diff --git a/src/rofiles-fuse/main.c b/src/rofiles-fuse/main.c
index 88cdba6c..6deaa6d0 100644
--- a/src/rofiles-fuse/main.c
+++ b/src/rofiles-fuse/main.c
@@ -198,26 +198,42 @@ callback_link (const char *from, const char *to)
   return 0;
 }
 
-static gboolean
-stbuf_is_regfile_hardlinked (struct stat *stbuf)
+/* Check whether @stbuf refers to a hardlinked regfile or symlink, and if so
+ * return -EROFS. Otherwise return 0.
+ */
+static int
+can_write_stbuf (struct stat *stbuf)
 {
-  return S_ISREG (stbuf->st_mode) && stbuf->st_nlink > 1;
+  /* If it's not a regular file or symlink, ostree won't hardlink it, so allow
+   * writes - it might be a FIFO or device that somehow
+   * ended up underneath our mount.
+   */
+  if (!(S_ISREG (stbuf->st_mode) || S_ISLNK (stbuf->st_mode)))
+    return 0;
+  /* If the object isn't hardlinked, it's OK to write */
+  if (stbuf->st_nlink <= 1)
+    return 0;
+  /* Otherwise, it's a hardlinked file or symlink; it must be
+   * immutable.
+   */
+  return -EROFS;
 }
 
+/* Check whether @path refers to a hardlinked regfile or symlink, and if so
+ * return -EROFS. Otherwise return 0.
+ */
 static int
 can_write (const char *path)
 {
   struct stat stbuf;
-  if (fstatat (basefd, path, &stbuf, 0) == -1)
+  if (fstatat (basefd, path, &stbuf, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) == -1)
     {
       if (errno == ENOENT)
         return 0;
       else
         return -errno;
     }
-  if (stbuf_is_regfile_hardlinked (&stbuf))
-    return -EROFS;
-  return 0;
+  return can_write_stbuf (&stbuf);
 }
 
 #define VERIFY_WRITE(path) do {                 \
@@ -231,6 +247,10 @@ callback_chmod (const char *path, mode_t mode)
 {
   path = ENSURE_RELPATH (path);
   VERIFY_WRITE(path);
+  /* Note we can't use AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW yet;
+   * https://marc.info/?l=linux-kernel&m=148830147803162&w=2
+   * https://marc.info/?l=linux-fsdevel&m=149193779929561&w=2
+   */
   if (fchmodat (basefd, path, mode, 0) != 0)
     return -errno;
   return 0;
@@ -241,7 +261,7 @@ callback_chown (const char *path, uid_t uid, gid_t gid)
 {
   path = ENSURE_RELPATH (path);
   VERIFY_WRITE(path);
-  if (fchownat (basefd, path, uid, gid, 0) != 0)
+  if (fchownat (basefd, path, uid, gid, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) != 0)
     return -errno;
   return 0;
 }
@@ -254,7 +274,7 @@ callback_truncate (const char *path, off_t size)
   path = ENSURE_RELPATH (path);
   VERIFY_WRITE(path);
 
-  fd = openat (basefd, path, O_WRONLY);
+  fd = openat (basefd, path, O_NOFOLLOW|O_WRONLY);
   if (fd == -1)
     return -errno;
 
@@ -312,10 +332,11 @@ do_open (const char *path, mode_t mode, struct fuse_file_info *finfo)
           return -errno;
         }
 
-      if (stbuf_is_regfile_hardlinked (&stbuf))
+      int r = can_write_stbuf (&stbuf);
+      if (r != 0)
         {
           (void) close (fd);
-          return -EROFS;
+          return r;
         }
 
       /* Handle O_TRUNC here only after verifying hardlink state */
@@ -433,7 +454,7 @@ callback_access (const char *path, int mode)
    * before trying to do an unlink.  So...we'll just lie about
    * writable access here.
    */
-  if (faccessat (basefd, path, mode, 0) == -1)
+  if (faccessat (basefd, path, mode, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) == -1)
     return -errno;
   return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tests/test-rofiles-fuse.sh b/tests/test-rofiles-fuse.sh
index a7811b80..d329d765 100755
--- a/tests/test-rofiles-fuse.sh
+++ b/tests/test-rofiles-fuse.sh
@@ -24,13 +24,16 @@ set -euo pipefail
 skip_without_fuse
 skip_without_user_xattrs
 
-setup_test_repository "bare-user"
+setup_test_repository "bare"
 
 echo "1..7"
 
+cd ${test_tmpdir}
 mkdir mnt
-
-$OSTREE checkout -H -U test2 checkout-test2
+# The default content set amazingly doesn't have a non-broken link
+ln -s firstfile files/firstfile-link
+$OSTREE commit -b test2 --tree=dir=files
+$OSTREE checkout -H test2 checkout-test2
 
 rofiles-fuse checkout-test2 mnt
 cleanup_fuse() {
@@ -40,22 +43,32 @@ trap cleanup_fuse EXIT
 assert_file_has_content mnt/firstfile first
 echo "ok mount"
 
-if cp /dev/null mnt/firstfile 2>err.txt; then
-    assert_not_reached "inplace mutation"
-fi
-assert_file_has_content err.txt "Read-only file system"
-assert_file_has_content mnt/firstfile first
-assert_file_has_content checkout-test2/firstfile first
-
+# Test open(O_TRUNC) directly and via symlink
+for path in firstfile{,-link}; do
+    if cp /dev/null mnt/${path} 2>err.txt; then
+        assert_not_reached "inplace mutation ${path}"
+    fi
+    assert_file_has_content err.txt "Read-only file system"
+    assert_file_has_content mnt/firstfile first
+    assert_file_has_content checkout-test2/firstfile first
+done
 echo "ok failed inplace mutation (open O_TRUNCATE)"
 
-# Test chmod + chown
+# Test chmod
 if chmod 0600 mnt/firstfile 2>err.txt; then
     assert_not_reached "chmod inplace"
 fi
 assert_file_has_content err.txt "chmod:.*Read-only file system"
-if chown $(id -u) mnt/firstfile 2>err.txt; then
-    assert_not_reached "chown inplace"
+# Test chown with regfiles and symlinks
+for path in firstfile baz/alink; do
+    if chown -h $(id -u) mnt/${path} 2>err.txt; then
+        assert_not_reached "chown inplace ${path}"
+    fi
+    assert_file_has_content err.txt "chown:.*Read-only file system"
+done
+# And test via dereferencing a symlink
+if chown $(id -u) mnt/firstfile-link 2>err.txt; then
+    assert_not_reached "chown inplace firstfile-link"
 fi
 assert_file_has_content err.txt "chown:.*Read-only file system"
 echo "ok failed mutation chmod + chown"
@@ -64,6 +77,13 @@ echo "ok failed mutation chmod + chown"
 echo anewfile-for-fuse > mnt/anewfile-for-fuse
 assert_file_has_content mnt/anewfile-for-fuse anewfile-for-fuse
 assert_file_has_content checkout-test2/anewfile-for-fuse anewfile-for-fuse
+ln -s anewfile-for-fuse mnt/anewfile-for-fuse-link
+# And also test modifications through a symlink
+echo writevialink > mnt/anewfile-for-fuse-link
+for path in anewfile-for-fuse{,-link}; do
+    assert_file_has_content mnt/${path} writevialink
+done
+chown $(id -u) mnt/anewfile-for-fuse-link
 
 mkdir mnt/newfusedir
 for i in $(seq 5); do
@@ -86,7 +106,7 @@ ${CMD_PREFIX} ostree --repo=repo commit -b test2 -s fromfuse --link-checkout-spe
 echo "ok commit"
 
 ${CMD_PREFIX} ostree --repo=repo checkout -U test2 mnt/test2-checkout-copy-fallback
-assert_file_has_content mnt/test2-checkout-copy-fallback/anewfile-for-fuse anewfile-for-fuse
+assert_file_has_content mnt/test2-checkout-copy-fallback/anewfile-for-fuse writevialink
 
 if ${CMD_PREFIX} ostree --repo=repo checkout -UH test2 mnt/test2-checkout-copy-hardlinked 2>err.txt; then
     assert_not_reached "Checking out via hardlinks across mountpoint unexpectedly succeeded!"