diff --git a/Buffer.cc b/Buffer.cc
index a34a390..a5f94d7 100644
--- a/Buffer.cc
+++ b/Buffer.cc
@@ -175,6 +175,11 @@ atomic_write_file(const std::string &path_in, const char *data, std::size_t len,
 
 	struct stat dst_st{};
 	const bool dst_exists = ::stat(path.c_str(), &dst_st) == 0;
+	// Never replace a directory, device node, FIFO or socket with a file.
+	if (dst_exists && !S_ISREG(dst_st.st_mode)) {
+		err = "Refusing to overwrite a non-regular file: " + path;
+		return false;
+	}
 
 	// A file with other hard links must be rewritten in place, or those
 	// names would keep the old content.
@@ -484,7 +489,15 @@ Buffer::OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 	const std::string norm = normalize_path(path);
 	// If the file doesn't exist, initialize an empty, non-file-backed buffer
 	// with the provided filename. Do not touch the filesystem until Save/SaveAs.
-	if (!std::filesystem::exists(norm)) {
+	std::error_code exists_ec;
+	const bool exists = std::filesystem::exists(norm, exists_ec);
+	if (exists_ec) {
+		// e.g. name too long, or a parent directory we may not search
+		err = "Cannot open " + norm + ": " + exists_ec.message();
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
+	}
+	if (!exists) {
 		rows_.clear();
 		nrows_          = 0;
 		filename_       = norm;
@@ -508,50 +521,52 @@ Buffer::OpenFromFile(const std::string &path, std::string &err)
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	std::ifstream in(norm, std::ios::in | std::ios::binary);
-	if (!in) {
-		err = "Failed to open file: " + norm;
+	// Open non-blocking so a named pipe cannot hang the editor, then accept
+	// regular files only: a directory reads as garbage (or throws), a FIFO
+	// blocks, and saving over a device node would replace it with a file.
+	int oflags = O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK;
+#ifdef O_CLOEXEC
+	oflags |= O_CLOEXEC;
+#endif
+	const int fd = kte::syscall::Open(norm.c_str(), oflags);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		err = "Failed to open file: " + norm + ": " + std::strerror(errno);
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+		return false;
+	}
+	struct stat st{};
+	if (kte::syscall::Fstat(fd, &st) != 0 || !S_ISREG(st.st_mode)) {
+		err = S_ISDIR(st.st_mode) ? ("Is a directory: " + norm) : ("Not a regular file: " + norm);
+		(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
 		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	// Read entire file into PieceTable as-is
+	// Read to EOF in chunks (the file may change size while we read).
 	std::string data;
-	in.seekg(0, std::ios::end);
-	if (!in) {
-		err = "Failed to seek to end of file: " + norm;
+	try {
+		data.reserve(static_cast<std::size_t>(st.st_size));
+		char chunk[1 << 16];
+		for (;;) {
+			const ssize_t n = ::read(fd, chunk, sizeof(chunk));
+			if (n > 0) {
+				data.append(chunk, static_cast<std::size_t>(n));
+			} else if (n == 0) {
+				break;
+			} else if (errno != EINTR) {
+				err = "Failed to read file: " + norm + ": " + std::strerror(errno);
+				(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+				kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
+				return false;
+			}
+		}
+	} catch (const std::bad_alloc &) {
+		(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
+		err = "File too large to load: " + norm;
 		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
 		return false;
 	}
-	auto sz = in.tellg();
-	if (sz < 0) {
-		err = "Failed to get file size: " + norm;
-		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
-		return false;
-	}
-	if (sz > 0) {
-		data.resize(static_cast<std::size_t>(sz));
-		in.seekg(0, std::ios::beg);
-		if (!in) {
-			err = "Failed to seek to beginning of file: " + norm;
-			kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
-			return false;
-		}
-		in.read(data.data(), static_cast<std::streamsize>(data.size()));
-		if (!in && !in.eof()) {
-			err = "Failed to read file: " + norm;
-			kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
-			return false;
-		}
-		// Validate we read the expected number of bytes
-		const std::streamsize bytes_read = in.gcount();
-		if (bytes_read != static_cast<std::streamsize>(data.size())) {
-			err = "Partial read of file (expected " + std::to_string(data.size()) +
-			      " bytes, got " + std::to_string(bytes_read) + "): " + norm;
-			kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Buffer", err, norm);
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
+	(void) kte::syscall::Close(fd);
 	content_.Clear();
 	if (!data.empty())
 		content_.Append(data.data(), data.size());
diff --git a/Command.cc b/Command.cc
index 2c3b57b..1da39fe 100644
--- a/Command.cc
+++ b/Command.cc
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include <string_view>
 
 #include "Command.h"
+#include "ErrorHandler.h"
 #include "RegexGuard.h"
 #include "TermWidth.h"
 #include "syntax/HighlighterRegistry.h"
@@ -342,6 +343,26 @@ is_mutating_command(CommandId id)
 }
 
 
+// Non-throwing filesystem queries for command code. The throwing overloads
+// fail on ENAMETOOLONG, EACCES or a deleted working directory, which used
+// to terminate the editor.
+static bool
+fs_exists(const std::string &path)
+{
+	std::error_code ec;
+	return std::filesystem::exists(path, ec) && !ec;
+}
+
+
+static std::filesystem::path
+safe_current_path()
+{
+	std::error_code ec;
+	auto p = std::filesystem::current_path(ec);
+	return ec ? std::filesystem::path(".") : p;
+}
+
+
 // True if `path` names the file `buf` is backed by (same inode).
 static bool
 is_buffers_own_file(const Buffer &buf, const std::string &path)
@@ -906,7 +927,7 @@ cmd_save(CommandContext &ctx)
 	if (!buf->IsFileBacked()) {
 		if (!buf->Filename().empty()) {
 			// If first-time save to an existing path, confirm overwrite
-			if (std::filesystem::exists(buf->Filename())) {
+			if (fs_exists(buf->Filename())) {
 				ctx.editor.StartPrompt(Editor::PromptKind::Confirm, "Overwrite", "");
 				ctx.editor.SetPendingOverwritePath(buf->Filename());
 				ctx.editor.SetStatus(
@@ -997,7 +1018,7 @@ cmd_save_as(CommandContext &ctx)
 		return false;
 	}
 	// Ask before replacing an existing file other than the buffer's own.
-	if (std::filesystem::exists(ctx.arg) && !is_buffers_own_file(*buf, ctx.arg)) {
+	if (fs_exists(ctx.arg) && !is_buffers_own_file(*buf, ctx.arg)) {
 		ctx.editor.StartPrompt(Editor::PromptKind::Confirm, "Overwrite", "");
 		ctx.editor.SetPendingOverwritePath(ctx.arg);
 		ctx.editor.SetStatus(std::string("Overwrite existing file '") + ctx.arg + "'? (y/N)");
@@ -1846,7 +1867,7 @@ cmd_visual_file_picker_toggle(const CommandContext &ctx)
 		// Initialize directory to current working directory if empty
 		if (ctx.editor.FilePickerDir().empty()) {
 			try {
-				ctx.editor.SetFilePickerDir(std::filesystem::current_path().string());
+				ctx.editor.SetFilePickerDir(safe_current_path().string());
 			} catch (...) {
 				ctx.editor.SetFilePickerDir(".");
 			}
@@ -2074,17 +2095,18 @@ cmd_insert_text(CommandContext &ctx)
 				std::filesystem::path p(expanded);
 				std::filesystem::path dir;
 				std::string base;
+				std::error_code dir_ec;
 				if (expanded.empty()) {
-					dir = std::filesystem::current_path();
+					dir = safe_current_path();
 					base.clear();
-				} else if (std::filesystem::is_directory(p)) {
+				} else if (std::filesystem::is_directory(p, dir_ec)) {
 					dir = p;
 					base.clear();
 				} else {
 					dir  = p.parent_path();
 					base = p.filename().string();
 					if (dir.empty())
-						dir = std::filesystem::current_path();
+						dir = safe_current_path();
 				}
 
 				std::error_code ec;
@@ -2934,7 +2956,7 @@ cmd_newline(CommandContext &ctx)
 					value = expand_user_path(value);
 					// Ask before overwriting any existing file other than the
 					// buffer's own (it used to ask only for unnamed buffers).
-					if (std::filesystem::exists(value) && !is_buffers_own_file(*buf, value)) {
+					if (fs_exists(value) && !is_buffers_own_file(*buf, value)) {
 						ctx.editor.StartPrompt(Editor::PromptKind::Confirm, "Overwrite", "");
 						ctx.editor.SetPendingOverwritePath(value);
 						ctx.editor.SetStatus(
@@ -5555,6 +5577,27 @@ InstallDefaultCommands()
 }
 
 
+// Run a command handler. An exception escaping a command (a filesystem
+// error, bad_alloc on a huge operation, ...) used to reach main() and exit
+// the editor, losing every unsaved buffer; report it and keep running.
+static bool
+run_handler(Editor &ed, const Command &cmd, CommandContext &ctx)
+{
+	if (!cmd.handler)
+		return false;
+	try {
+		return cmd.handler(ctx);
+	} catch (const std::exception &e) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Command", std::string(cmd.name) + ": " + e.what(), "");
+		ed.SetStatus(std::string("Error in ") + cmd.name + ": " + e.what());
+	} catch (...) {
+		kte::ErrorHandler::Instance().Error("Command", std::string(cmd.name) + ": unknown exception", "");
+		ed.SetStatus(std::string("Error in ") + cmd.name);
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
+
 bool
 Execute(Editor &ed, CommandId id, const std::string &arg, int count)
 {
@@ -5605,7 +5648,7 @@ Execute(Editor &ed, CommandId id, const std::string &arg, int count)
 	}
 
 	CommandContext ctx{ed, arg, final_count};
-	return cmd->handler ? cmd->handler(ctx) : false;
+	return run_handler(ed, *cmd, ctx);
 }
 
 
@@ -5623,5 +5666,5 @@ Execute(Editor &ed, const std::string &name, const std::string &arg, int count)
 		}
 	}
 	CommandContext ctx{ed, arg, count};
-	return cmd->handler ? cmd->handler(ctx) : false;
+	return run_handler(ed, *cmd, ctx);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_audit_regressions.cc b/tests/test_audit_regressions.cc
index c106b38..d932782 100644
--- a/tests/test_audit_regressions.cc
+++ b/tests/test_audit_regressions.cc
@@ -831,3 +831,52 @@ TEST(Audit_HorizontalScroll_ControlCharsAreTwoCells)
 	ASSERT_TRUE(h.Exec(CommandId::MoveEnd));
 	ASSERT_EQ(b.Coloffs(), (std::size_t) (100 - 80 + 1));
 }
+
+
+// Opening a directory or a FIFO fails cleanly (a directory used to throw
+// bad_alloc and exit the editor; a FIFO blocked forever).
+TEST(Audit_Open_NonRegularFiles_Rejected)
+{
+	TempDir d("open_nonreg");
+	Buffer b;
+	std::string err;
+	ASSERT_TRUE(!b.OpenFromFile(d.path.string(), err));
+	ASSERT_TRUE(err.find("directory") != std::string::npos);
+	const std::string fifo = (d.path / "pipe").string();
+	ASSERT_EQ(::mkfifo(fifo.c_str(), 0600), 0);
+	err.clear();
+	ASSERT_TRUE(!b.OpenFromFile(fifo, err));
+}
+
+
+// Saving never replaces a non-regular file (e.g. a device node or FIFO).
+TEST(Audit_Save_RefusesNonRegularTarget)
+{
+	TempDir d("save_nonreg");
+	const std::string fifo = (d.path / "pipe").string();
+	ASSERT_EQ(::mkfifo(fifo.c_str(), 0600), 0);
+	Buffer b;
+	b.insert_text(0, 0, "x\n");
+	std::string err;
+	ASSERT_TRUE(!b.SaveAs(fifo, err));
+	struct stat st{};
+	ASSERT_EQ(::lstat(fifo.c_str(), &st), 0);
+	ASSERT_TRUE(S_ISFIFO(st.st_mode));
+}
+
+
+// Filesystem errors in commands (here: a name longer than NAME_MAX) are
+// reported, not thrown out of the editor.
+TEST(Audit_Commands_FilesystemErrorsDoNotThrow)
+{
+	TestHarness h;
+	Editor &ed = h.EditorRef();
+	h.Buf().insert_text(0, 0, "precious\n");
+	const std::string longname = "/tmp/" + std::string(400, 'n');
+	ASSERT_TRUE(Execute(ed, "save-as", longname) || true);
+	ASSERT_TRUE(h.Exec(CommandId::OpenFileStart));
+	ASSERT_TRUE(h.Exec(CommandId::InsertText, longname));
+	(void) h.Exec(CommandId::Newline);
+	(void) ed.ProcessPendingOpens();
+	ASSERT_EQ(h.Text(), std::string("precious\n"));
+}