diff --git a/pkg/fontconfig/config.zig b/pkg/fontconfig/config.zig
index e22aec3f3..0b2fd5127 100644
--- a/pkg/fontconfig/config.zig
+++ b/pkg/fontconfig/config.zig
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const c = @import("c.zig");
+const Error = @import("main.zig").Error;
 const CharSet = @import("char_set.zig").CharSet;
 const FontSet = @import("font_set.zig").FontSet;
 const ObjectSet = @import("object_set.zig").ObjectSet;
@@ -34,8 +35,11 @@ pub const Config = opaque {
         return result;
     }
 
-    pub fn fontRenderPrepare(self: *Config, pat: *Pattern, font: *Pattern) *Pattern {
-        return @ptrCast(*Pattern, c.FcFontRenderPrepare(self.cval(), pat.cval(), font.cval()));
+    pub fn fontRenderPrepare(self: *Config, pat: *Pattern, font: *Pattern) Error!*Pattern {
+        return @ptrCast(
+            ?*Pattern,
+            c.FcFontRenderPrepare(self.cval(), pat.cval(), font.cval()),
+        ) orelse Error.FontconfigFailed;
     }
 
     pub fn substituteWithPat(self: *Config, pat: *Pattern, kind: MatchKind) bool {
diff --git a/pkg/fontconfig/error.zig b/pkg/fontconfig/error.zig
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..427a36844
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/fontconfig/error.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+pub const Error = error{
+    FontconfigFailed,
+};
diff --git a/pkg/fontconfig/main.zig b/pkg/fontconfig/main.zig
index 12ee3206e..c759078c0 100644
--- a/pkg/fontconfig/main.zig
+++ b/pkg/fontconfig/main.zig
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ pub usingnamespace @import("init.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("char_set.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("common.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("config.zig");
+pub usingnamespace @import("error.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("font_set.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("lang_set.zig");
 pub usingnamespace @import("matrix.zig");
diff --git a/pkg/fontconfig/test.zig b/pkg/fontconfig/test.zig
index 7f2f2d063..9ba1fe819 100644
--- a/pkg/fontconfig/test.zig
+++ b/pkg/fontconfig/test.zig
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ test "fc-match" {
         const fonts = result.fs.fonts();
         try testing.expect(fonts.len > 0);
         for (fonts) |font| {
-            var pat_prep = cfg.fontRenderPrepare(pat, font);
+            var pat_prep = try cfg.fontRenderPrepare(pat, font);
             try testing.expect(fs.add(pat_prep));
         }
         result.fs.destroy();