diff --git a/errgoengine.go b/errgoengine.go
index 2455877..cdcfaf1 100644
--- a/errgoengine.go
+++ b/errgoengine.go
@@ -91,6 +91,12 @@ func (e *ErrgoEngine) Analyze(workingPath, msg string) (*CompiledErrorTemplate,
 			Document:  doc,
 			Nearest:   WrapNode(doc, nearest),
 		}
+	} else if template == FallbackErrorTemplate {
+		contextData.MainError = &MainError{
+			ErrorNode: nil,
+			Document:  nil,
+			Nearest:   SyntaxNode{},
+		}
 	} else {
 		// return error template for bugbuddy to handle
 		// incomplete error messages
@@ -106,13 +112,18 @@ func (e *ErrgoEngine) Analyze(workingPath, msg string) (*CompiledErrorTemplate,
 
 func (e *ErrgoEngine) Translate(template *CompiledErrorTemplate, contextData *ContextData) (mainExp string, fullExp string) {
 	expGen := &ExplainGenerator{errorName: template.Name}
-	fixGen := &BugFixGenerator{
-		Document: contextData.MainError.Document,
+	fixGen := &BugFixGenerator{}
+	if contextData.MainError != nil {
+		fixGen.Document = contextData.MainError.Document
 	}
 
 	// execute error generator function
 	template.OnGenExplainFn(contextData, expGen)
-	template.OnGenBugFixFn(contextData, fixGen)
+
+	// execute bug fix generator function
+	if template.OnGenBugFixFn != nil {
+		template.OnGenBugFixFn(contextData, fixGen)
+	}
 
 	output := e.OutputGen.Generate(contextData, expGen, fixGen)
 	defer e.OutputGen.Reset()
diff --git a/error_template.go b/error_template.go
index b25b57f..f14e7cb 100644
--- a/error_template.go
+++ b/error_template.go
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) StackTraceRegex() *regexp.Regexp {
 }
 
 func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) ExtractVariables(msg string) map[string]string {
+	if tmp.Pattern == nil {
+		return map[string]string{}
+	}
 	variables := map[string]string{}
 	groupNames := tmp.Pattern.SubexpNames()
 	for _, submatches := range tmp.Pattern.FindAllStringSubmatch(msg, -1) {
@@ -55,10 +58,13 @@ func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) ExtractVariables(msg string) map[string]string
 
 func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) ExtractStackTrace(cd *ContextData) TraceStack {
 	traceStack := TraceStack{}
-	workingPath := cd.WorkingPath
+	stackTraceRegex := tmp.StackTraceRegex()
+	if stackTraceRegex == nil {
+		return traceStack
+	}
 
+	workingPath := cd.WorkingPath
 	rawStackTraceItem := cd.Variables["stacktrace"]
-	stackTraceRegex := tmp.StackTraceRegex()
 	symbolGroupIdx := stackTraceRegex.SubexpIndex("symbol")
 	pathGroupIdx := stackTraceRegex.SubexpIndex("path")
 	posGroupIdx := stackTraceRegex.SubexpIndex("position")
@@ -94,6 +100,9 @@ func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) ExtractStackTrace(cd *ContextData) TraceStack
 }
 
 func (tmp *CompiledErrorTemplate) Match(str string) bool {
+	if tmp == FallbackErrorTemplate {
+		return true
+	}
 	return tmp.Pattern.MatchString(str)
 }
 
@@ -187,5 +196,28 @@ func (tmps ErrorTemplates) Find(language, name string) *CompiledErrorTemplate {
 }
 
 func TemplateKey(language, name string) string {
+	if len(language) == 0 {
+		return name
+	}
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", language, name)
 }
+
+var FallbackErrorTemplate = &CompiledErrorTemplate{
+	ErrorTemplate: ErrorTemplate{
+		Name:    "UnknownError",
+		Pattern: `.*`,
+		OnGenExplainFn: func(cd *ContextData, gen *ExplainGenerator) {
+			gen.Add("There are no available error templates for this error.\n")
+			gen.Add("```\n")
+			gen.Add(cd.Variables["message"])
+			gen.Add("\n```")
+		},
+	},
+	Language: &Language{
+		AnalyzerFactory: func(cd *ContextData) LanguageAnalyzer {
+			return nil
+		},
+	},
+	Pattern:           nil,
+	StackTracePattern: nil,
+}
diff --git a/error_templates/fallback/fallback_test.go b/error_templates/fallback/fallback_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ceaaca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/error_templates/fallback/fallback_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package error_templates_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	lib "github.com/nedpals/errgoengine"
+	testutils "github.com/nedpals/errgoengine/error_templates/test_utils"
+)
+
+func TestFallbackErrorTemplate(t *testing.T) {
+	testutils.SetupTest(t, testutils.SetupTestConfig{
+		DirName: "fallback",
+		TemplateLoader: func(et *lib.ErrorTemplates) {
+			(*et)[lib.TemplateKey("", lib.FallbackErrorTemplate.Name)] = lib.FallbackErrorTemplate
+		},
+	}).Execute(t)
+}
diff --git a/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/random_program.testlang b/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/random_program.testlang
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bd19a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/random_program.testlang
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+hi im a random program!
diff --git a/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/test.txt b/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/test.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f191ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/error_templates/fallback/test_files/random/test.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+template: "UnknownError"
+---
+oh no i'm an error! :<<<
+
+===
+template: "UnknownError"
+---
+aaa
diff --git a/error_templates/test_utils/test_file_parser.go b/error_templates/test_utils/test_file_parser.go
index 1e25991..238a242 100644
--- a/error_templates/test_utils/test_file_parser.go
+++ b/error_templates/test_utils/test_file_parser.go
@@ -236,10 +236,20 @@ func (p *Parser) ParseInputExpected(filename string, input string) (*TestOutput,
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
+	if len(inputOut.Language) != 0 && len(inputOut.Template) == 0 {
+		inputOut.Template = inputOut.Language
+		inputOut.Language = ""
+	}
+
 	expOut, err := p.Parse(strings.NewReader(rawOutputs[1]))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
+	if len(expOut.Language) != 0 && len(expOut.Template) == 0 {
+		expOut.Template = expOut.Language
+		expOut.Language = ""
+	}
+
 	return inputOut, expOut, nil
 }
diff --git a/error_templates/test_utils/test_utils.go b/error_templates/test_utils/test_utils.go
index a79d51e..704a3b5 100644
--- a/error_templates/test_utils/test_utils.go
+++ b/error_templates/test_utils/test_utils.go
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func SetupTest(tb testing.TB, cfg SetupTestConfig) TestCases {
 				return e
 			}
 
-			if expTemp.Language.MatchPath(path) {
+			if (expTemp == lib.FallbackErrorTemplate && !d.IsDir()) || expTemp.Language.MatchPath(path) {
 				fileContent, err := os.ReadFile(path)
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
diff --git a/output_gen.go b/output_gen.go
index c22a0cb..fbedefb 100644
--- a/output_gen.go
+++ b/output_gen.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func (gen *OutputGenerator) Generate(cd *ContextData, explain *ExplainGenerator,
 	gen.generateFromExp(1, explain)
 	doc := cd.MainError.Document
 
-	if gen.IsTesting && !cd.MainError.Nearest.IsNull() {
+	if doc != nil && gen.IsTesting && !cd.MainError.Nearest.IsNull() {
 		startLineNr := cd.MainError.Nearest.StartPosition().Line
 		startLines := doc.LinesAt(max(startLineNr-1, 0), startLineNr)
 		endLines := doc.LinesAt(min(startLineNr+1, doc.TotalLines()), min(startLineNr+2, doc.TotalLines()))
diff --git a/trace_stack.go b/trace_stack.go
index fa516aa..986ad29 100644
--- a/trace_stack.go
+++ b/trace_stack.go
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ func (st *TraceStack) Add(symbolName string, loc Location) {
 }
 
 func (st TraceStack) Top() StackTraceEntry {
+	if len(st) == 0 {
+		return StackTraceEntry{}
+	}
 	return st[len(st)-1]
 }