diff --git a/syft/source/directory_resolver.go b/syft/source/directory_resolver.go
index b735f744e..d3ffabc22 100644
--- a/syft/source/directory_resolver.go
+++ b/syft/source/directory_resolver.go
@@ -132,10 +132,15 @@ func (r *directoryResolver) indexTree(root string, stager *progress.Stage) ([]st
 }
 
 func (r *directoryResolver) indexPath(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) (string, error) {
+	// link cycles could cause a revisit --we should not allow this
+	if r.hasBeenIndexed(path) {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+
 	// ignore any path which a filter function returns true
 	for _, filterFn := range r.pathFilterFns {
 		if filterFn != nil && filterFn(path, info) {
-			if info.IsDir() {
+			if info != nil && info.IsDir() {
 				return "", fs.SkipDir
 			}
 			return "", nil
@@ -146,11 +151,6 @@ func (r *directoryResolver) indexPath(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error)
 		return "", nil
 	}
 
-	// link cycles could cause a revisit --we should not allow this
-	if r.hasBeenIndexed(path) {
-		return "", nil
-	}
-
 	if info == nil {
 		// walk may not be able to provide a FileInfo object, don't allow for this to stop indexing; keep track of the paths and continue.
 		r.errPaths[path] = fmt.Errorf("no file info observable at path=%q", path)
diff --git a/syft/source/directory_resolver_test.go b/syft/source/directory_resolver_test.go
index 795ef0b79..f178414c5 100644
--- a/syft/source/directory_resolver_test.go
+++ b/syft/source/directory_resolver_test.go
@@ -865,3 +865,24 @@ func Test_IncludeRootPathInIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	_, exists = resolver.metadata[ref.ID()]
 	require.True(t, exists)
 }
+
+func TestDirectoryResolver_indexPath(t *testing.T) {
+	// TODO: Ideally we can use an OS abstraction, which would obviate the need for real FS setup.
+	tempFile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	resolver, err := newDirectoryResolver(tempFile.Name())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	t.Run("filtering path with nil os.FileInfo", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// We use one of these prefixes in order to trigger a pathFilterFn
+		filteredPath := unixSystemRuntimePrefixes[0]
+
+		var fileInfo os.FileInfo = nil
+
+		assert.NotPanics(t, func() {
+			_, err := resolver.indexPath(filteredPath, fileInfo, nil)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+		})
+	})
+}