diff --git a/HACKERS_README b/HACKERS_README
index 7685ac35..aa3d937d 100755
--- a/HACKERS_README
+++ b/HACKERS_README
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ I usually do it like this:
 eof
 
 # Tell the user what we do, so this script makes sense during execution
-# And abort on any error
-set -ex
+set -x
+
+# Abort on any error
+set -e
 
 # prepare use (only from top level directory)
 export PATH="$PATH:$(pwd -P)/bin"
diff --git a/bin/cdist-manifest-init b/bin/cdist-manifest-init
index 7e3c0f2b..6a29ea9e 100755
--- a/bin/cdist-manifest-init
+++ b/bin/cdist-manifest-init
@@ -23,10 +23,8 @@
 #
 
 . cdist-config
-
-if [ $# -ne 2 ]; then
-   __cdist_usage "<target host> <outdir>"
-fi
+[ $# -eq 2 ] || __cdist_usage "<target host> <outdir>"
+set -e
 
 export __cdist_target_host="$1"; shift
 export __cdist_output_dir="$1"; shift
diff --git a/bin/cdist-manifest-run b/bin/cdist-manifest-run
index 98385ca8..72f01532 100755
--- a/bin/cdist-manifest-run
+++ b/bin/cdist-manifest-run
@@ -23,19 +23,15 @@
 #
 
 . cdist-config
-
-if [ $# -ne 3 ]; then
-   __cdist_usage "<target host> <manifest> <outdir>"
-fi
-
-set -aeu
+[ $# -eq 3 ] || __cdist_usage "<target host> <manifest> <outdir>"
+set -u
 
 export __cdist_target_host="$1"; shift
 export __cdist_manifest="$1"; shift
 export __cdist_output_dir="$1"; shift
 
 # Ensure binaries exist and are up-to-date
-cdist-build-bin
+cdist-build-bin || __cdist_exit_err "Failed to build support binaries"
 
 # prepend our path, so all cdist tools come before other tools
 PATH="${__cdist_cache_bin}:$PATH"
@@ -50,7 +46,12 @@ mkdir -p "${__cdist_output_dir}"
 # Catch errors ourselves now
 set +e
 
-"${__cdist_manifest}"; ret=$?
+# Ensure manifest fails if any error exists - FIXME: redundant, cdist-object-codegen
+(
+   set -e
+   . "${__cdist_manifest}"
+); ret=$?
+
 if [ "$ret" -ne 0 ]; then
    __cdist_exit_err "Error: ${__cdist_manifest} exited non-zero."
 fi
diff --git a/bin/cdist-object-codegen b/bin/cdist-object-codegen
index 81357524..d2bdd550 100755
--- a/bin/cdist-object-codegen
+++ b/bin/cdist-object-codegen
@@ -56,7 +56,12 @@ eof
 
    # Catch errors ourself now
    set +e
-   "$gencode"; ret=$?
+   (
+      # Ensure manifest fails if something within manifest fails
+      # And not all manifests need to include set -e themselves
+      set -e
+      . "$gencode"
+   ); ret=$?
 
 else
    ret=0
diff --git a/conf/types/__file/gencode b/conf/types/__file/gencode
index 0137064f..6fbafbe6 100755
--- a/conf/types/__file/gencode
+++ b/conf/types/__file/gencode
@@ -25,12 +25,15 @@
 . cdist-config
 set -e
 
+pwd -P >&2
+ls >&2
+
 type="$(cat type)"
 mode="$(cat mode)"
 path="$(cat path)"
 
-case "$type" in
 
+case "$type" in
    directory)
       echo mkdir \"$path\"
    ;;