diff --git a/common/imglib.cc b/common/imglib.cc
index 4b4079b0..39733168 100644
--- a/common/imglib.cc
+++ b/common/imglib.cc
@@ -331,8 +331,10 @@ std::tuple<std::optional<img::texture>, fs::resolve_result, fs::data> load_textu
 {
     fs::path prefix{};
 
-    if (!no_prefix && game->id == GAME_QUAKE_II) {
-        prefix = "textures";
+    if (!no_prefix) {
+        if (game->id == GAME_QUAKE_II || !mip_only) {
+            prefix = "textures";
+        }
     }
 
     std::vector<extension_info_t> exts;
diff --git a/qbsp/qbsp.cc b/qbsp/qbsp.cc
index 61d8422d..33dec578 100644
--- a/qbsp/qbsp.cc
+++ b/qbsp/qbsp.cc
@@ -1540,7 +1540,10 @@ static void LoadTextureData()
         miptex.name = map.miptex[i].name;
 
         {
-            auto [tex, pos, file] = img::load_texture(map.miptex[i].name, true, qbsp_options.target_game, qbsp_options, false, true);
+            // i.e. only allow loose (non-.wad) textures if -notex is in use
+            const bool mip_only = !qbsp_options.notextures.value();
+
+            auto [tex, pos, file] = img::load_texture(map.miptex[i].name, true, qbsp_options.target_game, qbsp_options, false, mip_only);
 
             if (!tex) {
                 if (pos.archive) {
diff --git a/testmaps/q1_loose_textures.map b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures.map
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b37cd362
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures.map
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+// Game: Generic
+// Format: Standard
+// entity 0
+{
+"classname" "worldspawn"
+"_tb_textures" "textures"
+// brush 0
+{
+( -64 -64 -16 ) ( -64 -63 -16 ) ( -64 -64 -15 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( -64 -224 -16 ) ( -64 -224 -15 ) ( -63 -224 -16 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 -16 ) ( -63 -64 -16 ) ( -64 -63 -16 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 16 ) ( 64 65 16 ) ( 65 64 16 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 16 ) ( 65 64 16 ) ( 64 64 17 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( 304 64 16 ) ( 304 64 17 ) ( 304 65 16 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+}
+// brush 1
+{
+( -80 -64 -32 ) ( -80 -63 -32 ) ( -80 -64 -31 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -224 -32 ) ( -64 -224 -31 ) ( -63 -224 -32 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 16 ) ( -63 -64 16 ) ( -64 -63 16 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 144 ) ( 64 65 144 ) ( 65 64 144 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 0 ) ( 65 64 0 ) ( 64 64 1 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 -32 ) ( -64 -64 -31 ) ( -64 -63 -32 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+}
+// brush 2
+{
+( -80 -64 -32 ) ( -80 -63 -32 ) ( -80 -64 -31 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 64 64 0 ) ( 64 64 1 ) ( 65 64 0 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 16 ) ( -63 -64 16 ) ( -64 -63 16 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 144 ) ( 64 65 144 ) ( 65 64 144 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 80 0 ) ( 65 80 0 ) ( 64 80 1 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 304 -64 -32 ) ( 304 -64 -31 ) ( 304 -63 -32 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+}
+// brush 3
+{
+( 304 -64 -32 ) ( 304 -63 -32 ) ( 304 -64 -31 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 64 -224 0 ) ( 64 -224 1 ) ( 65 -224 0 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 16 ) ( -63 -64 16 ) ( -64 -63 16 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 144 ) ( 64 65 144 ) ( 65 64 144 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 80 0 ) ( 65 80 0 ) ( 64 80 1 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 320 -64 -32 ) ( 320 -64 -31 ) ( 320 -63 -32 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+}
+// brush 4
+{
+( -64 -64 -32 ) ( -64 -63 -32 ) ( -64 -64 -31 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 64 -240 0 ) ( 64 -240 1 ) ( 65 -240 0 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 16 ) ( -63 -64 16 ) ( -64 -63 16 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 144 ) ( 64 65 144 ) ( 65 64 144 ) wall_tan_a 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 -224 0 ) ( 65 -224 0 ) ( 64 -224 1 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+( 320 -64 -32 ) ( 320 -64 -31 ) ( 320 -63 -32 ) wall_tan_a 0 -16 0 1 1
+}
+// brush 5
+{
+( -64 -64 144 ) ( -64 -63 144 ) ( -64 -64 145 ) floor_purple_c 0 -32 0 1 1
+( -64 -224 144 ) ( -64 -224 145 ) ( -63 -224 144 ) floor_purple_c 0 -32 0 1 1
+( -64 -64 144 ) ( -63 -64 144 ) ( -64 -63 144 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 176 ) ( 64 65 176 ) ( 65 64 176 ) floor_purple_c 0 0 0 1 1
+( 64 64 176 ) ( 65 64 176 ) ( 64 64 177 ) floor_purple_c 0 -32 0 1 1
+( 304 64 176 ) ( 304 64 177 ) ( 304 65 176 ) floor_purple_c 0 -32 0 1 1
+}
+}
+// entity 1
+{
+"classname" "info_player_start"
+"origin" "224 -144 40"
+"angle" "180"
+}
diff --git a/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/floor_purple_c.png b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/floor_purple_c.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9954d687
Binary files /dev/null and b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/floor_purple_c.png differ
diff --git a/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/lq_dev_readme.txt b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/lq_dev_readme.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..59c7775b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/lq_dev_readme.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+everything in lq_dev/ is under the cc0 licence
+
+love
+
+-misslavender
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/wall_tan_a.png b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/wall_tan_a.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..40963cde
Binary files /dev/null and b/testmaps/q1_loose_textures/textures/wall_tan_a.png differ
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index cca831e6..35225455 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ if (NOT EMBREE_TBB_DLL STREQUAL EMBREE_TBB_DLL-NOTFOUND)
 	message(STATUS "Found embree EMBREE_TBB_DLL: ${EMBREE_TBB_DLL}")
 endif()
 
-target_link_libraries(tests libqbsp liblight libvis libbsputil common TBB::tbb TBB::tbbmalloc GTest::gtest fmt::fmt nanobench::nanobench)
+target_link_libraries(tests libqbsp liblight libvis libbsputil common TBB::tbb TBB::tbbmalloc GTest::gtest GTest::gmock fmt::fmt nanobench::nanobench)
 
 # HACK: copy .dll dependencies
 add_custom_command(TARGET tests POST_BUILD
diff --git a/tests/test_qbsp.cc b/tests/test_qbsp.cc
index e18b0552..6ee9e308 100644
--- a/tests/test_qbsp.cc
+++ b/tests/test_qbsp.cc
@@ -14,12 +14,14 @@
 #include <common/log.hh>
 #include <testmaps.hh>
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <fstream>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <stdexcept>
 #include <tuple>
 #include <map>
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
+#include <gmock/gmock.h>
 #include "testutils.hh"
 #include "test_main.hh"
 
@@ -102,14 +104,18 @@ std::tuple<mbsp_t, bspxentries_t, std::optional<prtfile_t>> LoadTestmap(
 
     auto wal_metadata_path = std::filesystem::path(testmaps_dir) / "q2_wal_metadata";
 
-    std::vector<std::string> args{"", // the exe path, which we're ignoring in this case
-        "-path", wal_metadata_path.string()};
+    std::vector<std::string> args{""}; // the exe path, which we're ignoring in this case
+    if (std::ranges::find(extra_args, "-path") == extra_args.end()) {
+        extra_args.push_back("-path");
+        extra_args.push_back(wal_metadata_path.string());
+    }
 
     if (!tests_verbose) {
         args.push_back("-noverbose");
     } else {
         args.push_back("-nopercent");
         args.push_back("-loghulls");
+        args.push_back("-verbose");
     }
 
     for (auto &arg : extra_args) {
@@ -1576,6 +1582,42 @@ TEST(testmapsQ1, wadExternal)
     EXPECT_EQ(bsp.dtex.textures[3].data.size(), sizeof(dmiptex_t));
 }
 
+TEST(testmapsQ1, looseTextures)
+{
+    SCOPED_TRACE("loose textures are only loaded when -notex is in use");
+
+    auto q1_loose_textures_path = std::filesystem::path(testmaps_dir) / "q1_loose_textures";
+
+    const auto [bsp, bspx, prt] = LoadTestmapQ1("q1_loose_textures.map",
+        {"-path", q1_loose_textures_path.string(), "-notex"});
+
+    EXPECT_EQ(GAME_QUAKE, bsp.loadversion->game->id);
+
+    // FIXME: we shouldn't really write out skip
+    const miptex_t &skip = bsp.dtex.textures[0];
+    EXPECT_EQ(skip.name, "");
+    EXPECT_TRUE(skip.null_texture);
+    EXPECT_EQ(skip.width, 0);
+    EXPECT_EQ(skip.height, 0);
+    EXPECT_EQ(skip.data.size(), 0);
+
+    const miptex_t &floor_purple_c = bsp.dtex.textures[1];
+    EXPECT_EQ(floor_purple_c.name, "floor_purple_c");
+    EXPECT_FALSE(floor_purple_c.null_texture);
+    EXPECT_EQ(floor_purple_c.width, 64);
+    EXPECT_EQ(floor_purple_c.height, 64);
+    EXPECT_EQ(floor_purple_c.data.size(), sizeof(dmiptex_t));
+    EXPECT_THAT(floor_purple_c.offsets, testing::ElementsAre(0, 0, 0, 0));
+
+    const miptex_t &wall_tan_a = bsp.dtex.textures[2];
+    EXPECT_EQ(wall_tan_a.name, "wall_tan_a");
+    EXPECT_FALSE(wall_tan_a.null_texture);
+    EXPECT_EQ(wall_tan_a.width, 64);
+    EXPECT_EQ(wall_tan_a.height, 64);
+    EXPECT_EQ(wall_tan_a.data.size(), sizeof(dmiptex_t));
+    EXPECT_THAT(wall_tan_a.offsets, testing::ElementsAre(0, 0, 0, 0));
+}
+
 TEST(testmapsQ1, looseTexturesIgnored)
 {
     SCOPED_TRACE("q1 should only load textures from .wad's. loose textures should not be included.");