diff --git a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys.nim b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys.nim
index 0602032..4cccb73 100644
--- a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys.nim
+++ b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys.nim
@@ -46,24 +46,23 @@ overlay:
 
   proc osCmd() =
     ## nixos-rebuild
-    if len(rest) == 0: quit "please provide subcmd"
+    if len(rest) == 0: fatalQuit "please provide subcmd"
     let subcmd = rest[0]
     if subcmd notin nixosSubcmds:
-      error (
+      fatalQuit(
         &"unknown nixos-rebuild subcmd: {subcmd}\nexpected one of: \n" &
         nixosSubcmds.mapIt("  " & it).join("\n")
-      ); quit QuitFailure
+      )
     nixosRebuild(subcmd, rest[1..^1])
 
   proc ci(`ref`: string = "main") =
     ## trigger GHA update flow
-    if rest.len == 0:
-      fatal "expected workflow file name"; quit QuitFailure
+    if rest.len == 0: fatalQuit "expected workflow file name"
     createDispatch(rest[0], `ref`)
 
 proc checkExes() =
   if findExe("nix") == "":
-    quit("oizys requires nix", QuitFailure)
+    fatalQuit "oizys requires nix"
 
 proc `//`(t1: Table[string, string], t2: Table[string, string]): Table[string, string] =
   # nix style shallow table merge
diff --git a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/context.nim b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/context.nim
index 240039a..7cafc7f 100644
--- a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/context.nim
+++ b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/context.nim
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import std/[logging, os, strformat, strutils]
 from std/nativesockets import getHostname
 
+import ./logging
+
 type
   OizysContext* = object
     flake, host: string
@@ -24,8 +26,7 @@ var oc = initContext()
 proc checkPath(s: string): string = 
   ## fail if path doesn't exist
   if not s.dirExists:
-    error fmt"flake path: {s} does not exist"
-    quit()
+    errorQuit fmt"flake path: {s} does not exist"
   s
 
 # public api -------------------------------------
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ proc updateContext*(
     oc.flake =
       if flake.startsWith("github") or flake.startsWith("git+"): flake
       else: checkPath(flake.normalizedPath().absolutePath())
+  debug oc
 
 proc getHosts*(): seq[string] = return oc.hosts
 proc getFlake*(): string = return oc.flake
diff --git a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/github.nim b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/github.nim
index 5cc7822..924b771 100644
--- a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/github.nim
+++ b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/github.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 import std/[httpclient,logging, os, strformat, strutils, json]
+import ./logging
 
 var ghToken = getEnv("GITHUB_TOKEN")
 
+proc checkToken() {.inline.} =
+  if ghToken == "": fatalQuit "GITHUB_TOKEN not set"
+
 #[curl -L \
   -X POST \
   -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
@@ -11,16 +15,17 @@ var ghToken = getEnv("GITHUB_TOKEN")
   -d '{"ref":"topic-branch","inputs":{"name":"Mona the Octocat","home":"San Francisco, CA"}}'
 ]#
 
+
 proc postGhApi(url: string, body: JsonNode) =
-  if ghToken == "": fatal "GITHUB_TOKEN not set"; quit QuitFailure
+  checkToken()
   let client = newHttpClient()
   client.headers = newHttpHeaders({
     "Accept"              : "application/vnd.github+json",
     "Authorization"       : fmt"Bearer {ghToken}",
     "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28",
   })
-  let response = client.post(url, body = $body)
   try:
+    let response = client.post(url, body = $body)
     info fmt"Status: {response.code}"
   except:
     error "failed to get response code"
diff --git a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/logging.nim b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/logging.nim
index da05bbc..708a43a 100644
--- a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/logging.nim
+++ b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/logging.nim
@@ -106,3 +106,12 @@ method log*(logger: FancyConsoleLogger, level: Level, args: varargs[string, `$`]
 
 proc addHandlers*(handler: Logger) =
   handlers.add(handler)
+
+template errorQuit*(args: varargs[string, `$`]) =
+  error args
+  quit QuitFailure
+
+template fatalQuit*(args: varargs[string, `$`]) =
+  error args
+  quit QuitFailure
+
diff --git a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/nix.nim b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/nix.nim
index 68a0364..9bccf33 100644
--- a/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/nix.nim
+++ b/pkgs/oizys-nim/src/oizys/nix.nim
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import std/[
   strutils, sugar, logging, tables
 ]
 import bbansi, jsony
-import ./[context, exec]
+import ./[context, exec, logging]
 
 
 proc nixCommand(cmd: string): string =
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@ const nixosSubcmds* =
 
 proc nixosRebuild*(subcmd: string, rest: seq[string] = @[]) =
   if getHosts().len > 1:
-    error "nixos-rebuild only supports one host"
-    quit QuitFailure
+    fatalQuit "nixos-rebuild only supports one host"
   var cmd = fmt"sudo nixos-rebuild {subcmd} --flake {getFlake()} --log-format multiline"
   cmd.addArgs rest
   quitWithCmd cmd
@@ -77,8 +76,8 @@ proc parseDryRunOutput(err: string): DryRunOutput =
         stderr.writeLine err
         quit()
     of 0:
-      info "nothing to do";
-      quit(QuitSuccess)
+      info "nothing to do"
+      quit QuitSuccess
     else:
       fatal "unexpected output from nix"
       stderr.writeLine err
@@ -88,7 +87,7 @@ proc parseDryRunOutput(err: string): DryRunOutput =
   result.toFetch.sort(cmpDrv)
 
 proc trunc(s: string, limit: int): string =
-  if s.len <= limit: 
+  if s.len <= limit:
     s
   else:
     s[0..(limit-4)] & "..."
@@ -175,9 +174,7 @@ proc writeDervationsToStepSummary(drvs: seq[string]) =
       fmt"| {name} | {hash} |"
   )
   let summaryFilePath = getEnv("GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY")
-  if summaryFilePath == "":
-    fatal "no github step summary found"
-    quit QuitFailure
+  if summaryFilePath == "": fatalQuit "no github step summary found"
   let output = open(summaryFilePath,fmAppend)
   output.writeLine("| derivation | hash |\n|---|---|")
   output.writeLine(rows.join("\n"))
@@ -226,8 +223,7 @@ template `bbfmt`(pattern: static string): untyped =
   bb(fmt(pattern))
 
 proc nixBuildWithCache*(minimal: bool, name: string, rest:seq[string]) =
-  if findExe("cachix") == "":
-    fatal "is cachix installed?"; quit QuitFailure
+  if findExe("cachix") == "": fatalQuit "is cachix installed?"
   info bbfmt"building and pushing to cache: [b]{name}"
   var cmd = "cachix"
   cmd.addArgs ["watch-exec","--"]