diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 19b5bf6..95835d8 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -1764,8 +1764,14 @@
 
 static void diff_filespec_load_driver(struct diff_filespec *one)
 {
-	if (!one->driver)
+	/* Use already-loaded driver */
+	if (one->driver)
+		return;
+
+	if (S_ISREG(one->mode))
 		one->driver = userdiff_find_by_path(one->path);
+
+	/* Fallback to default settings */
 	if (!one->driver)
 		one->driver = userdiff_find_by_name("default");
 }
@@ -1813,8 +1819,7 @@
 {
 	if (!DIFF_FILE_VALID(one))
 		return NULL;
-	if (!S_ISREG(one->mode))
-		return NULL;
+
 	diff_filespec_load_driver(one);
 	if (!one->driver->textconv)
 		return NULL;