diff --git a/src/ErrCtx.zig b/src/ErrCtx.zig
index da15f70..7fab231 100644
--- a/src/ErrCtx.zig
+++ b/src/ErrCtx.zig
@@ -35,10 +35,30 @@ pub fn writer(self: *ErrCtx) Writer {
     return Writer{ .context = self };
 }
 
-pub fn err(self: *ErrCtx, comptime format: []const u8, args: anytype) void {
+pub fn print(self: *ErrCtx, comptime format: []const u8, args: anytype) void {
     self.writer().print(format, args) catch unreachable;
 }
 
+pub fn returnf(
+    self: *ErrCtx,
+    comptime format: []const u8,
+    args: anytype,
+    comptime ret: anytype,
+) @TypeOf(ret) {
+    self.writer().print(format, args) catch unreachable;
+    return ret;
+}
+
+pub fn wrap(self: *ErrCtx, comptime msg: []const u8) *ErrCtx {
+    self.writer().writeAll(msg) catch unreachable;
+    return self;
+}
+
+pub fn wrapf(self: *ErrCtx, comptime format: []const u8, args: anytype) *ErrCtx {
+    self.writer().print(format, args) catch unreachable;
+    return self;
+}
+
 pub fn iterator(self: *const ErrCtx) mem.SplitIterator(u8) {
     const slice = self.buf.constSlice();
     const last_byte = if (slice[slice.len - 1] == '0') slice.len - 1 else slice.len;
diff --git a/src/User.zig b/src/User.zig
index db3e30b..56e0e97 100644
--- a/src/User.zig
+++ b/src/User.zig
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ fn fromLine(allocator: Allocator, err_ctx: *ErrCtx, line: []const u8) error{ Inv
 
     // all fields are set
     if (shell == null) {
-        err_ctx.err("too few user fields in line: {s}", .{line});
+        err_ctx.print("too few user fields in line: {s}", .{line});
         return error.InvalidRecord;
     }
 
@@ -67,19 +67,33 @@ fn fromLine(allocator: Allocator, err_ctx: *ErrCtx, line: []const u8) error{ Inv
         return error.InvalidRecord;
 
     const uid = fmt.parseInt(u32, uids.?, 10) catch {
-        err_ctx.err("bad uid: {s}", .{uids.?});
-        return error.InvalidRecord;
+        return err_ctx.returnf("bad uid: {s}", .{uids.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
     };
 
     const gid = fmt.parseInt(u32, gids.?, 10) catch {
-        err_ctx.err("bad uid: {s}", .{gids.?});
-        return error.InvalidRecord;
+        return err_ctx.returnf("bad uid: {s}", .{gids.?}, error.InvalidRecord);
     };
 
-    validate.utf8(name.?) catch err_ctx.err("name is invalid utf8: {s}", .{name.?});
-    validate.utf8(gecos.?) catch err_ctx.err("gecos is invalid utf8: {s}", .{gecos.?});
-    validate.utf8(home.?) catch err_ctx.err("home is invalid utf8: {s}", .{home.?});
-    validate.utf8(shell.?) catch err_ctx.err("shell is invalid utf8: {s}", .{shell.?});
+    validate.utf8(name.?) catch return err_ctx.returnf(
+        "name is invalid utf8: {s}",
+        .{name.?},
+        error.InvalidRecord,
+    );
+    validate.utf8(gecos.?) catch return err_ctx.returnf(
+        "gecos is invalid utf8: {s}",
+        .{gecos.?},
+        error.InvalidRecord,
+    );
+    validate.utf8(home.?) catch return err_ctx.returnf(
+        "home is invalid utf8: {s}",
+        .{home.?},
+        error.InvalidRecord,
+    );
+    validate.utf8(shell.?) catch return err_ctx.returnf(
+        "shell is invalid utf8: {s}",
+        .{shell.?},
+        error.InvalidRecord,
+    );
 
     if (err_ctx.dirty)
         return error.InvalidRecord;
diff --git a/src/unix2db/main.zig b/src/unix2db/main.zig
index 1e2400f..08f6018 100644
--- a/src/unix2db/main.zig
+++ b/src/unix2db/main.zig
@@ -28,16 +28,16 @@ pub fn main() !void {
     const argv: []const [*:0]const u8 = os.argv;
     const gpa = GeneralPurposeAllocator(.{});
 
-    const return_code = execute(gpa, argv[1..]) catch |err| {
-        try io.getStdErr().writeAll("uncaught error: {s}\n", @intToError(err));
-        os.exit(1);
-    };
+    const stderr = try io.getStdErr();
+    const stdout = try io.getStdOut();
 
+    const return_code = execute(gpa, stdout, stderr, argv[1..]);
     os.exit(return_code);
 }
 
 fn execute(
     allocator: Allocator,
+    stdout: anytype,
     stderr: anytype,
     argv: []const [*:0]const u8,
 ) u8 {
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ fn execute(
     };
 
     if (result.boolFlag("-h")) {
-        io.getStdOut().writeAll(usage) catch return 1;
+        stdout.writeAll(usage) catch return 1;
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -66,62 +66,72 @@ fn execute(
     const groupFname = result.argFlag("--group") orelse "./group";
     const outFile = result.argFlag("--output") orelse "./db.turbo";
 
-    // to catch a specific file.OpenError, wait for
+    // to catch a specific file.OpenError, hold thumbs for
     // https://github.com/ziglang/zig/issues/2473
+    var errc = ErrCtx{};
     var passwdFile = fs.cwd().openFile(
         passwdFname,
         .{ .mode = .read_only },
-    ) catch |err| {
-        stderr.print("Error opening {s}: {s}\n", .{ passwdFname, @errorName(err) }) catch {};
-        return 1;
-    };
+    ) catch |err| return fail(errc.wrapf("open {s}", .{passwdFname}), stderr, err);
+
     defer passwdFile.close();
-    var groupFile = fs.cwd().openFile(groupFname, .{ .mode = .read_only }) catch |err| {
-        stderr.print("Error opening {s}: {s}\n", .{ groupFname, @errorName(err) }) catch {};
-        return 1;
-    };
+    var groupFile = fs.cwd().openFile(groupFname, .{ .mode = .read_only }) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrapf("open {s}", .{groupFname}), stderr, err);
     defer groupFile.close();
 
-    var err_ctx = ErrCtx{};
-    var users = try User.fromReader(
+    var users = User.fromReader(
         allocator,
-        &err_ctx,
+        &errc,
         passwdFile.reader(),
-    );
-    errdefer {
-        stderr.print("ERROR", .{}) catch {};
-        var it = err_ctx.rev();
-        while (it.next()) |err|
-            stderr.print(": {s}", .{err}) catch {};
-        stderr.print("\n", .{}) catch {};
-    }
+    ) catch |err| return fail(errc.wrap("read users"), stderr, err);
+
     defer for (users) |*user| user.deinit(allocator);
     defer allocator.free(users);
 
-    var groups = try Group.fromReader(allocator, groupFile.reader());
+    var groups = Group.fromReader(
+        allocator,
+        groupFile.reader(),
+    ) catch |err| return fail(errc.wrap("read groups"), stderr, err);
     defer for (groups) |*group| group.deinit(allocator);
     defer allocator.free(groups);
 
-    var corpus = try Corpus.init(allocator, users, groups);
+    var corpus = Corpus.init(allocator, users, groups) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrap("init corpus"), stderr, err);
+
     defer corpus.deinit();
-    var db = try DB.fromCorpus(allocator, &corpus);
+    var db = DB.fromCorpus(allocator, &corpus) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrap("construct db from corpus"), stderr, err);
     defer db.deinit(allocator);
 
-    const fd = try os.open(outFile, os.O.WRONLY | os.O.TRUNC | os.O.CREAT, 0644);
+    const fd = os.open(outFile, os.O.WRONLY | os.O.TRUNC | os.O.CREAT, 0644) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrapf("open for writing {s}", .{outFile}), stderr, err);
     errdefer os.close(fd);
 
-    const len = try os.writev(fd, db.iov().constSlice());
-    try os.fsync(fd);
+    const len = os.writev(fd, db.iov().constSlice()) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrapf("writev to {s}", .{outFile}), stderr, err);
+    os.fsync(fd) catch |err|
+        return fail(errc.wrapf("fsync {s}", .{outFile}), stderr, err);
     os.close(fd);
 
-    try stderr.print("total {d} bytes. groups={d} users={d}\n", .{
+    stderr.print("total {d} bytes. groups={d} users={d}\n", .{
         len,
         users.len,
         groups.len,
-    });
+    }) catch return 1;
+
     return 0;
 }
 
+fn fail(errc: *ErrCtx, stderr: anytype, err: anytype) u8 {
+    stderr.print("ERROR {s}", .{@errorName(err)}) catch {};
+    var it = errc.rev();
+    while (it.next()) |msg|
+        stderr.print(": {s}", .{msg}) catch {};
+
+    stderr.print("\n", .{}) catch {};
+    return 1;
+}
+
 const testing = std.testing;
 
 test "invalid argument" {
@@ -129,8 +139,12 @@ test "invalid argument" {
     const args = &[_][*:0]const u8{"--invalid-argument"};
     var stderr = ArrayList(u8).init(allocator);
     defer stderr.deinit();
+    var stderrw = stderr.writer();
+    var stdout = ArrayList(u8).init(allocator);
+    defer stdout.deinit();
+    var stdoutw = stdout.writer();
 
-    const exit_code = execute(allocator, stderr.writer(), args[0..]);
+    const exit_code = execute(allocator, stdoutw, stderrw, args[0..]);
     try testing.expectEqual(@as(u8, 1), exit_code);
     try testing.expect(mem.startsWith(
         u8,