diff --git a/lib/std/Build/Watch.zig b/lib/std/Build/Watch.zig
index 2ddb3ca4c296..2edf01dd4d57 100644
--- a/lib/std/Build/Watch.zig
+++ b/lib/std/Build/Watch.zig
@@ -101,7 +101,10 @@ const Os = switch (builtin.os.tag) {
                 .REPORT_FID = true,
                 .REPORT_TARGET_FID = true,
             }, 0) catch |err| switch (err) {
-                error.UnsupportedFlags => fatal("fanotify_init failed due to old kernel; requires 5.17+", .{}),
+                error.UnsupportedFlags => {
+                    std.log.err("fanotify_init failed due to old kernel; requires 5.17+", .{});
+                    return err;
+                },
                 else => |e| return e,
             };
             return .{