diff --git a/src/image/Image.cpp b/src/image/Image.cpp
index f87d088..6844f90 100644
--- a/src/image/Image.cpp
+++ b/src/image/Image.cpp
@@ -17,23 +17,23 @@ Hyprgraphics::CImage::CImage(const std::string& path) : filepath(path) {
     const auto                                   len = path.length();
     if (path.find(".png") == len - 4 || path.find(".PNG") == len - 4) {
         CAIROSURFACE = PNG::createSurfaceFromPNG(path);
-        mime = "image/png";
+        mime         = "image/png";
     } else if (path.find(".jpg") == len - 4 || path.find(".JPG") == len - 4 || path.find(".jpeg") == len - 5 || path.find(".JPEG") == len - 5) {
         CAIROSURFACE  = JPEG::createSurfaceFromJPEG(path);
         imageHasAlpha = false;
-        mime = "image/jpeg";
+        mime          = "image/jpeg";
     } else if (path.find(".bmp") == len - 4 || path.find(".BMP") == len - 4) {
         CAIROSURFACE  = BMP::createSurfaceFromBMP(path);
         imageHasAlpha = false;
-        mime = "image/bmp";
+        mime          = "image/bmp";
     } else if (path.find(".webp") == len - 5 || path.find(".WEBP") == len - 5) {
         CAIROSURFACE = WEBP::createSurfaceFromWEBP(path);
-        mime = "image/webp";
+        mime         = "image/webp";
     } else if (path.find(".jxl") == len - 4 || path.find(".JXL") == len - 4) {
 
 #ifdef JXL_FOUND
         CAIROSURFACE = JXL::createSurfaceFromJXL(path);
-        mime = "image/jxl";
+        mime         = "image/jxl";
 #else
         lastError = "hyprgraphics compiled without JXL support";
         return;
@@ -49,15 +49,15 @@ Hyprgraphics::CImage::CImage(const std::string& path) : filepath(path) {
 
         if (first_word == "PNG") {
             CAIROSURFACE = PNG::createSurfaceFromPNG(path);
-            mime = "image/png";
+            mime         = "image/png";
         } else if (first_word == "JPEG") {
             CAIROSURFACE  = JPEG::createSurfaceFromJPEG(path);
             imageHasAlpha = false;
-            mime = "image/jpeg";
+            mime          = "image/jpeg";
         } else if (first_word == "BMP") {
             CAIROSURFACE  = BMP::createSurfaceFromBMP(path);
             imageHasAlpha = false;
-            mime = "image/bmp";
+            mime          = "image/bmp";
         } else {
             lastError = "unrecognized image";
             return;
diff --git a/src/image/formats/Bmp.cpp b/src/image/formats/Bmp.cpp
index ccc6804..a2ee0a7 100644
--- a/src/image/formats/Bmp.cpp
+++ b/src/image/formats/Bmp.cpp
@@ -102,8 +102,8 @@ std::expected<cairo_surface_t*, std::string> BMP::createSurfaceFromBMP(const std
     if (!std::filesystem::exists(path))
         return std::unexpected("loading bmp: file doesn't exist");
 
-    std::ifstream  bitmapImageStream(path);
-    BmpHeader      bitmapHeader;
+    std::ifstream bitmapImageStream(path);
+    BmpHeader     bitmapHeader;
     if (const auto RET = bitmapHeader.load(bitmapImageStream); RET.has_value())
         return std::unexpected("loading bmp: " + *RET);
 
diff --git a/src/image/formats/Png.cpp b/src/image/formats/Png.cpp
index 7a01379..9651da8 100644
--- a/src/image/formats/Png.cpp
+++ b/src/image/formats/Png.cpp
@@ -31,16 +31,16 @@ std::expected<cairo_surface_t*, std::string> PNG::createSurfaceFromPNG(const std
     spng_set_png_buffer(ctx, PNGCONTENT.data(), PNGCONTENT.size());
 
     spng_ihdr ihdr{0};
-    if (spng_get_ihdr(ctx, &ihdr))
-        return std::unexpected("loading png: file content was empty (bad file?)");
+    if (int ret = spng_get_ihdr(ctx, &ihdr); ret)
+        return std::unexpected(std::string{"loading png: spng_get_ihdr failed: "} + spng_strerror(ret));
 
     int fmt = SPNG_FMT_PNG;
     if (ihdr.color_type == SPNG_COLOR_TYPE_INDEXED)
         fmt = SPNG_FMT_RGB8;
 
     size_t imageLength = 0;
-    if (spng_decoded_image_size(ctx, fmt, &imageLength))
-        return std::unexpected("loading png: spng_decoded_image_size failed");
+    if (int ret = spng_decoded_image_size(ctx, fmt, &imageLength); ret)
+        return std::unexpected(std::string{"loading png: spng_decoded_image_size failed: "} + spng_strerror(ret));
 
     uint8_t* imageData = (uint8_t*)malloc(imageLength);
 
@@ -48,9 +48,25 @@ std::expected<cairo_surface_t*, std::string> PNG::createSurfaceFromPNG(const std
         return std::unexpected("loading png: mallocing failed, out of memory?");
 
     // TODO: allow proper decode of high bitrate images
-    if (spng_decode_image(ctx, imageData, imageLength, SPNG_FMT_RGBA8, 0)) {
+    bool succeededDecode = false;
+    int  ret             = spng_decode_image(ctx, imageData, imageLength, SPNG_FMT_RGBA8, 0);
+    if (!ret)
+        succeededDecode = true;
+
+    if (!succeededDecode && ret == SPNG_EBUFSIZ) {
+        // hack, but I don't know why decoded_image_size is sometimes wrong
+        imageLength = ihdr.height * ihdr.width * 4 /* FIXME: this is wrong if we doing >32bpp!!!! */;
+        imageData   = (uint8_t*)realloc(imageData, imageLength);
+
+        ret = spng_decode_image(ctx, imageData, imageLength, SPNG_FMT_RGBA8, 0);
+    }
+
+    if (!ret)
+        succeededDecode = true;
+
+    if (!succeededDecode) {
         free(imageData);
-        return std::unexpected("loading png: spng_decode_image failed (invalid image?)");
+        return std::unexpected(std::string{"loading png: spng_decode_image failed: "} + spng_strerror(ret) + " (bad image?)");
     }
 
     // convert RGBA8888 -> ARGB8888 premult for cairo