-        ProcessedFile {
+        Ok(ProcessedFile {
             absolute_path: path.to_path_buf(),
             unresolved_references: vec![],
             definitions: vec![], // TODO
-        }
+        })
     };
 
     if configuration.print_files {
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ pub fn process_files_with_cache(
         .par_iter()
         .map(|absolute_path| -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
             if is_stdin_file(absolute_path, configuration) {
-                Ok(process_file(absolute_path, configuration))
+                process_file(absolute_path, configuration)
             } else {
                 match cache.get(absolute_path)? {
                     CacheResult::Processed(processed_file) => {
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ pub fn process_files_with_cache(
                     }
                     CacheResult::Miss(empty_cache_entry) => {
                         let processed_file =
-                            process_file(absolute_path, configuration);
+                            process_file(absolute_path, configuration)?;
                         cache.write(&empty_cache_entry, &processed_file);
                         Ok(processed_file)
                     }
diff --git a/src/packs/parsing/ruby/experimental/parser.rs b/src/packs/parsing/ruby/experimental/parser.rs
index 56c4780b..4a22e875 100644
--- a/src/packs/parsing/ruby/experimental/parser.rs
+++ b/src/packs/parsing/ruby/experimental/parser.rs
@@ -182,9 +182,9 @@ impl<'a> Visitor for ReferenceCollector<'a> {
 pub(crate) fn process_from_path(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> ProcessedFile {
-    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration);
-    process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration)
+) -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
+    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration)?;
+    Ok(process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration))
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn process_from_contents(
diff --git a/src/packs/parsing/ruby/packwerk/parser.rs b/src/packs/parsing/ruby/packwerk/parser.rs
index 7c27361c..7e271d22 100644
--- a/src/packs/parsing/ruby/packwerk/parser.rs
+++ b/src/packs/parsing/ruby/packwerk/parser.rs
@@ -203,9 +203,9 @@ impl<'a> Visitor for ReferenceCollector<'a> {
 pub(crate) fn process_from_path(
     path: &Path,
     configuration: &Configuration,
-) -> ProcessedFile {
-    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration);
-    process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration)
+) -> anyhow::Result<ProcessedFile> {
+    let contents = file_read_contents(path, configuration)?;
+    Ok(process_from_contents(contents, path, configuration))
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn process_from_contents(