diff --git a/packages/hardhat-ethers/test/helpers/artifact-manager-mock.ts b/packages/hardhat-ethers/test/helpers/artifact-manager-mock.ts
index 2e1b15b8cbe..d9eef4ad789 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat-ethers/test/helpers/artifact-manager-mock.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat-ethers/test/helpers/artifact-manager-mock.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,23 @@ export class MockArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     return artifact;
   }
 
+  public async tryToReadArtifact<ContractNameT extends string>(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
+  ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT> | undefined> {
+    const artifactFileName = this.#artifactsPaths.get(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
+
+    if (artifactFileName === undefined) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    const artifact = (await import(`./artifacts/${artifactFileName}.ts`))
+      .CONTRACT;
+
+    return artifact;
+  }
+
   public async getArtifactPath(
     _contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<string> {
@@ -60,6 +77,17 @@ export class MockArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     );
   }
 
+  public async tryToGetArtifactPath(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    throw new HardhatError(
+      HardhatError.ERRORS.CORE.INTERNAL.NOT_IMPLEMENTED_ERROR,
+      {
+        message: "Not implemented in MockArtifactManager",
+      },
+    );
+  }
+
   public async artifactExists(
     _contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<boolean> {
diff --git a/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/artifact-manager.ts b/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/artifact-manager.ts
index c13f5d46475..a6ec7f368a7 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/artifact-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/artifact-manager.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,22 @@ export class ArtifactManagerImplementation implements ArtifactManager {
     return readJsonFile(artifactPath);
   }
 
+  public async tryToReadArtifact<
+    ContractNameT extends StringWithArtifactContractNamesAutocompletion,
+  >(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
+  ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT> | undefined> {
+    const artifactPath = await this.tryToGetArtifactPath(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
+
+    if (artifactPath === undefined) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    return readJsonFile(artifactPath);
+  }
+
   public async getArtifactPath(
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<string> {
@@ -78,25 +94,35 @@ export class ArtifactManagerImplementation implements ArtifactManager {
     return artifactPath;
   }
 
-  public async artifactExists(
+  public async tryToGetArtifactPath(
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
-  ): Promise<boolean> {
-    try {
-      // This throw if the artifact doesn't exist
-      await this.getArtifactPath(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName);
-
-      return true;
-    } catch (error) {
-      if (HardhatError.isHardhatError(error)) {
-        if (
-          error.number === HardhatError.ERRORS.CORE.ARTIFACTS.NOT_FOUND.number
-        ) {
-          return false;
-        }
-      }
+  ): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    const fqn = await this.#tryToGetFullyQualifiedName(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
 
-      throw error;
+    if (typeof fqn === "string") {
+      const { fullyQualifiedNameToArtifactPath } = await this.#getFsData();
+
+      const artifactPath = fullyQualifiedNameToArtifactPath.get(fqn);
+      assertHardhatInvariant(
+        artifactPath !== undefined,
+        "Artifact path should be defined",
+      );
+
+      return artifactPath;
     }
+
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  public async artifactExists(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<boolean> {
+    const artifactPath = await this.tryToGetArtifactPath(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
+    return artifactPath !== undefined;
   }
 
   public async getBuildInfoId(
@@ -159,6 +185,32 @@ export class ArtifactManagerImplementation implements ArtifactManager {
   async #getFullyQualifiedName(
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<string> {
+    const fqn = await this.#tryToGetFullyQualifiedName(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
+
+    if (typeof fqn === "string") {
+      return fqn;
+    }
+
+    const { allFullyQualifiedNames, bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap } = fqn;
+
+    this.#throwNotFoundError(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+      bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap.keys(),
+      allFullyQualifiedNames,
+    );
+  }
+
+  async #tryToGetFullyQualifiedName(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<
+    | string
+    | {
+        allFullyQualifiedNames: ReadonlySet<string>;
+        bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap: Map<string, ReadonlySet<string>>;
+      }
+  > {
     const { bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap, allFullyQualifiedNames } =
       await this.#getFsData();
 
@@ -167,11 +219,10 @@ export class ArtifactManagerImplementation implements ArtifactManager {
         return contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName;
       }
 
-      this.#throwNotFoundError(
-        contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
-        bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap.keys(),
+      return {
         allFullyQualifiedNames,
-      );
+        bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap,
+      };
     }
 
     const fqns = bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap.get(
@@ -179,11 +230,10 @@ export class ArtifactManagerImplementation implements ArtifactManager {
     );
 
     if (fqns === undefined || fqns.size === 0) {
-      this.#throwNotFoundError(
-        contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
-        bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap.keys(),
+      return {
+        bareNameToFullyQualifiedNameMap,
         allFullyQualifiedNames,
-      );
+      };
     }
 
     if (fqns.size !== 1) {
diff --git a/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/hook-handlers/hre.ts b/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/hook-handlers/hre.ts
index e60e827ccd0..4ea30485e9c 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/hook-handlers/hre.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat/src/internal/builtin-plugins/artifacts/hook-handlers/hre.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,15 @@ class LazyArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     return artifactManager.readArtifact(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName);
   }
 
+  public async tryToReadArtifact<
+    ContractNameT extends StringWithArtifactContractNamesAutocompletion,
+  >(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
+  ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT> | undefined> {
+    const artifactManager = await this.#getArtifactManager();
+    return artifactManager.tryToReadArtifact(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName);
+  }
+
   public async getArtifactPath(
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<string> {
@@ -30,6 +39,15 @@ class LazyArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     return artifactManager.getArtifactPath(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName);
   }
 
+  public async tryToGetArtifactPath(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    const artifactManager = await this.#getArtifactManager();
+    return artifactManager.tryToGetArtifactPath(
+      contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName,
+    );
+  }
+
   public async artifactExists(
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<boolean> {
diff --git a/packages/hardhat/src/types/artifacts.ts b/packages/hardhat/src/types/artifacts.ts
index a569bfa96b7..bb99935fe60 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat/src/types/artifacts.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat/src/types/artifacts.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,27 @@ export interface ArtifactManager {
     contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
   ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT>>;
 
+  /**
+   * Tries to read an artifact, returning `undefined` if it doesn't exist.
+   *
+   * Use this instead of `readArtifact` if you want to avoid constructing an error when the artifact doesn't exist, which can be expensive if it happens often.
+   *
+   * @param contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName The name of the contract.
+   *   It can be a contract bare contract name (e.g. "Token") if it's
+   *   unique in your project, or a fully qualified contract name
+   *   (e.g. "contract/token.sol:Token") otherwise. TypeScript's language server
+   *   autocompletes the names of the contracts that have already been built. If
+   *   your contract name isn't in the list, you can still use it, and/or run
+   *   `hardhat build` to get it in the list.
+   * @throws Throws an error if a non-unique contract name is used,
+   *   indicating which fully qualified names can be used instead.
+   */
+  tryToReadArtifact<
+    ContractNameT extends StringWithArtifactContractNamesAutocompletion,
+  >(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
+  ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT> | undefined>;
+
   /**
    * Returns the absolute path to the given artifact.
    *
@@ -86,6 +107,20 @@ export interface ArtifactManager {
    */
   getArtifactPath(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string): Promise<string>;
 
+  /**
+   * Tries to get the absolute path to the given artifact, returning `undefined` if it doesn't exist.
+   *
+   * Use this instead of `getArtifactPath` if you want to avoid constructing an error when the artifact doesn't exist, which can be expensive if it happens often.
+   *
+   * @param contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName The name or fully qualified name
+   * of the contract.
+   * @throws Throws an error if a non-unique contract name is used,
+   *   indicating which fully qualified names can be used instead.
+   */
+  tryToGetArtifactPath(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<string | undefined>;
+
   /**
    * Returns true if an artifact exists.
    *
diff --git a/packages/hardhat/test/test-helpers/mock-artifact-manager.ts b/packages/hardhat/test/test-helpers/mock-artifact-manager.ts
index a0fc5aca512..3e898941977 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat/test/test-helpers/mock-artifact-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat/test/test-helpers/mock-artifact-manager.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,23 @@ export class MockArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     return artifact as GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT>;
   }
 
+  public async tryToReadArtifact<
+    ContractNameT extends StringWithArtifactContractNamesAutocompletion,
+  >(
+    contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: ContractNameT,
+  ): Promise<GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT> | undefined> {
+    const artifact = this.#artifacts.get(contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName);
+
+    if (artifact === undefined) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/consistent-type-assertions --
+    We are asserting that the artifact is of the correct type, which won't be
+    really used during tests. */
+    return artifact as GetArtifactByName<ContractNameT>;
+  }
+
   public async getArtifactPath(
     _contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<string> {
@@ -51,6 +68,17 @@ export class MockArtifactManager implements ArtifactManager {
     );
   }
 
+  public async tryToGetArtifactPath(
+    _contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
+  ): Promise<string | undefined> {
+    throw new HardhatError(
+      HardhatError.ERRORS.CORE.INTERNAL.NOT_IMPLEMENTED_ERROR,
+      {
+        message: "Not implemented in MockArtifactManager",
+      },
+    );
+  }
+
   public async artifactExists(
     _contractNameOrFullyQualifiedName: string,
   ): Promise<boolean> {