diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index e0bb81ed8d0..041cbdb93e6 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ extern char *gitbasename(char *);
 
 /* General helper functions */
 extern void vreportf(const char *prefix, const char *err, va_list params);
+extern void vwritef(int fd, const char *prefix, const char *err, va_list params);
 extern NORETURN void usage(const char *err);
 extern NORETURN void usagef(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 extern NORETURN void die(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
@@ -244,6 +245,7 @@ extern int error(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 extern void warning(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 
 extern void set_die_routine(NORETURN_PTR void (*routine)(const char *err, va_list params));
+extern void set_error_routine(void (*routine)(const char *err, va_list params));
 
 extern int prefixcmp(const char *str, const char *prefix);
 extern int suffixcmp(const char *str, const char *suffix);
diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index 70e8a249d0f..a2796c4caec 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -77,16 +77,14 @@ static void notify_parent(void)
 
 static NORETURN void die_child(const char *err, va_list params)
 {
-	char msg[4096];
-	int len = vsnprintf(msg, sizeof(msg), err, params);
-	if (len > sizeof(msg))
-		len = sizeof(msg);
-
-	write_in_full(child_err, "fatal: ", 7);
-	write_in_full(child_err, msg, len);
-	write_in_full(child_err, "\n", 1);
+	vwritef(child_err, "fatal: ", err, params);
 	exit(128);
 }
+
+static void error_child(const char *err, va_list params)
+{
+	vwritef(child_err, "error: ", err, params);
+}
 #endif
 
 static inline void set_cloexec(int fd)
@@ -127,9 +125,6 @@ static int wait_or_whine(pid_t pid, const char *argv0, int silent_exec_failure)
 		if (code == 127) {
 			code = -1;
 			failed_errno = ENOENT;
-			if (!silent_exec_failure)
-				error("cannot run %s: %s", argv0,
-					strerror(ENOENT));
 		}
 	} else {
 		error("waitpid is confused (%s)", argv0);
@@ -217,6 +212,7 @@ fail_pipe:
 			set_cloexec(child_err);
 		}
 		set_die_routine(die_child);
+		set_error_routine(error_child);
 
 		close(notify_pipe[0]);
 		set_cloexec(notify_pipe[1]);
@@ -283,14 +279,14 @@ fail_pipe:
 		} else {
 			execvp(cmd->argv[0], (char *const*) cmd->argv);
 		}
-		/*
-		 * Do not check for cmd->silent_exec_failure; the parent
-		 * process will check it when it sees this exit code.
-		 */
-		if (errno == ENOENT)
+		if (errno == ENOENT) {
+			if (!cmd->silent_exec_failure)
+				error("cannot run %s: %s", cmd->argv[0],
+					strerror(ENOENT));
 			exit(127);
-		else
+		} else {
 			die_errno("cannot exec '%s'", cmd->argv[0]);
+		}
 	}
 	if (cmd->pid < 0)
 		error("cannot fork() for %s: %s", cmd->argv[0],
diff --git a/usage.c b/usage.c
index b5e67e3d0d4..a2a66780047 100644
--- a/usage.c
+++ b/usage.c
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  * Copyright (C) Linus Torvalds, 2005
  */
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
+#include "cache.h"
 
 void vreportf(const char *prefix, const char *err, va_list params)
 {
@@ -12,6 +13,18 @@ void vreportf(const char *prefix, const char *err, va_list params)
 	fprintf(stderr, "%s%s\n", prefix, msg);
 }
 
+void vwritef(int fd, const char *prefix, const char *err, va_list params)
+{
+	char msg[4096];
+	int len = vsnprintf(msg, sizeof(msg), err, params);
+	if (len > sizeof(msg))
+		len = sizeof(msg);
+
+	write_in_full(fd, prefix, strlen(prefix));
+	write_in_full(fd, msg, len);
+	write_in_full(fd, "\n", 1);
+}
+
 static NORETURN void usage_builtin(const char *err, va_list params)
 {
 	vreportf("usage: ", err, params);
@@ -46,6 +59,11 @@ void set_die_routine(NORETURN_PTR void (*routine)(const char *err, va_list param
 	die_routine = routine;
 }
 
+void set_error_routine(void (*routine)(const char *err, va_list params))
+{
+	error_routine = routine;
+}
+
 void NORETURN usagef(const char *err, ...)
 {
 	va_list params;