diff --git a/patchdiff/pointer.py b/patchdiff/pointer.py
index cf4dbb1..d088a2a 100644
--- a/patchdiff/pointer.py
+++ b/patchdiff/pointer.py
@@ -51,13 +51,27 @@ def evaluate(self, obj: Diffable) -> tuple[Diffable, Hashable, Any]:
         parent = None
         cursor = obj
         if tokens := self.tokens:
+            # Walk to the parent strictly: any failure here is a path that
+            # doesn't exist in the target, and silently landing on a partial
+            # parent would let iapply write to the wrong place.
+            for key in tokens[:-1]:
+                parent = cursor
+                cursor = parent[key]
+            # The leaf may legitimately not exist (add ops on dicts, list
+            # "-" append) so we tolerate lookup failures there — but only
+            # when the parent is itself a container we can write into.
+            parent = cursor
+            key = tokens[-1]
             try:
-                for key in tokens:
-                    parent = cursor
-                    cursor = parent[key]
-            except (KeyError, TypeError):
-                # KeyError for dicts, TypeError for sets and lists
-                pass
+                cursor = parent[key]
+            except (KeyError, IndexError, TypeError):
+                if not (
+                    hasattr(parent, "keys")
+                    or hasattr(parent, "append")
+                    or hasattr(parent, "add")
+                ):
+                    raise
+                cursor = None
         return parent, key, cursor
 
     def append(self, token: Hashable) -> "Pointer":
diff --git a/tests/test_apply.py b/tests/test_apply.py
index a5df072..14648dc 100644
--- a/tests/test_apply.py
+++ b/tests/test_apply.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
+import pytest
+
 from patchdiff import apply, diff
+from patchdiff.pointer import Pointer
 
 
 def test_apply():
@@ -132,3 +135,21 @@ def test_add_remove_list_extended_inverse_leaving_end():
 
     d = apply(b, rops)
     assert a == d
+
+
+def test_apply_raises_on_missing_dict_key():
+    ops = [{"op": "replace", "path": Pointer(["missing", "key"]), "value": 99}]
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+        apply({"present": 1}, ops)
+
+
+def test_apply_raises_on_out_of_range_list_index():
+    ops = [{"op": "replace", "path": Pointer([10, "x"]), "value": 99}]
+    with pytest.raises(IndexError):
+        apply([1, 2, 3], ops)
+
+
+def test_apply_raises_when_traversing_into_primitive():
+    ops = [{"op": "replace", "path": Pointer(["a", "b"]), "value": 99}]
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        apply({"a": 5}, ops)
diff --git a/tests/test_pointer.py b/tests/test_pointer.py
index 045d7a9..2c7e2ef 100644
--- a/tests/test_pointer.py
+++ b/tests/test_pointer.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import pytest
+
 from patchdiff.pointer import Pointer
 
 
@@ -44,3 +46,18 @@ def test_pointer_eq():
 
 def test_pointer_append():
     assert Pointer([1]).append("foo") == Pointer([1, "foo"])
+
+
+def test_pointer_evaluate_raises_on_missing_dict_key():
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+        Pointer(["missing", "key"]).evaluate({"present": 1})
+
+
+def test_pointer_evaluate_raises_on_out_of_range_list_index():
+    with pytest.raises(IndexError):
+        Pointer([10, "x"]).evaluate([1, 2, 3])
+
+
+def test_pointer_evaluate_raises_when_traversing_into_primitive():
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        Pointer(["a", "b"]).evaluate({"a": 5})