diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Api.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Api.js
index 8e0d9d3a1..67bc66588 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Api.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Api.js
@@ -46,6 +46,33 @@
 		this.cache = {};
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Wraps a caching layer around a function returning a promise; if getCachedPromise has been
+	 * called with the same key already, it will return the previous result.
+	 *
+	 * Since it is the promise and not the API response that gets cached, this method can ensure
+	 * that there are no race conditions and multiple calls to the same resource: even if the
+	 * request is still in progress, separate calls (with the same key) to getCachedPromise will
+	 * share on the same promise object.
+	 * The promise is cached even if it is rejected, so if the API request fails, all later calls
+	 * to getCachedPromise will fail immediately without retrying the request.
+	 *
+	 * @param {string} key cache key
+	 * @param {function(): jQuery.Promise} getPromise a function to get the promise on cache miss
+	 */
+	Api.prototype.getCachedPromise = function( key, getPromise ) {
+		var provider = this;
+
+		if ( !this.cache[key] ) {
+			this.cache[key] = getPromise();
+			this.cache[key].fail( function ( error ) {
+				// constructor.name is usually not reliable in inherited classes, but OOjs fixes that
+				mw.log( provider.constructor.name + ' provider failed to load: ', error );
+			} );
+		}
+		return this.cache[key];
+	};
+
 	/**
 	 * Pulls an error message out of an API response.
 	 * @param {Object} data
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.FileRepoInfo.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.FileRepoInfo.js
index 283d40233..3b0a548fc 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.FileRepoInfo.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.FileRepoInfo.js
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@
 	FileRepoInfo.prototype.get = function() {
 		var provider = this;
 
-		if ( !this.cache['*'] ) {
-			this.cache['*'] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( '*', function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				meta: 'filerepoinfo',
 				format: 'json'
@@ -51,9 +51,7 @@
 				} );
 				return reposHash;
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache['*'];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.FileRepoInfo = FileRepoInfo;
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.GlobalUsage.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.GlobalUsage.js
index 15df554ec..fca4198b1 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.GlobalUsage.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.GlobalUsage.js
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@
 	 */
 	GlobalUsage.prototype.get = function( file ) {
 		var provider = this,
-			cacheKey = file.getPrefixedDb(),
 			fileUsage;
 
 		if ( this.options.doNotUseApi ) {
@@ -63,14 +62,14 @@
 			return $.Deferred().resolve( fileUsage );
 		}
 
-		if ( !this.cache[cacheKey] ) {
-			this.cache[cacheKey] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( file.getPrefixedDb(), function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				prop: 'globalusage',
 				titles: file.getPrefixedDb(),
 				guprop: ['url', 'namespace'],
 				gufilterlocal: 1,
-				gulimit: this.options.apiLimit,
+				gulimit: provider.options.apiLimit,
 				format: 'json'
 			} ).then( function( data ) {
 				return provider.getQueryPage( file, data );
@@ -90,9 +89,7 @@
 					!!( data['query-continue'] && data['query-continue'].globalusage )
 				);
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.GlobalUsage = GlobalUsage;
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Image.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Image.js
index 541ba7b4b..d23a0e09e 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Image.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.Image.js
@@ -61,7 +61,9 @@
 			}
 		}
 
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		return this.cache[cacheKey].fail( function ( error ) {
+			mw.log( provider.constructor + ' provider failed to load: ', error );
+		} );
 	};
 
 	/**
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageInfo.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageInfo.js
index 478a8c173..f00e17f66 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageInfo.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageInfo.js
@@ -73,17 +73,16 @@
 	 * @return {jQuery.Promise} a promise which resolves to an mw.mmv.model.Image object.
 	 */
 	ImageInfo.prototype.get = function( file ) {
-		var provider = this,
-			cacheKey = file.getPrefixedDb();
+		var provider = this;
 
-		if ( !this.cache[cacheKey] ) {
-			this.cache[cacheKey] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( file.getPrefixedDb(), function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				prop: 'imageinfo',
 				titles: file.getPrefixedDb(),
-				iiprop: this.iiprop,
-				iiextmetadatafilter: this.iiextmetadatafilter,
-				iiextmetadatalanguage: this.options.language,
+				iiprop: provider.iiprop,
+				iiextmetadatafilter: provider.iiextmetadatafilter,
+				iiextmetadatalanguage: provider.options.language,
 				format: 'json'
 			} ).then( function( data ) {
 				return provider.getQueryPage( file, data );
@@ -96,9 +95,7 @@
 					return $.Deferred().reject( 'unknown error' );
 				}
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.ImageInfo = ImageInfo;
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageUsage.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageUsage.js
index ea36df3ff..4d8e8c128 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageUsage.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ImageUsage.js
@@ -47,16 +47,15 @@
 	 * @return {jQuery.Promise}
 	 */
 	ImageUsage.prototype.get = function( file ) {
-		var provider = this,
-			cacheKey = file.getPrefixedDb();
+		var provider = this;
 
-		if ( !this.cache[cacheKey] ) {
-			this.cache[cacheKey] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( file.getPrefixedDb(), function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				list: 'imageusage',
 				iutitle: file.getPrefixedDb(),
-				iunamespace: this.options.namespaces,
-				iulimit: this.options.apiLimit,
+				iunamespace: provider.options.namespaces,
+				iulimit: provider.options.apiLimit,
 				format: 'json'
 			} ).then( function( data ) {
 				return provider.getQueryField( 'imageusage', data );
@@ -76,9 +75,7 @@
 					!!( data['query-continue'] && data['query-continue'].imageusage )
 				);
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.ImageUsage = ImageUsage;
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ThumbnailInfo.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ThumbnailInfo.js
index 0a0be6db3..ddff9c94c 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ThumbnailInfo.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.ThumbnailInfo.js
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@
 		var provider = this,
 			cacheKey = file.getPrefixedDb() + '|' + ( width || '' ) + '|' + ( height || '' );
 
-		if ( !this.cache[cacheKey] ) {
-			this.cache[cacheKey] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( cacheKey, function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				prop: 'imageinfo',
 				titles: file.getPrefixedDb(),
@@ -76,9 +76,7 @@
 					return $.Deferred().reject( 'unknown error' );
 				}
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.ThumbnailInfo = ThumbnailInfo;
diff --git a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.UserInfo.js b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.UserInfo.js
index 05030444c..425601624 100644
--- a/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.UserInfo.js
+++ b/resources/mmv/provider/mmv.provider.UserInfo.js
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@
 			cacheKey = cacheKey + '|' + repoInfo.apiUrl; // local and remote user names could conflict
 		}
 
-		if ( !this.cache[cacheKey] ) {
-			this.cache[cacheKey] = this.api.get( {
+		return this.getCachedPromise( cacheKey, function () {
+			return provider.api.get( {
 				action: 'query',
 				list: 'users',
 				ususers: username,
@@ -69,9 +69,7 @@
 					return new mw.mmv.model.User( username, mw.mmv.model.User.Gender.UNKNOWN );
 				}
 			} );
-		}
-
-		return this.cache[cacheKey];
+		} );
 	};
 
 	mw.mmv.provider.UserInfo = UserInfo;