diff --git a/internal/chart/v3/loader/directory.go b/internal/chart/v3/loader/directory.go
index 7cf343568..50142bfb2 100644
--- a/internal/chart/v3/loader/directory.go
+++ b/internal/chart/v3/loader/directory.go
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ func LoadDir(dir string) (*chart.Chart, error) {
 		n = filepath.ToSlash(n)
 
 		if err != nil {
+			// For broken symlinks, respect .helmignore before erroring.
+			if os.IsNotExist(err) && fi != nil && rules.Ignore(n, fi) {
+				return nil
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 		if fi.IsDir() {
diff --git a/internal/chart/v3/loader/load_test.go b/internal/chart/v3/loader/load_test.go
index 5caec7815..874a245bf 100644
--- a/internal/chart/v3/loader/load_test.go
+++ b/internal/chart/v3/loader/load_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,96 @@ func TestLoadDirWithSymlink(t *testing.T) {
 	verifyDependenciesLock(t, c)
 }
 
+func TestLoadDirWithBrokenSymlinkNotInHelmignore(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("symlink tests require unix")
+	}
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	chartYAML := `apiVersion: v2
+name: test
+version: 0.1.0
+`
+	valuesYAML := `{}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "Chart.yaml"), []byte(chartYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "values.yaml"), []byte(valuesYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a broken symlink NOT listed in .helmignore
+	brokenLink := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "broken")
+	if err := os.Symlink("nonexistent", brokenLink); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Empty .helmignore — broken symlink is not ignored
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".helmignore"), []byte(""), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	l, err := Loader(tmpDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := l.Load(); err == nil || !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected broken symlink error (os.IsNotExist), got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadDirWithBrokenSymlinkInHelmignore(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("symlink tests require unix")
+	}
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// Create minimal chart structure
+	chartYAML := `apiVersion: v2
+name: test
+version: 0.1.0
+`
+	valuesYAML := `{}
+`
+	tpl := `config: {}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "Chart.yaml"), []byte(chartYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "values.yaml"), []byte(valuesYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates"), 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates", "config.yaml"), []byte(tpl), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a broken symlink in templates/
+	brokenLink := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates", "broken")
+	if err := os.Symlink("nonexistent", brokenLink); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Add the broken symlink to .helmignore
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".helmignore"), []byte("templates/broken\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Loading should succeed despite the broken symlink
+	l, err := Loader(tmpDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := l.Load(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("loading chart with broken symlink in .helmignore should not fail: %s", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestBomTestData(t *testing.T) {
 	testFiles := []string{"frobnitz_with_bom/.helmignore", "frobnitz_with_bom/templates/template.tpl", "frobnitz_with_bom/Chart.yaml"}
 	for _, file := range testFiles {
diff --git a/internal/sympath/walk.go b/internal/sympath/walk.go
index 812bb68ce..41b6cd6f0 100644
--- a/internal/sympath/walk.go
+++ b/internal/sympath/walk.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ limitations under the License.
 package sympath
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -68,12 +67,17 @@ func symwalk(path string, info os.FileInfo, walkFn filepath.WalkFunc) error {
 	if IsSymlink(info) {
 		resolved, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(path)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("error evaluating symlink %s: %w", path, err)
+			// Pass the error to walkFn so callers (e.g. chart loaders)
+			// can decide whether to skip it based on .helmignore rules.
+			return walkFn(path, info, err)
 		}
 		// This log message is to highlight a symlink that is being used within a chart, symlinks can be used for nefarious reasons.
 		slog.Info("found symbolic link in path. Contents of linked file included and used", "path", path, "resolved", resolved)
+		originalInfo := info
 		if info, err = os.Lstat(resolved); err != nil {
-			return err
+			// Route through walkFn with the original symlink info so callers
+			// can decide whether to skip it based on .helmignore rules.
+			return walkFn(path, originalInfo, err)
 		}
 		if err := symwalk(path, info, walkFn); err != nil && err != filepath.SkipDir {
 			return err
diff --git a/pkg/chart/v2/loader/directory.go b/pkg/chart/v2/loader/directory.go
index a609ecbbf..3d98efc4c 100644
--- a/pkg/chart/v2/loader/directory.go
+++ b/pkg/chart/v2/loader/directory.go
@@ -77,6 +77,10 @@ func LoadDir(dir string) (*chart.Chart, error) {
 		n = filepath.ToSlash(n)
 
 		if err != nil {
+			// For broken symlinks, respect .helmignore before erroring.
+			if os.IsNotExist(err) && fi != nil && rules.Ignore(n, fi) {
+				return nil
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 		if fi.IsDir() {
diff --git a/pkg/chart/v2/loader/load_test.go b/pkg/chart/v2/loader/load_test.go
index 46d17e899..9854051fa 100644
--- a/pkg/chart/v2/loader/load_test.go
+++ b/pkg/chart/v2/loader/load_test.go
@@ -92,6 +92,96 @@ func TestLoadDirWithSymlink(t *testing.T) {
 	verifyDependenciesLock(t, c)
 }
 
+func TestLoadDirWithBrokenSymlinkNotInHelmignore(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("symlink tests require unix")
+	}
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	chartYAML := `apiVersion: v2
+name: test
+version: 0.1.0
+`
+	valuesYAML := `{}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "Chart.yaml"), []byte(chartYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "values.yaml"), []byte(valuesYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a broken symlink NOT listed in .helmignore
+	brokenLink := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "broken")
+	if err := os.Symlink("nonexistent", brokenLink); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Empty .helmignore — broken symlink is not ignored
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".helmignore"), []byte(""), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	l, err := Loader(tmpDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := l.Load(); err == nil || !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected broken symlink error (os.IsNotExist), got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadDirWithBrokenSymlinkInHelmignore(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("symlink tests require unix")
+	}
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// Create minimal chart structure
+	chartYAML := `apiVersion: v2
+name: test
+version: 0.1.0
+`
+	valuesYAML := `{}
+`
+	tpl := `config: {}
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "Chart.yaml"), []byte(chartYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "values.yaml"), []byte(valuesYAML), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates"), 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates", "config.yaml"), []byte(tpl), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Create a broken symlink in templates/
+	brokenLink := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "templates", "broken")
+	if err := os.Symlink("nonexistent", brokenLink); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Add the broken symlink to .helmignore
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".helmignore"), []byte("templates/broken\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Loading should succeed despite the broken symlink
+	l, err := Loader(tmpDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := l.Load(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("loading chart with broken symlink in .helmignore should not fail: %s", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestBomTestData(t *testing.T) {
 	testFiles := []string{"frobnitz_with_bom/.helmignore", "frobnitz_with_bom/templates/template.tpl", "frobnitz_with_bom/Chart.yaml"}
 	for _, file := range testFiles {