diff --git a/lib/fs/fs.go b/lib/fs/fs.go
index c86eef233..726a123de 100644
--- a/lib/fs/fs.go
+++ b/lib/fs/fs.go
@@ -259,13 +259,13 @@ func MustRemoveTemporaryDirs(dir string) {
 	MustSyncPath(dir)
 }
 
-// HardLinkFiles makes hard links for all the files from srcDir in dstDir.
-func HardLinkFiles(srcDir, dstDir string) error {
+// MustHardLinkFiles makes hard links for all the files from srcDir in dstDir.
+func MustHardLinkFiles(srcDir, dstDir string) {
 	mustMkdirSync(dstDir)
 
 	des, err := os.ReadDir(srcDir)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot read files in scrDir: %w", err)
+		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot read files in scrDir: %s", err)
 	}
 	for _, de := range des {
 		if IsDirOrSymlink(de) {
@@ -276,12 +276,11 @@ func HardLinkFiles(srcDir, dstDir string) error {
 		srcPath := filepath.Join(srcDir, fn)
 		dstPath := filepath.Join(dstDir, fn)
 		if err := os.Link(srcPath, dstPath); err != nil {
-			return err
+			logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot link files: %s", err)
 		}
 	}
 
 	MustSyncPath(dstDir)
-	return nil
 }
 
 // IsDirOrSymlink returns true if de is directory or symlink.
diff --git a/lib/mergeset/table.go b/lib/mergeset/table.go
index 2c57add62..96a02ce7f 100644
--- a/lib/mergeset/table.go
+++ b/lib/mergeset/table.go
@@ -1477,9 +1477,7 @@ func (tb *Table) CreateSnapshotAt(dstDir string, deadline uint64) error {
 		}
 		srcPartPath := pw.p.path
 		dstPartPath := filepath.Join(dstDir, filepath.Base(srcPartPath))
-		if err := fs.HardLinkFiles(srcPartPath, dstPartPath); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cannot create hard links from %q to %q: %w", srcPartPath, dstPartPath, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustHardLinkFiles(srcPartPath, dstPartPath)
 	}
 
 	fs.MustSyncPath(dstDir)
diff --git a/lib/storage/partition.go b/lib/storage/partition.go
index 096eeb593..5761a5473 100644
--- a/lib/storage/partition.go
+++ b/lib/storage/partition.go
@@ -1897,9 +1897,7 @@ func (pt *partition) createSnapshot(srcDir, dstDir string, pws []*partWrapper) e
 	for _, pw := range pws {
 		srcPartPath := pw.p.path
 		dstPartPath := filepath.Join(dstDir, filepath.Base(srcPartPath))
-		if err := fs.HardLinkFiles(srcPartPath, dstPartPath); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cannot create hard links from %q to %q: %w", srcPartPath, dstPartPath, err)
-		}
+		fs.MustHardLinkFiles(srcPartPath, dstPartPath)
 	}
 
 	// Copy the appliedRetentionFilename to dstDir.