diff --git a/src/filetree.rs b/src/filetree.rs
index fe1c6787..c1e58a88 100644
--- a/src/filetree.rs
+++ b/src/filetree.rs
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ pub(crate) fn apply_diff(
     if !opts.skip_removals {
         for path in diff.removals.iter() {
             destdir
-                .remove_file(path)
+                .remove_file_optional(path)
                 .with_context(|| format!("removing {path}"))?;
         }
     }