diff --git a/copyparty/star.py b/copyparty/star.py
index ebaf8812..087c316f 100644
--- a/copyparty/star.py
+++ b/copyparty/star.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
+import os
 import tarfile
 import threading
 
+from .sutil import errdesc
 from .util import Queue, fsenc
 
 
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@ class StreamTar(object):
         self.co = 0
         self.qfile = QFile()
         self.fgen = fgen
+        self.errf = None
 
         # python 3.8 changed to PAX_FORMAT as default,
         # waste of space and don't care about the new features
@@ -42,23 +45,40 @@ class StreamTar(object):
             yield buf
 
         yield None
+        if self.errf:
+            os.unlink(self.errf["ap"])
+
+    def ser(self, f):
+        name = f["vp"]
+        src = f["ap"]
+        fsi = f["st"]
+
+        inf = tarfile.TarInfo(name=name)
+        inf.mode = fsi.st_mode
+        inf.size = fsi.st_size
+        inf.mtime = fsi.st_mtime
+        inf.uid = 0
+        inf.gid = 0
+
+        self.ci += inf.size
+        with open(fsenc(src), "rb", 512 * 1024) as f:
+            self.tar.addfile(inf, f)
 
     def _gen(self):
+        errors = []
         for f in self.fgen:
-            name = f["vp"]
-            src = f["ap"]
-            fsi = f["st"]
+            if "err" in f:
+                errors.append([f["vp"], f["err"]])
+                continue
 
-            inf = tarfile.TarInfo(name=name)
-            inf.mode = fsi.st_mode
-            inf.size = fsi.st_size
-            inf.mtime = fsi.st_mtime
-            inf.uid = 0
-            inf.gid = 0
+            try:
+                self.ser(f)
+            except Exception as ex:
+                errors.append([f["vp"], repr(ex)])
 
-            self.ci += inf.size
-            with open(fsenc(src), "rb", 512 * 1024) as f:
-                self.tar.addfile(inf, f)
+        if errors:
+            self.errf = errdesc(errors)
+            self.ser(self.errf)
 
         self.tar.close()
         self.qfile.q.put(None)
diff --git a/copyparty/sutil.py b/copyparty/sutil.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49785bf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/copyparty/sutil.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import os
+import time
+import tempfile
+
+
+def errdesc(errors):
+    report = ["copyparty failed to add the following files to the archive:", ""]
+
+    for fn, err in errors:
+        report.extend([" file: {}".format(fn), "error: {}".format(err), ""])
+
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(prefix="copyparty-", delete=False) as tf:
+        tf_path = tf.name
+        tf.write("\r\n".join(report).encode("utf-8", "replace"))
+
+    os.chmod(tf_path, 0o444)
+    return {
+        "vp": "archive-errors-{}.txt".format(int(time.time())),
+        "ap": tf_path,
+        "st": os.stat(tf_path),
+    }
diff --git a/copyparty/szip.py b/copyparty/szip.py
index 99bc74ec..c020536f 100644
--- a/copyparty/szip.py
+++ b/copyparty/szip.py
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+import os
 import time
 import zlib
 import struct
 from datetime import datetime
 
+from .sutil import errdesc
 from .util import yieldfile, sanitize_fn
 
 
@@ -187,43 +189,61 @@ class StreamZip(object):
         self.pos += len(buf)
         return buf
 
-    def gen(self):
-        for f in self.fgen:
-            name = f["vp"]
-            src = f["ap"]
-            st = f["st"]
+    def ser(self, f):
+        name = f["vp"]
+        src = f["ap"]
+        st = f["st"]
 
-            sz = st.st_size
-            ts = st.st_mtime + 1
+        sz = st.st_size
+        ts = st.st_mtime + 1
 
-            crc = None
-            if self.pre_crc:
-                crc = 0
-                for buf in yieldfile(src):
-                    crc = zlib.crc32(buf, crc)
-
-                crc &= 0xFFFFFFFF
-
-            h_pos = self.pos
-            buf = gen_hdr(None, name, sz, ts, self.utf8, crc, self.pre_crc)
-            yield self._ct(buf)
-
-            crc = crc or 0
+        crc = None
+        if self.pre_crc:
+            crc = 0
             for buf in yieldfile(src):
-                if not self.pre_crc:
-                    crc = zlib.crc32(buf, crc)
-
-                yield self._ct(buf)
+                crc = zlib.crc32(buf, crc)
 
             crc &= 0xFFFFFFFF
 
-            self.items.append([name, sz, ts, crc, h_pos])
+        h_pos = self.pos
+        buf = gen_hdr(None, name, sz, ts, self.utf8, crc, self.pre_crc)
+        yield self._ct(buf)
 
-            z64 = sz >= 4 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024
+        crc = crc or 0
+        for buf in yieldfile(src):
+            if not self.pre_crc:
+                crc = zlib.crc32(buf, crc)
 
-            if z64 or not self.pre_crc:
-                buf = gen_fdesc(sz, crc, z64)
-                yield self._ct(buf)
+            yield self._ct(buf)
+
+        crc &= 0xFFFFFFFF
+
+        self.items.append([name, sz, ts, crc, h_pos])
+
+        z64 = sz >= 4 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024
+
+        if z64 or not self.pre_crc:
+            buf = gen_fdesc(sz, crc, z64)
+            yield self._ct(buf)
+
+    def gen(self):
+        errors = []
+        for f in self.fgen:
+            if "err" in f:
+                errors.append([f["vp"], f["err"]])
+                continue
+
+            try:
+                for x in self.ser(f):
+                    yield x
+            except Exception as ex:
+                errors.append([f["vp"], repr(ex)])
+
+        if errors:
+            errf = errdesc(errors)
+            print(repr(errf))
+            for x in self.ser(errf):
+                yield x
 
         cdir_pos = self.pos
         for name, sz, ts, crc, h_pos in self.items:
@@ -242,3 +262,6 @@ class StreamZip(object):
 
         ecdr, _ = gen_ecdr(self.items, cdir_pos, cdir_end)
         yield self._ct(ecdr)
+
+        if errors:
+            os.unlink(errf["ap"])