diff --git a/Create.c b/Create.c
index 909ac5d..8f6e6e7 100644
--- a/Create.c
+++ b/Create.c
@@ -651,6 +651,11 @@ int Create(struct supertype *st, char *mddev,
 			fprintf(stderr, Name ": internal bitmaps not supported by this kernel.\n");
 			goto abort;
 		}
+		if (!st->ss->add_internal_bitmap) {
+			fprintf(stderr, Name ": internal bitmaps not supported with %s metadata\n",
+				st->ss->name);
+			goto abort;
+		}
 		if (!st->ss->add_internal_bitmap(st, &bitmap_chunk,
 						 delay, write_behind,
 						 bitmapsize, 1, major_num)) {
diff --git a/Grow.c b/Grow.c
index 6264996..053a372 100644
--- a/Grow.c
+++ b/Grow.c
@@ -288,6 +288,11 @@ int Grow_addbitmap(char *devname, int fd, char *file, int chunk, int delay, int
 		return 1;
 	} else if (strcmp(file, "internal") == 0) {
 		int d;
+		if (st->ss->add_internal_bitmap == NULL) {
+			fprintf(stderr, Name ": Internal bitmaps not supported "
+				"with %s metadata\n", st->ss->name);
+			return 1;
+		}
 		for (d=0; d< st->max_devs; d++) {
 			mdu_disk_info_t disk;
 			char *dv;
diff --git a/bitmap.c b/bitmap.c
index 088e37d..beef2dc 100644
--- a/bitmap.c
+++ b/bitmap.c
@@ -227,9 +227,13 @@ bitmap_info_t *bitmap_file_read(char *filename, int brief, struct supertype **st
 		if (!st) {
 			/* just look at device... */
 			lseek(fd, 0, 0);
-		} else {
+		} else if (!st->ss->locate_bitmap) {
+			fprintf(stderr, Name ": No bitmap possible with %s metadata\n",
+				st->ss->name);
+			return NULL;
+		} else
 			st->ss->locate_bitmap(st, fd);
-		}
+
 		ioctl(fd, BLKFLSBUF, 0); /* make sure we read current data */
 		*stp = st;
 	} else {