diff --git a/bin/partyfuse.py b/bin/partyfuse.py
index 9fa37cd5..da7ce54e 100755
--- a/bin/partyfuse.py
+++ b/bin/partyfuse.py
@@ -393,7 +393,8 @@ class Gateway(object):
         if r.status != 200:
             self.closeconn()
             info("http error %s reading dir %r", r.status, web_path)
-            raise FuseOSError(errno.ENOENT)
+            err = errno.ENOENT if r.status == 404 else errno.EIO
+            raise FuseOSError(err)
 
         ctype = r.getheader("Content-Type", "")
         if ctype == "application/json":
diff --git a/bin/u2c.py b/bin/u2c.py
index ef0f2fa9..977ccbda 100755
--- a/bin/u2c.py
+++ b/bin/u2c.py
@@ -1142,7 +1142,10 @@ class Ctl(object):
 
                     if self.ar.drd:
                         dp = os.path.join(top, rd)
-                        lnodes = set(os.listdir(dp))
+                        try:
+                            lnodes = set(os.listdir(dp))
+                        except:
+                            lnodes = list(ls)  # fs eio; don't delete
                         if ptn:
                             zs = dp.replace(sep, b"/").rstrip(b"/") + b"/"
                             zls = [zs + x for x in lnodes]
diff --git a/copyparty/authsrv.py b/copyparty/authsrv.py
index 2fc613ca..c7114bac 100644
--- a/copyparty/authsrv.py
+++ b/copyparty/authsrv.py
@@ -591,10 +591,11 @@ class VFS(object):
         scandir: bool,
         permsets: list[list[bool]],
         lstat: bool = False,
+        throw: bool = False,
     ) -> tuple[str, list[tuple[str, os.stat_result]], dict[str, "VFS"]]:
         """replaces _ls for certain shares (single-file, or file selection)"""
         vn, rem = self.shr_src  # type: ignore
-        abspath, real, _ = vn.ls(rem, "\n", scandir, permsets, lstat)
+        abspath, real, _ = vn.ls(rem, "\n", scandir, permsets, lstat, throw)
         real = [x for x in real if os.path.basename(x[0]) in self.shr_files]
         return abspath, real, {}
 
@@ -605,11 +606,12 @@ class VFS(object):
         scandir: bool,
         permsets: list[list[bool]],
         lstat: bool = False,
+        throw: bool = False,
     ) -> tuple[str, list[tuple[str, os.stat_result]], dict[str, "VFS"]]:
         """return user-readable [fsdir,real,virt] items at vpath"""
         virt_vis = {}  # nodes readable by user
         abspath = self.canonical(rem)
-        real = list(statdir(self.log, scandir, lstat, abspath))
+        real = list(statdir(self.log, scandir, lstat, abspath, throw))
         real.sort()
         if not rem:
             # no vfs nodes in the list of real inodes
diff --git a/copyparty/ftpd.py b/copyparty/ftpd.py
index 2cbe93a9..11e2f600 100644
--- a/copyparty/ftpd.py
+++ b/copyparty/ftpd.py
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ class FtpFs(AbstractedFS):
                 self.uname,
                 not self.args.no_scandir,
                 [[True, False], [False, True]],
+                throw=True,
             )
             vfs_ls = [x[0] for x in vfs_ls1]
             vfs_ls.extend(vfs_virt.keys())
diff --git a/copyparty/httpcli.py b/copyparty/httpcli.py
index 76d17bbb..808cb008 100644
--- a/copyparty/httpcli.py
+++ b/copyparty/httpcli.py
@@ -1450,6 +1450,7 @@ class HttpCli(object):
                 not self.args.no_scandir,
                 [[True, False]],
                 lstat="davrt" not in vn.flags,
+                throw=True,
             )
             if not self.can_read:
                 vfs_ls = []
@@ -5459,6 +5460,7 @@ class HttpCli(object):
             not self.args.no_scandir,
             [[True, False], [False, True]],
             lstat="lt" in self.uparam,
+            throw=True,
         )
         stats = {k: v for k, v in vfs_ls}
         ls_names = [x[0] for x in vfs_ls]
diff --git a/copyparty/tftpd.py b/copyparty/tftpd.py
index cd16681c..f2403fbe 100644
--- a/copyparty/tftpd.py
+++ b/copyparty/tftpd.py
@@ -269,6 +269,7 @@ class Tftpd(object):
             "*",
             not self.args.no_scandir,
             [[True, False]],
+            throw=True,
         )
         dnames = set([x[0] for x in vfs_ls if stat.S_ISDIR(x[1].st_mode)])
         dirs1 = [(v.st_mtime, v.st_size, k + "/") for k, v in vfs_ls if k in dnames]
diff --git a/copyparty/th_srv.py b/copyparty/th_srv.py
index 3c3ccd99..dd45596c 100644
--- a/copyparty/th_srv.py
+++ b/copyparty/th_srv.py
@@ -896,7 +896,9 @@ class ThumbSrv(object):
         prev_b64 = None
         prev_fp = ""
         try:
-            t1 = statdir(self.log_func, not self.args.no_scandir, False, thumbpath)
+            t1 = statdir(
+                self.log_func, not self.args.no_scandir, False, thumbpath, False
+            )
             ents = sorted(list(t1))
         except:
             return 0
diff --git a/copyparty/up2k.py b/copyparty/up2k.py
index 47048b99..ced5062d 100644
--- a/copyparty/up2k.py
+++ b/copyparty/up2k.py
@@ -1347,7 +1347,7 @@ class Up2k(object):
         rds = rd + "/" if rd else ""
         cdirs = cdir + os.sep
 
-        g = statdir(self.log_func, not self.args.no_scandir, True, cdir)
+        g = statdir(self.log_func, not self.args.no_scandir, True, cdir, False)
         gl = sorted(g)
         partials = set([x[0] for x in gl if "PARTIAL" in x[0]])
         for iname, inf in gl:
diff --git a/copyparty/util.py b/copyparty/util.py
index a22abf90..1fe1a708 100644
--- a/copyparty/util.py
+++ b/copyparty/util.py
@@ -2862,7 +2862,7 @@ def sendfile_kern(
 
 
 def statdir(
-    logger: Optional["RootLogger"], scandir: bool, lstat: bool, top: str
+    logger: Optional["RootLogger"], scandir: bool, lstat: bool, top: str, throw: bool
 ) -> Generator[tuple[str, os.stat_result], None, None]:
     if lstat and ANYWIN:
         lstat = False
@@ -2898,6 +2898,12 @@ def statdir(
                     logger(src, "[s] {} @ {}".format(repr(ex), fsdec(abspath)), 6)
 
     except Exception as ex:
+        if throw:
+            zi = getattr(ex, "errno", 0)
+            if zi == errno.ENOENT:
+                raise Pebkac(404, str(ex))
+            raise
+
         t = "{} @ {}".format(repr(ex), top)
         if logger:
             logger(src, t, 1)
@@ -2906,7 +2912,7 @@ def statdir(
 
 
 def dir_is_empty(logger: "RootLogger", scandir: bool, top: str):
-    for _ in statdir(logger, scandir, False, top):
+    for _ in statdir(logger, scandir, False, top, False):
         return False
     return True
 
@@ -2919,7 +2925,7 @@ def rmdirs(
         top = os.path.dirname(top)
         depth -= 1
 
-    stats = statdir(logger, scandir, lstat, top)
+    stats = statdir(logger, scandir, lstat, top, False)
     dirs = [x[0] for x in stats if stat.S_ISDIR(x[1].st_mode)]
     dirs = [os.path.join(top, x) for x in dirs]
     ok = []