diff --git a/core/pathresolver.go b/core/pathresolver.go
index 367b82001..610eeb50b 100644
--- a/core/pathresolver.go
+++ b/core/pathresolver.go
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ func Resolve(ctx context.Context, n *IpfsNode, p path.Path) (*merkledag.Node, er
 		}
 
 		seg := p.Segments()
+
+		if len(seg) < 2 || seg[1] == "" { // just "/<protocol/>" without further segments
+			return nil, path.ErrNoComponents
+		}
+
 		extensions := seg[2:]
 		resolvable, err := path.FromSegments("/", seg[0], seg[1])
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/core/pathresolver_test.go b/core/pathresolver_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b694fc4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/pathresolver_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package core
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	path "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/path"
+)
+
+func TestResolveNoComponents(t *testing.T) {
+	n, err := NewMockNode()
+	if n == nil || err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("Should have constructed a mock node", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = Resolve(n.Context(), n, path.Path("/ipns/"))
+	if err != path.ErrNoComponents {
+		t.Fatal("Should error with no components (/ipns/).", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = Resolve(n.Context(), n, path.Path("/ipfs/"))
+	if err != path.ErrNoComponents {
+		t.Fatal("Should error with no components (/ipfs/).", err)
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/path/resolver.go b/path/resolver.go
index a08df8741..b4d6239dd 100644
--- a/path/resolver.go
+++ b/path/resolver.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package path
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"time"
+	"errors"
 
 	mh "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/jbenet/go-multihash"
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/Godeps/_workspace/src/golang.org/x/net/context"
@@ -14,6 +15,10 @@ import (
 
 var log = u.Logger("path")
 
+// Paths after a protocol must contain at least one component
+var ErrNoComponents = errors.New(
+	"path must contain at least one component")
+
 // ErrNoLink is returned when a link is not found in a path
 type ErrNoLink struct {
 	name string
@@ -43,7 +48,7 @@ func SplitAbsPath(fpath Path) (mh.Multihash, []string, error) {
 
 	// if nothing, bail.
 	if len(parts) == 0 {
-		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("ipfs path must contain at least one component")
+		return nil, nil, ErrNoComponents
 	}
 
 	// first element in the path is a b58 hash (for now)