diff --git a/src/audacious/signals.cc b/src/audacious/signals.cc
index 35c1011..949f3b9 100644
--- a/src/audacious/signals.cc
+++ b/src/audacious/signals.cc
@@ -21,8 +21,11 @@
 
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include <signal.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 #include <libaudcore/hook.h>
+#include <libaudcore/runtime.h>
 
 #include "main.h"
 
@@ -53,7 +56,8 @@ void signals_init_one ()
 void signals_init_two ()
 {
     pthread_t thread;
-    pthread_create (& thread, nullptr, signal_thread, nullptr);
+    if (pthread_create (& thread, nullptr, signal_thread, nullptr) != 0)
+        AUDERR ("Can not create thread: %s!\n", strerror(errno));
 }
 
 #endif /* HAVE_SIGWAIT */
diff --git a/src/libaudcore/adder.cc b/src/libaudcore/adder.cc
index f9d9bca..d0d1321 100644
--- a/src/libaudcore/adder.cc
+++ b/src/libaudcore/adder.cc
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
 #include "audstrings.h"
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@
 #include "tuple.h"
 #include "interface.h"
 #include "vfs.h"
+#include "runtime.h"
 
 // regrettably, strcmp_nocase can't be used directly as a
 // callback for Index::sort due to taking a third argument;
@@ -361,7 +363,8 @@ static void start_thread_locked ()
 
     if (! add_thread_started || add_thread_exited)
     {
-        pthread_create (& add_thread, nullptr, add_worker, nullptr);
+        if (pthread_create (& add_thread, nullptr, add_worker, nullptr) != 0)
+            AUDERR ("Can not create thread: %s!\n", strerror(errno));
         add_thread_started = true;
         add_thread_exited = false;
     }
diff --git a/src/libaudcore/playback.cc b/src/libaudcore/playback.cc
index aea3b1b..2d3e0ff 100644
--- a/src/libaudcore/playback.cc
+++ b/src/libaudcore/playback.cc
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
 
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 #include "audstrings.h"
 #include "hook.h"
@@ -447,7 +449,8 @@ void playback_play (int seek_time, bool pause)
     else
     {
         pthread_t thread;
-        pthread_create (& thread, nullptr, playback_thread, nullptr);
+        if (pthread_create (& thread, nullptr, playback_thread, nullptr) != 0)
+            AUDERR ("Can not create thread: %s!\n", strerror(errno));
         pthread_detach (thread);
         pb_state.thread_running = true;
     }
diff --git a/src/libaudcore/vfs_async.cc b/src/libaudcore/vfs_async.cc
index 8939236..e0f0a12 100644
--- a/src/libaudcore/vfs_async.cc
+++ b/src/libaudcore/vfs_async.cc
@@ -18,11 +18,14 @@
  */
 
 #include <pthread.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <string.h>
 
 #include "list.h"
 #include "mainloop.h"
 #include "vfs.h"
 #include "vfs_async.h"
+#include "runtime.h"
 
 struct QueuedData : public ListNode
 {
@@ -87,5 +90,6 @@ static void * read_worker (void * data0)
 EXPORT void vfs_async_file_get_contents (const char * filename, VFSConsumer cons_f, void * user)
 {
     auto data = new QueuedData (filename, cons_f, user);
-    pthread_create (& data->thread, nullptr, read_worker, data);
+    if (pthread_create (& data->thread, nullptr, read_worker, data) != 0)
+        AUDERR ("Can not create thread: %s!\n", strerror(errno));
 }