diff --git a/reftable/reftable-writer.h b/reftable/reftable-writer.h
index 189b1f4144..43623dc7c3 100644
--- a/reftable/reftable-writer.h
+++ b/reftable/reftable-writer.h
@@ -90,11 +90,13 @@ struct reftable_stats {
 	int object_id_len;
 };
 
-/* reftable_new_writer creates a new writer */
-struct reftable_writer *
-reftable_new_writer(ssize_t (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
-		    int (*flush_func)(void *),
-		    void *writer_arg, const struct reftable_write_options *opts);
+struct reftable_writer;
+
+/* Create a new writer. */
+int reftable_writer_new(struct reftable_writer **out,
+			ssize_t (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
+			int (*flush_func)(void *),
+			void *writer_arg, const struct reftable_write_options *opts);
 
 /* Set the range of update indices for the records we will add. When writing a
    table into a stack, the min should be at least
diff --git a/reftable/stack.c b/reftable/stack.c
index 498fae846d..ea21ca6e5f 100644
--- a/reftable/stack.c
+++ b/reftable/stack.c
@@ -808,8 +808,11 @@ int reftable_addition_add(struct reftable_addition *add,
 	}
 	tab_fd = get_tempfile_fd(tab_file);
 
-	wr = reftable_new_writer(reftable_fd_write, reftable_fd_flush, &tab_fd,
-				 &add->stack->opts);
+	err = reftable_writer_new(&wr, reftable_fd_write, reftable_fd_flush,
+				  &tab_fd, &add->stack->opts);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto done;
+
 	err = write_table(wr, arg);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto done;
@@ -898,8 +901,11 @@ static int stack_compact_locked(struct reftable_stack *st,
 		goto done;
 	}
 
-	wr = reftable_new_writer(reftable_fd_write, reftable_fd_flush,
-				 &tab_fd, &st->opts);
+	err = reftable_writer_new(&wr, reftable_fd_write, reftable_fd_flush,
+				  &tab_fd, &st->opts);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto done;
+
 	err = stack_write_compact(st, wr, first, last, config);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto done;
diff --git a/reftable/writer.c b/reftable/writer.c
index ed61aaf59c..8ab2e916d3 100644
--- a/reftable/writer.c
+++ b/reftable/writer.c
@@ -117,13 +117,17 @@ static void writer_reinit_block_writer(struct reftable_writer *w, uint8_t typ)
 	w->block_writer->restart_interval = w->opts.restart_interval;
 }
 
-struct reftable_writer *
-reftable_new_writer(ssize_t (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
-		    int (*flush_func)(void *),
-		    void *writer_arg, const struct reftable_write_options *_opts)
+int reftable_writer_new(struct reftable_writer **out,
+			ssize_t (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
+			int (*flush_func)(void *),
+			void *writer_arg, const struct reftable_write_options *_opts)
 {
-	struct reftable_writer *wp = reftable_calloc(1, sizeof(*wp));
 	struct reftable_write_options opts = {0};
+	struct reftable_writer *wp;
+
+	wp = reftable_calloc(1, sizeof(*wp));
+	if (!wp)
+		return REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
 
 	if (_opts)
 		opts = *_opts;
@@ -134,13 +138,19 @@ reftable_new_writer(ssize_t (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
 	strbuf_init(&wp->block_writer_data.last_key, 0);
 	strbuf_init(&wp->last_key, 0);
 	REFTABLE_CALLOC_ARRAY(wp->block, opts.block_size);
+	if (!wp->block) {
+		reftable_free(wp);
+		return REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
+	}
 	wp->write = writer_func;
 	wp->write_arg = writer_arg;
 	wp->opts = opts;
 	wp->flush = flush_func;
 	writer_reinit_block_writer(wp, BLOCK_TYPE_REF);
 
-	return wp;
+	*out = wp;
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 void reftable_writer_set_limits(struct reftable_writer *w, uint64_t min,
diff --git a/t/unit-tests/lib-reftable.c b/t/unit-tests/lib-reftable.c
index ab1fa44a28..54c26c43e7 100644
--- a/t/unit-tests/lib-reftable.c
+++ b/t/unit-tests/lib-reftable.c
@@ -22,9 +22,11 @@ static int strbuf_writer_flush(void *arg UNUSED)
 struct reftable_writer *t_reftable_strbuf_writer(struct strbuf *buf,
 						 struct reftable_write_options *opts)
 {
-	return reftable_new_writer(&strbuf_writer_write,
-				   &strbuf_writer_flush,
-				   buf, opts);
+	struct reftable_writer *writer;
+	int ret = reftable_writer_new(&writer, &strbuf_writer_write, &strbuf_writer_flush,
+				      buf, opts);
+	check(!ret);
+	return writer;
 }
 
 void t_reftable_write_to_buf(struct strbuf *buf,