diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index accd556272..4fcf3f060c 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ Wed Apr 17 12:08:24 1996  Michael Meissner  <meissner@tiktok.cygnus.com>
 
 Wed Apr 17 13:07:37 1996  Ian Lance Taylor  <ian@cygnus.com>
 
+	* xcofflink.c (xcoff_link_input_bfd): Check for TOC overflow.
+
 	* linker.c (_bfd_generic_link_add_one_symbol): When calling the
 	callback routines, pass h->root.string rather than name, in case
 	copy is true and name is transient.
diff --git a/bfd/xcofflink.c b/bfd/xcofflink.c
index 681e1e275e..ed4c2b8ae9 100644
--- a/bfd/xcofflink.c
+++ b/bfd/xcofflink.c
@@ -3989,11 +3989,20 @@ xcoff_link_input_bfd (finfo, input_bfd)
                  of the TOC using a 16 bit offset from tocval.  This
                  test assumes that the TOC comes at the end of the
                  output section, as it does in the default linker
-                 script.  If the TOC anchor is too far into the .toc
-                 section, the relocation routine will report
-                 overflows.  */
+                 script.  */
+
 	      tocend = ((*csectpp)->output_section->vma
 			+ (*csectpp)->output_section->_raw_size);
+
+	      if (tocval + 0x10000 < tocend)
+		{
+		  (*_bfd_error_handler)
+		    ("TOC overflow: 0x%lx > 0x10000; try -mminimal-toc when compiling",
+		     (unsigned long) (tocend - tocval));
+		  bfd_set_error (bfd_error_file_too_big);
+		  return false;
+		}
+
 	      if (tocval + 0x8000 < tocend)
 		{
 		  bfd_vma tocadd;