diff --git a/src/branches.cpp b/src/branches.cpp
index d1f781b6..41e916b1 100644
--- a/src/branches.cpp
+++ b/src/branches.cpp
@@ -81,9 +81,8 @@ namespace l
     u64 offset;
 
     offset = s_.find_first_not_of("+<>-=");
-    if (offset == std::string::npos) {
+    if(offset == std::string::npos)
       return;
-    }
 
     if(offset > 1)
       offset = 2;
diff --git a/src/config.cpp b/src/config.cpp
index 30057c6e..091bdd0e 100644
--- a/src/config.cpp
+++ b/src/config.cpp
@@ -557,6 +557,9 @@ Config::Err::to_string() const
     case ELOOP:
       s = "too many levels of config";
       break;
+    case ENOENT:
+      s = "no value set";
+      break;
     default:
       s = strerror(err);
       break;
diff --git a/src/option_parser.cpp b/src/option_parser.cpp
index 4d9459d2..30d46d86 100644
--- a/src/option_parser.cpp
+++ b/src/option_parser.cpp
@@ -196,7 +196,10 @@ _option_processor(void       *data_,
           }
         else
           {
-            cfg.branches.from_string("+>" + prev_nonopt);
+            int rv;
+            rv = cfg.branches.from_string("+>" + prev_nonopt);
+            if(rv < 0)
+              cfg.errs.push_back({-rv,prev_nonopt});
             prev_nonopt = arg_;
           }
       }
@@ -315,15 +318,22 @@ namespace options
     if(!prev_nonopt.empty())
       {
         if(cfg.mountpoint.empty())
-          cfg.mountpoint = prev_nonopt;
+          {
+            cfg.mountpoint = prev_nonopt;
+          }
         else
-          cfg.branches.from_string("+>" + prev_nonopt);
+          {
+            int rv;
+            rv = cfg.branches.from_string("+>" + prev_nonopt);
+            if(rv < 0)
+              cfg.errs.push_back({-rv,prev_nonopt});
+          }
       }
 
     if(cfg.branches->empty())
-      cfg.errs.push_back({EINVAL,"branches not set"});
+      cfg.errs.push_back({ENOENT,"branches not set"});
     if(cfg.mountpoint.empty())
-      cfg.errs.push_back({EINVAL,"mountpoint not set"});
+      cfg.errs.push_back({ENOENT,"mountpoint not set"});
 
     if(!cfg.errs.empty())
       return;