diff --git a/gitdiff/apply.go b/gitdiff/apply.go
index f8f936b..c49e944 100644
--- a/gitdiff/apply.go
+++ b/gitdiff/apply.go
@@ -1,22 +1,86 @@
 package gitdiff
 
 import (
-	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 )
 
+type conflictError string
+
+func (e conflictError) Error() string {
+	return "conflict: " + string(e)
+}
+
+// ApplyError wraps an error that occurs during patch application with
+// additional location information, if it is available.
+type ApplyError struct {
+	// Line is the one-indexed line number in the source data
+	Line int
+	// Fragment is the one-indexed fragment number in the file
+	Fragment int
+	// FragmentLine is the one-indexed line number in the fragment
+	FragmentLine int
+
+	err error
+}
+
+// Unwrap returns the wrapped error.
+func (e *ApplyError) Unwrap() error {
+	return e.err
+}
+
+// Conflict returns true if the error is due to a conflict between the fragment
+// and the source data.
+func (e *ApplyError) Conflict() bool {
+	_, ok := e.err.(conflictError)
+	return ok
+}
+
+func (e *ApplyError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%v", e.err)
+}
+
+type lineNum int
+type fragNum int
+type fragLineNum int
+
+// applyError creates a new *ApplyError wrapping err or augments the information
+// in err with args if it is already an *ApplyError. Returns nil if err is nil.
+func applyError(err error, args ...interface{}) error {
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	e, ok := err.(*ApplyError)
+	if !ok {
+		e = &ApplyError{err: err}
+	}
+	for _, arg := range args {
+		switch v := arg.(type) {
+		case lineNum:
+			e.Line = int(v) + 1
+		case fragNum:
+			e.Fragment = int(v) + 1
+		case fragLineNum:
+			e.FragmentLine = int(v) + 1
+		}
+	}
+	return e
+}
+
 // ApplyStrict writes data from src to dst, modifying it as described by the
 // fragments in the file. For text files, each fragment, including all context
 // lines, must exactly match src at the expected line number.
 //
-// If the file contains no fragments, ApplyStrict is equivalent to io.Copy.
+// If the apply fails, ApplyStrict returns an *ApplyError wrapping the cause.
+// Partial data may be written to dst in this case.
 func (f *File) ApplyStrict(dst io.Writer, src io.Reader) error {
 	if f.IsBinary {
 		if f.BinaryFragment != nil {
 			return f.BinaryFragment.Apply(dst, src)
 		}
 		_, err := io.Copy(dst, src)
-		return err
+		return applyError(err)
 	}
 
 	lr, ok := src.(LineReader)
@@ -24,27 +88,28 @@ func (f *File) ApplyStrict(dst io.Writer, src io.Reader) error {
 		lr = NewLineReader(src, 0)
 	}
 
-	for _, frag := range f.TextFragments {
+	for i, frag := range f.TextFragments {
 		if err := frag.ApplyStrict(dst, lr); err != nil {
-			return err
+			return applyError(err, fragNum(i))
 		}
 	}
 
 	_, err := io.Copy(dst, unwrapLineReader(lr))
-	return err
+	return applyError(err)
 }
 
 // ApplyStrict writes data from src to dst, modifying it as described by the
 // fragment. The fragment, including all context lines, must exactly match src
 // at the expected line number.
 //
-// If there is no error, the next read from src returns the line immediately
-// after the last line of the fragment.
+// If the apply fails, ApplyStrict returns an *ApplyError wrapping the cause.
+// Partial data may be written to dst in this case. If there is no error, the
+// next read from src returns the line immediately after the last line of the
+// fragment.
 func (f *TextFragment) ApplyStrict(dst io.Writer, src LineReader) error {
 	// application code assumes fragment fields are consistent
 	if err := f.Validate(); err != nil {
-		// TODO(bkeyes): wrap with additional context
-		return err
+		return applyError(err)
 	}
 
 	// line numbers are zero-indexed, positions are one-indexed
@@ -52,27 +117,24 @@ func (f *TextFragment) ApplyStrict(dst io.Writer, src LineReader) error {
 
 	// an EOF is allowed here: the fragment applies to the last line of the
 	// source but it does not have a newline character
-	nextLine, err := copyLines(dst, src, limit)
+	nextLine, n, err := copyLines(dst, src, limit)
 	if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
-		// TODO(bkeyes): wrap with additional context
-		return err
+		return applyError(err, lineNum(n))
 	}
 
 	for i, line := range f.Lines {
 		fromSrc, err := applyTextLine(dst, nextLine, line)
 		if err != nil {
-			// TODO(bkeyes): wrap with additional context
-			return err
+			return applyError(err, lineNum(n), fragLineNum(i))
 		}
 
 		if fromSrc && i < len(f.Lines)-1 {
-			nextLine, _, err = src.ReadLine()
+			nextLine, n, err = src.ReadLine()
 			if err != nil {
 				if err == io.EOF {
 					err = io.ErrUnexpectedEOF
 				}
-				// TODO(bkeyes): wrap with additional context
-				return err
+				return applyError(err, lineNum(n), fragLineNum(i+1))
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -80,50 +142,48 @@ func (f *TextFragment) ApplyStrict(dst io.Writer, src LineReader) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func applyTextLine(dst io.Writer, srcLine string, line Line) (fromSrc bool, err error) {
+func applyTextLine(dst io.Writer, src string, line Line) (fromSrc bool, err error) {
 	switch line.Op {
 	case OpContext, OpDelete:
 		fromSrc = true
-		if srcLine != line.Line {
-			// TODO(bkeyes): use special error type here
-			// TODO(bkeyes): include line number information, etc.
-			return fromSrc, errors.New("apply: fragment match failed: line does not match")
+		if src != line.Line {
+			return fromSrc, conflictError("fragment line does not match src line")
 		}
 	}
-
 	switch line.Op {
 	case OpContext, OpAdd:
-		// TODO(bkeyes): wrap with additional context
 		_, err = io.WriteString(dst, line.Line)
 	}
 	return
 }
 
-// copyLines copies from src to dst until the line at limit, exclusive. The
-// line at limit is returned. A negative limit means the first read should
-// return io.EOF and no data.
-func copyLines(dst io.Writer, src LineReader, limit int64) (string, error) {
+// copyLines copies from src to dst until the line at limit, exclusive. Returns
+// the line at limit and the line number. The line number may not equal the
+// limit if and only if a non-EOF error occurs. A negative limit means the
+// first read should return io.EOF and no data.
+func copyLines(dst io.Writer, src LineReader, limit int64) (string, int, error) {
+	// TODO(bkeyes): fix int vs int64 for limit and return value
 	for {
 		line, n, err := src.ReadLine()
 		switch {
 		case limit < 0 && err == io.EOF && line == "":
-			return "", nil
+			return "", int(limit), nil
 		case int64(n) == limit:
-			return line, err
+			return line, n, err
 		case int64(n) > limit:
 			if limit < 0 {
-				return "", errors.New("src is not empty")
+				return "", n, conflictError("cannot create new file from non-empty src")
 			}
-			return "", errors.New("overlapping fragments")
+			return "", n, conflictError("fragment overlaps with an applied fragment")
 		case err != nil:
 			if err == io.EOF {
 				err = io.ErrUnexpectedEOF
 			}
-			return line, err
+			return line, n, err
 		}
 
 		if _, err := io.WriteString(dst, line); err != nil {
-			return "", err
+			return "", n, err
 		}
 	}
 }