diff --git a/gio/gsettings.c b/gio/gsettings.c
index eeb9e3bbe..4332ebe44 100644
--- a/gio/gsettings.c
+++ b/gio/gsettings.c
@@ -961,6 +961,12 @@ g_settings_class_init (GSettingsClass *class)
  * Creates a new #GSettings object with the schema specified by
  * @schema_id.
  *
+ * It is an error for the schema to not exist: schemas are an
+ * essential part of a program, as they provide type information.
+ * If schemas need to be dynamically loaded (for example, from an
+ * optional runtime dependency), g_settings_schema_source_lookup()
+ * can be used to test for their existence before loading them.
+ *
  * Signals on the newly created #GSettings object will be dispatched
  * via the thread-default #GMainContext in effect at the time of the
  * call to g_settings_new().  The new #GSettings will hold a reference