diff --git a/Tusker/Controllers/MastodonController.swift b/Tusker/Controllers/MastodonController.swift
index e7ee37f6..5723f4df 100644
--- a/Tusker/Controllers/MastodonController.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Controllers/MastodonController.swift
@@ -84,23 +84,28 @@ class MastodonController {
         }
     }
     
-    func getOwnAccount(completion: ((Account) -> Void)? = nil) {
+    func getOwnAccount(completion: ((Result<Account, Client.Error>) -> Void)? = nil) {
         if account != nil {
-            completion?(account)
+            completion?(.success(account))
         } else {
             let request = Client.getSelfAccount()
             run(request) { response in
-                guard case let .success(account, _) = response else { fatalError() }
-                self.account = account
-                self.persistentContainer.backgroundContext.perform {
-                    if let accountMO = self.persistentContainer.account(for: account.id, in: self.persistentContainer.backgroundContext) {
-                        accountMO.updateFrom(apiAccount: account, container: self.persistentContainer)
-                    } else {
-                        // the first time the user's account is added to the store,
-                        // increment its reference count so that it's never removed
-                        self.persistentContainer.addOrUpdate(account: account, incrementReferenceCount: true)
+                switch response {
+                case let .failure(error):
+                    completion?(.failure(error))
+                    
+                case let .success(account, _):
+                    self.account = account
+                    self.persistentContainer.backgroundContext.perform {
+                        if let accountMO = self.persistentContainer.account(for: account.id, in: self.persistentContainer.backgroundContext) {
+                            accountMO.updateFrom(apiAccount: account, container: self.persistentContainer)
+                        } else {
+                            // the first time the user's account is added to the store,
+                            // increment its reference count so that it's never removed
+                            self.persistentContainer.addOrUpdate(account: account, incrementReferenceCount: true)
+                        }
+                        completion?(.success(account))
                     }
-                    completion?(account)
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift b/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
index acc44658..e660fba6 100644
--- a/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
@@ -70,13 +70,21 @@ extension OnboardingViewController: InstanceSelectorTableViewControllerDelegate
                     let tempAccountInfo = LocalData.UserAccountInfo(id: "temp", instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: nil, accessToken: accessToken)
                     mastodonController.accountInfo = tempAccountInfo
                     
-                    mastodonController.getOwnAccount { (account) in
+                    mastodonController.getOwnAccount { (result) in
                         DispatchQueue.main.async {
-                            // this needs to happen on the main thread because it publishes a new value for the ObservableObject
-                            let accountInfo = LocalData.shared.addAccount(instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: account.username, accessToken: accessToken)
-                            mastodonController.accountInfo = accountInfo
-                            
-                            self.onboardingDelegate?.didFinishOnboarding(account: accountInfo)
+                            switch result {
+                            case let .failure(error):
+                                let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Unable to Verify Credentials", message: "Your account could not be fetched at this time: \(error.localizedDescription)", preferredStyle: .alert)
+                                alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "Ok", style: .default, handler: nil))
+                                self.present(alert, animated: true)
+                                
+                            case let .success(account):
+                                // this needs to happen on the main thread because it publishes a new value for the ObservableObject
+                                let accountInfo = LocalData.shared.addAccount(instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: account.username, accessToken: accessToken)
+                                mastodonController.accountInfo = accountInfo
+                                
+                                self.onboardingDelegate?.didFinishOnboarding(account: accountInfo)
+                            }
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/Tusker/Screens/Preferences/LocalAccountAvatarView.swift b/Tusker/Screens/Preferences/LocalAccountAvatarView.swift
index 19acc9ce..d039b2a5 100644
--- a/Tusker/Screens/Preferences/LocalAccountAvatarView.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Screens/Preferences/LocalAccountAvatarView.swift
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ struct LocalAccountAvatarView: View {
     
     func loadImage() {
         let controller = MastodonController.getForAccount(localAccountInfo)
-        controller.getOwnAccount { (account) in
+        controller.getOwnAccount { (result) in
+            guard case let .success(account) = result else { return }
             _ = ImageCache.avatars.get(account.avatar) { (data) in
                 if let data = data, let image = UIImage(data: data) {
                     DispatchQueue.main.async {
diff --git a/Tusker/Screens/Profile/MyProfileViewController.swift b/Tusker/Screens/Profile/MyProfileViewController.swift
index c229c8b9..1417cd1b 100644
--- a/Tusker/Screens/Profile/MyProfileViewController.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Screens/Profile/MyProfileViewController.swift
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ class MyProfileViewController: ProfileViewController {
         title = "My Profile"
         tabBarItem.image = UIImage(systemName: "person.fill")
         
-        mastodonController.getOwnAccount { (account) in
+        mastodonController.getOwnAccount { (result) in
+            guard case let .success(account) = result else { return }
+            
             DispatchQueue.main.async {
                 self.accountID = account.id
             }