diff --git a/libstdc++-v3/src/filesystem/ops.cc b/libstdc++-v3/src/filesystem/ops.cc
index b5c8eb9..95146bf 100644
--- a/libstdc++-v3/src/filesystem/ops.cc
+++ b/libstdc++-v3/src/filesystem/ops.cc
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ fs::canonical(const path& p, const path& base, error_code& ec)
 {
   const path pa = absolute(p, base);
   path result;
+
 #ifdef _GLIBCXX_USE_REALPATH
   char_ptr buf{ nullptr };
 # if _XOPEN_VERSION < 700
@@ -119,18 +120,9 @@ fs::canonical(const path& p, const path& base, error_code& ec)
     }
 #endif
 
-  auto fail = [&ec, &result](int e) mutable {
-      if (!ec.value())
-	ec.assign(e, std::generic_category());
-      result.clear();
-  };
-
   if (!exists(pa, ec))
-    {
-      fail(ENOENT);
-      return result;
-    }
-  // else we can assume no unresolvable symlink loops
+    return result;
+  // else: we know there are (currently) no unresolvable symlink loops
 
   result = pa.root_path();
 
@@ -138,18 +130,17 @@ fs::canonical(const path& p, const path& base, error_code& ec)
   for (auto& f : pa.relative_path())
     cmpts.push_back(f);
 
-  while (!cmpts.empty())
+  int max_allowed_symlinks = 40;
+
+  while (!cmpts.empty() && !ec)
     {
       path f = std::move(cmpts.front());
       cmpts.pop_front();
 
       if (f.compare(".") == 0)
 	{
-	  if (!is_directory(result, ec))
-	    {
-	      fail(ENOTDIR);
-	      break;
-	    }
+	  if (!is_directory(result, ec) && !ec)
+	    ec.assign(ENOTDIR, std::generic_category());
 	}
       else if (f.compare("..") == 0)
 	{
@@ -166,27 +157,30 @@ fs::canonical(const path& p, const path& base, error_code& ec)
 	  if (is_symlink(result, ec))
 	    {
 	      path link = read_symlink(result, ec);
-	      if (!ec.value())
+	      if (!ec)
 		{
-		  if (link.is_absolute())
+		  if (--max_allowed_symlinks == 0)
+		    ec.assign(ELOOP, std::generic_category());
+		  else
 		    {
-		      result = link.root_path();
-		      link = link.relative_path();
+		      if (link.is_absolute())
+			{
+			  result = link.root_path();
+			  link = link.relative_path();
+			}
+		      else
+			result.remove_filename();
+
+		      cmpts.insert(cmpts.begin(), link.begin(), link.end());
 		    }
-		  else
-		    result.remove_filename();
-
-		  cmpts.insert(cmpts.begin(), link.begin(), link.end());
 		}
 	    }
-
-	  if (ec.value() || !exists(result, ec))
-	    {
-	      fail(ENOENT);
-	      break;
-	    }
 	}
     }
+
+  if (ec || !exists(result, ec))
+    result.clear();
+
   return result;
 }