diff --git a/lib/libutil/passwd.c b/lib/libutil/passwd.c
index dc6bdb7633af..078c7c2fafe8 100644
--- a/lib/libutil/passwd.c
+++ b/lib/libutil/passwd.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	$NetBSD: passwd.c,v 1.39 2005/01/15 03:07:56 christos Exp $	*/
+/*	$NetBSD: passwd.c,v 1.40 2005/08/18 21:07:23 elad Exp $	*/
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
 #include <sys/cdefs.h>
 #if defined(LIBC_SCCS) && !defined(lint)
-__RCSID("$NetBSD: passwd.c,v 1.39 2005/01/15 03:07:56 christos Exp $");
+__RCSID("$NetBSD: passwd.c,v 1.40 2005/08/18 21:07:23 elad Exp $");
 #endif /* LIBC_SCCS and not lint */
 
 #include <sys/types.h>
@@ -577,6 +577,11 @@ pw_getconf(char *data, size_t max, const char *key, const char *option)
 	}
 	fclose(fp);
 
+	if (!found)
+		errno = ENOENT;
+	if (!got)
+		errno = ENOTDIR;
+
 	/* 
 	 * If we got no result and were looking for a default
 	 * value, try hard coded defaults.
diff --git a/lib/libutil/pw_getconf.3 b/lib/libutil/pw_getconf.3
index 8e1bf6375a11..3707e8d57ecd 100644
--- a/lib/libutil/pw_getconf.3
+++ b/lib/libutil/pw_getconf.3
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.\"	$NetBSD: pw_getconf.3,v 1.7 2003/04/16 13:35:15 wiz Exp $
+.\"	$NetBSD: pw_getconf.3,v 1.8 2005/08/18 21:07:23 elad Exp $
 .\"
 .\" Copyright 1997 Niels Provos <provos@physnet.uni-hamburg.de>
 .\" All rights reserved.
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 .\"
 .\" from OpenBSD: pw_getconf.3,v 1.5 1999/09/21 04:52:46 csapuntz Exp
 .\"
-.Dd July 6, 2000
+.Dd August 18, 2005
 .Dt PW_GETCONF 3
 .Os
 .Sh NAME
@@ -77,6 +77,20 @@ An empty string is returned for all errors.
 .Bl -tag -width /etc/passwd.conf -compact
 .It Pa /etc/passwd.conf
 .El
+.Sh ERRORS
+.Fn pw_getconf
+will fail if:
+.Bl -tag -width Er
+.It Bq Er ENOTDIR
+If there is no key in
+.Pa /etc/passwd.conf
+named
+.Pa key .
+.It Bq Er ENOENT
+If there is no option named
+.Pa option
+in the specified key.
+.El
 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr passwd 5 ,
 .Xr passwd.conf 5