diff --git a/gdb/ChangeLog b/gdb/ChangeLog
index 7bb862e43f0..61232703b6f 100644
--- a/gdb/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2021-03-20  Tom Tromey  <tom@tromey.com>
+
+	* dwarf2/read.c (dwarf2_build_psymtabs): Set partial_symtabs
+	earlier.
+
 2021-03-20  Tom Tromey  <tom@tromey.com>
 
 	* psympriv.h (psymtab_discarder): Take psymtab_storage parameter.
diff --git a/gdb/dwarf2/read.c b/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
index aad25f7c086..9de9e48c7bb 100644
--- a/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
+++ b/gdb/dwarf2/read.c
@@ -6137,6 +6137,12 @@ dwarf2_build_psymtabs (struct objfile *objfile)
       return;
     }
 
+  /* Set the local reference to partial symtabs, so that we don't try
+     to read them again if reading another objfile with the same BFD.
+     If we can't in fact share, this won't make a difference anyway as
+     the dwarf2_per_bfd object won't be shared.  */
+  per_bfd->partial_symtabs = objfile->partial_symtabs;
+
   try
     {
       /* This isn't really ideal: all the data we allocate on the
@@ -6155,12 +6161,6 @@ dwarf2_build_psymtabs (struct objfile *objfile)
     {
       exception_print (gdb_stderr, except);
     }
-
-  /* Finish by setting the local reference to partial symtabs, so that
-     we don't try to read them again if reading another objfile with the same
-     BFD.  If we can't in fact share, this won't make a difference anyway as
-     the dwarf2_per_bfd object won't be shared.  */
-  per_bfd->partial_symtabs = objfile->partial_symtabs;
 }
 
 /* Find the base address of the compilation unit for range lists and