diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index b5d1cf2..4ad3e7d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ Unreleased
 
 * Support Python 3.13.
 
+* Fix crashing on non-existent directories, which Django sometimes tries to watch.
+
+  Thanks to baseplate-admin for the report in `Issue #12 <https://github.com/adamchainz/django-watchfiles/issues/12>`__ and Steven Mapes for the fix in `PR #117 <https://github.com/adamchainz/django-watchfiles/pull/117>`__.
+
 0.2.0 (2024-06-19)
 ------------------
 
diff --git a/src/django_watchfiles/__init__.py b/src/django_watchfiles/__init__.py
index 19b05eb..bc59adb 100644
--- a/src/django_watchfiles/__init__.py
+++ b/src/django_watchfiles/__init__.py
@@ -80,7 +80,9 @@ def watched_roots(self, watched_files: Iterable[Path]) -> frozenset[Path]:
         extra_directories = self.directory_globs.keys()
         watched_file_dirs = {f.parent for f in watched_files}
         sys_paths = set(autoreload.sys_path_directories())
-        return frozenset((*extra_directories, *watched_file_dirs, *sys_paths))
+        all_dirs = (*extra_directories, *watched_file_dirs, *sys_paths)
+        existing_dirs = (p for p in all_dirs if p.exists())
+        return frozenset(existing_dirs)
 
     def tick(self) -> Generator[None]:
         self.watched_files_set = set(self.watched_files(include_globs=False))
diff --git a/tests/test_django_watchfiles.py b/tests/test_django_watchfiles.py
index 6cfb824..c14e5b6 100644
--- a/tests/test_django_watchfiles.py
+++ b/tests/test_django_watchfiles.py
@@ -163,6 +163,14 @@ def test_tick(self):
         result = self.reloader.file_filter(Change.modified, str(test_txt))
         assert result is True
 
+    def test_tick_non_existent_directory_watched(self):
+        does_not_exist = self.temp_path / "nope"
+        self.reloader.watch_dir(does_not_exist, "*.txt")
+
+        iterator = self.reloader.tick()
+        result = next(iterator)
+        assert result is None
+
 
 class ReplacedGetReloaderTests(SimpleTestCase):
     def test_replaced_get_reloader(self):