diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/variablecmds/library.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/variablecmds/library.rs
index 1c20fc77f7..2392a80ee4 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/variablecmds/library.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/variablecmds/library.rs
@@ -235,9 +235,10 @@ impl Library {
 /// A variable's kind comes from its `trait` ([`trait_kind`]). In a data set, an element named after
 /// a variable gives its value, as [`library_value`] reads it. A variable or data set declared
 /// twice, a value for a variable the library doesn't declare, a value that doesn't fit its
-/// variable's kind, and a library past the caps are refused. Entities that its document type
-/// declaration defines are read as [`without_doctype`] says.
-fn parse_library(xml: &str, cmd: &str) -> Result<Library> {
+/// variable's kind, and a library past the caps are refused. With `text_only`, only text values
+/// are read, and the values of the other kinds are passed over unread. Entities that its document
+/// type declaration defines are read as [`without_doctype`] says.
+fn parse_library(xml: &str, cmd: &str, text_only: bool) -> Result<Library> {
     let xml = without_doctype(xml, cmd)?;
     // roxmltree parses nested elements recursively.
     if crate::cmd::place::docx::nesting(&xml) > MAX_LIBRARY_NESTING {
@@ -294,6 +295,9 @@ fn parse_library(xml: &str, cmd: &str) -> Result<Library> {
             if !held.insert(var) {
                 return Err(bad(cmd, format!("data set `{name}` holds two values for `{var}`")));
             }
+            if text_only && *kind != VariableKind::Text {
+                continue;
+            }
             if let Some(value) = library_value(el, *kind, &name, cmd)? {
                 values.insert(var.to_string(), value);
             }
@@ -522,7 +526,8 @@ pub(crate) fn svg_library(svg: &str) -> Option<Result<Library>> {
         for (name, value) in &entities {
             element = element.replace(name.as_str(), value);
         }
-        parse_library(&format!("<svg>{element}</svg>"), C)
+        // The SVG keeps only the text variables, so the values of the other kinds aren't read.
+        parse_library(&format!("<svg>{element}</svg>"), C, true)
     };
     Some(read())
 }
@@ -640,7 +645,7 @@ pub(super) fn load_library(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     const C: &str = "variable.loadLibrary";
     let bytes = library_bytes(p, C)?;
     let xml = std::str::from_utf8(bytes.strip_prefix(b"\xEF\xBB\xBF").unwrap_or(&bytes)).map_err(|_| bad(C, "the variable library is not UTF-8"))?;
-    let lib = parse_library(xml, C)?;
+    let lib = parse_library(xml, C, false)?;
     let vars = &s.doc()?.doc.variables;
     let kept = |v: &Variable| lib.variables.iter().any(|l| l.name == v.name && l.kind == v.kind);
     let deleted: Vec<String> = vars.variables.iter().filter(|v| !kept(v)).map(|v| v.name.clone()).collect();
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests/variables.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests/variables.rs
index 64d5923b9c..bb5b73b2f2 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests/variables.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests/variables.rs
@@ -3304,8 +3304,8 @@ fn an_svg_without_readable_variable_data_opens_its_art() {
     let art = "<rect x=\"1\" y=\"1\" width=\"5\" height=\"5\"/></svg>";
     let untraited = format!("{head}<variableSets><variableSet><variables><variable varName=\"A\"/></variables></variableSet></variableSets>{art}");
     let relative = format!(
-        "{head}<variableSets><variableSet><variables><variable varName=\"A\" trait=\"fileref\"/></variables>\
-         <sampleDataSets><sampleDataSet dataSetName=\"D\"><A>a.png</A></sampleDataSet></sampleDataSets></variableSet></variableSets>{art}"
+        "{head}<variableSets><variableSet><variables><variable varName=\"T\" trait=\"textcontent\"/><variable varName=\"A\" trait=\"fileref\"/></variables>\
+         <sampleDataSets><sampleDataSet dataSetName=\"D\"><T><p>kept</p></T><A>a.png</A></sampleDataSet></sampleDataSets></variableSet></variableSets>{art}"
     );
     let refs = "&ns_big;".repeat(40_000);
     let big = "x".repeat(250);
@@ -3367,12 +3367,18 @@ fn an_svg_without_readable_variable_data_opens_its_art() {
     let (o, warnings) = svg_opened(&untraited, "untraited.svg");
     assert!(warnings.contains(&json!("variables that aren't text were left out: unknown (1)")), "{warnings:?}");
     assert!(o.doc().unwrap().doc.variables.variables.is_empty());
+    // The values of the other kinds aren't read, so one that Load Variable Library would refuse
+    // leaves the text variables and their values as they open.
+    let (o, warnings) = svg_opened(&relative, "relative.svg");
+    assert!(warnings.contains(&json!("variables that aren't text were left out: fileref (1)")), "{warnings:?}");
+    let vars = &o.doc().unwrap().doc.variables;
+    assert_eq!(vars.variables.iter().map(|v| v.name.as_str()).collect::<Vec<_>>(), ["T"]);
+    assert_eq!(vars.dataset("D").map(|d| d.values.clone()), Some([("T".to_string(), vectorcraft_doc::DataValue::Text("kept".into()))].into()));
 
-    for (svg, why) in [(relative, "that isn't a file's absolute path or `file:` URL"), (growing, "entities expand to more than")] {
-        let (o, warnings) = svg_opened(&svg, "broken.svg");
-        assert!(warnings.iter().any(|w| w.as_str().is_some_and(|w| w.contains("variable data wasn't read") && w.contains(why))), "{warnings:?}");
-        let d = &o.doc().unwrap().doc;
-        assert!(d.variables.variables.is_empty());
-        assert_eq!(vectorcraft_testkit::svg_shapes(&vectorcraft_svg::export(d, &Default::default())), 1, "the art opens");
-    }
+    let (o, warnings) = svg_opened(&growing, "broken.svg");
+    let why = "entities expand to more than";
+    assert!(warnings.iter().any(|w| w.as_str().is_some_and(|w| w.contains("variable data wasn't read") && w.contains(why))), "{warnings:?}");
+    let d = &o.doc().unwrap().doc;
+    assert!(d.variables.variables.is_empty());
+    assert_eq!(vectorcraft_testkit::svg_shapes(&vectorcraft_svg::export(d, &Default::default())), 1, "the art opens");
 }