diff --git a/bin/portzap b/bin/portzap
index 9473421..f1282e8 100755
--- a/bin/portzap
+++ b/bin/portzap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ gitdir="/home/_portzap/ports"
 giturl="${PORTZAP_GITURL:-https://git.hardenedbsd.org/hardenedbsd/ports.git}"
 installdir="${PORTZAP_INSTALLDIR:-/usr/ports}"
 revision="${installdir}"/.portzap
-libexec="${localbase}"/libexec/portzap
+libexec=$(realpath "$(dirname "$0")")/../libexec/portzap
 
 ##
 # functions
@@ -17,12 +17,16 @@ require_dependency() {
     deps=$1
     for dep in $deps; do
         if ! which -s "$dep"; then
-            echo "ERR This command requires ${dep}, but ${dep} wasn't found"
+            printerr "${dep} wasn't found on \$PATH"
             exit 1
         fi
     done
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 i=1
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/portzap-checkout b/libexec/portzap/portzap-checkout
index 99b96ea..b183a72 100644
--- a/libexec/portzap/portzap-checkout
+++ b/libexec/portzap/portzap-checkout
@@ -18,16 +18,19 @@ gitexec()
          /bin/sh -c "umask ${mode}; ${git} ${1}"
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 if ! "${libexec}"/isportzap-member; then
-    echo "ERR This command must be run by a member of the '_portzap' group"
+    printerr "$(id -un) is not a member of _portzap"
     exit 1
 fi
 
 if [ ! -e "${gitdir}/.git" ]; then
-    echo "ERR ${gitdir} is not a valid git repository."
-    echo "ERR Try: portzap clone"
+    printerr "try 'portzap clone' instead"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/portzap-clone b/libexec/portzap/portzap-clone
index 37e46e6..64e9b25 100755
--- a/libexec/portzap/portzap-clone
+++ b/libexec/portzap/portzap-clone
@@ -19,16 +19,19 @@ gitexec()
          /bin/sh -c "umask ${mode}; ${git} ${1}"
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 if ! "${libexec}"/isportzap-member; then
-    echo "ERR This command must be run by a member of the '_portzap' group"
+    printerr "$(id -un) is not a member of _portzap"
     exit 1
 fi
 
 if [ -e "${gitdir}/.git" ]; then
-    echo "ERR ${gitdir} exists."
-    echo "ERR Try: portzap pull"
+    printerr "try 'portzap pull' instead"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/portzap-install b/libexec/portzap/portzap-install
index 8519cbb..2c347d5 100755
--- a/libexec/portzap/portzap-install
+++ b/libexec/portzap/portzap-install
@@ -57,10 +57,14 @@ run_install()
     install -o root -g _portzap -m "${mode}" -v "$@"
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 if [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ]; then
-    echo "ERR This command must be run by root"
+    printerr "you must be root"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/portzap-pull b/libexec/portzap/portzap-pull
index 326e939..f3f0e67 100755
--- a/libexec/portzap/portzap-pull
+++ b/libexec/portzap/portzap-pull
@@ -17,17 +17,19 @@ gitexec()
          /bin/sh -c "umask ${mode}; ${git} ${1}"
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 if ! "${libexec}"/isportzap-member; then
-    echo "ERR This command must be run by a member of the '_portzap' group"
+    printerr "$(id -un) is not a member of _portzap"
     exit 1
 fi
 
 if [ ! -e "${gitdir}/.git" ]; then
-    set +x
-    echo "ERR ${gitdir} is not a valid git repository."
-    echo "ERR Try: portzap clone"
+    printerr "try 'portzap clone' instead"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/portzap-rm b/libexec/portzap/portzap-rm
index 49c853f..b82138f 100644
--- a/libexec/portzap/portzap-rm
+++ b/libexec/portzap/portzap-rm
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ set -e
 
 ##
 # variables
+libexec=$(dirname "$0")
 gitdir=$1
 installdir=$2
 
@@ -22,10 +23,14 @@ erase()
     echo
 }
 
+printerr() {
+    "${libexec}"/print-err "$1"
+}
+
 ##
 # main
 if [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ]; then
-    echo "ERR This command must be run by root"
+    printerr "you must be root"
     exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/libexec/portzap/print-err b/libexec/portzap/print-err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fdbff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libexec/portzap/print-err
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -e
+
+##
+# variables
+err="${1}"
+
+##
+# main
+printf "error: %s\n" "${err}" > /dev/stderr