diff --git a/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py b/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
index edb66be..0652a12 100644
--- a/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
+++ b/blender_asset_tracer/blendfile/__init__.py
@@ -839,3 +839,17 @@ class BlendFileBlock:
         """Generator, yields (property path, property value) recursively for all properties."""
         for k in self.keys():
             yield from self.get_recursive_iter(k, as_str=False)
+
+
+def set_strict_pointer_mode(strict_pointers: bool) -> None:
+    """Control behaviour when a pointer to unknown memory is dereferenced.
+
+    Strict pointer mode raise exceptions.SegmentationFault when dereferencing an
+    unknown pointer. This is the default.
+
+    Set to False to disable this exception, and to return None instead, i.e. to
+    ignore such pointers. Note that this can cause None to be returned from a
+    non-nil pointer.
+    """
+
+    BlendFile.strict_pointer_mode = strict_pointers
diff --git a/blender_asset_tracer/cli/__init__.py b/blender_asset_tracer/cli/__init__.py
index 6db6fd9..04120d8 100644
--- a/blender_asset_tracer/cli/__init__.py
+++ b/blender_asset_tracer/cli/__init__.py
@@ -62,6 +62,14 @@ def cli_main():
         const=logging.ERROR,
         help="Log at ERROR level and higher",
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "-S",
+        "--strict-pointers",
+        default=False,
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Crash on pointers to missing data; otherwise the missing data is just ignored.",
+    )
+
     subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(
         help="Choose a subcommand to actually make BAT do something. "
         "Global options go before the subcommand, "
@@ -88,6 +96,8 @@ def cli_main():
     if not args.func:
         parser.error("No subcommand was given")
 
+    set_strict_pointer_mode(args.strict_pointers)
+
     start_time = time.time()
     if args.profile:
         import cProfile
@@ -118,3 +128,9 @@ def config_logging(args):
     # Only set the log level on our own logger. Otherwise
     # debug logging will be completely swamped.
     logging.getLogger("blender_asset_tracer").setLevel(args.loglevel)
+
+
+def set_strict_pointer_mode(strict_pointers: bool) -> None:
+    from blender_asset_tracer import blendfile
+
+    blendfile.set_strict_pointer_mode(strict_pointers)