diff --git a/cmd/camput/files.go b/cmd/camput/files.go
index 899d92d59..08059b8e3 100644
--- a/cmd/camput/files.go
+++ b/cmd/camput/files.go
@@ -325,10 +325,12 @@ func (up *Uploader) uploadNode(n *node) (*client.PutResult, error) {
 	m := schema.NewCommonFileMap(n.fullPath, fi)
 	switch {
 	case mode&os.ModeSymlink != 0:
-		// TODO(bradfitz): use VFS here; PopulateSymlinkMap uses os.Readlink directly.
-		if err := schema.PopulateSymlinkMap(m, n.fullPath); err != nil {
+		// TODO(bradfitz): use VFS here; not os.Readlink
+		target, err := os.Readlink(n.fullPath)
+		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
+		m.SetSymlinkTarget(target)
 	case mode&os.ModeDevice != 0:
 		// including mode & os.ModeCharDevice
 		fallthrough
diff --git a/pkg/schema/schema.go b/pkg/schema/schema.go
index 372a423ee..471b0cf08 100644
--- a/pkg/schema/schema.go
+++ b/pkg/schema/schema.go
@@ -525,18 +525,14 @@ func PopulateParts(m Map, size int64, parts []BytesPart) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func PopulateSymlinkMap(m Map, fileName string) error {
+// SetSymlinkTarget sets m to be of type "symlink" and sets the symlink's target.
+func (m Map) SetSymlinkTarget(target string) {
 	m["camliType"] = "symlink"
-	target, err := os.Readlink(fileName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	if utf8.ValidString(target) {
 		m["symlinkTarget"] = target
 	} else {
 		m["symlinkTargetBytes"] = []uint8(target)
 	}
-	return nil
 }
 
 func newBytes() Map {