diff --git a/evennia/prototypes/menus.py b/evennia/prototypes/menus.py
index 7ad31d1d01..041d596f36 100644
--- a/evennia/prototypes/menus.py
+++ b/evennia/prototypes/menus.py
@@ -227,19 +227,19 @@ def _validate_prototype(prototype):
 
     txt = protlib.prototype_to_str(prototype)
     errors = "\n\n|g No validation errors found.|n (but errors could still happen at spawn-time)"
-    has_err = False
+    err = False
     try:
         # validate, don't spawn
         spawner.spawn(prototype, only_validate=True)
-    except RuntimeError as err:
-        errors = "\n\n|r{}|n".format(err)
-        has_err = True
+    except RuntimeError as exc:
+        errors = "\n\n|r{}|n".format(exc)
+        err = True
     except RuntimeWarning as err:
-        errors = "\n\n|y{}|n".format(err)
-        has_err = True
+        errors = "\n\n|y{}|n".format(exc)
+        err = True
 
     text = (txt + errors)
-    return has_err, text
+    return err, text
 
 
 def _format_protfuncs():
diff --git a/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py b/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
index 642e3b9938..205f5f1846 100644
--- a/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
+++ b/evennia/prototypes/prototypes.py
@@ -588,8 +588,8 @@ def protfunc_parser(value, available_functions=None, testing=False, stacktrace=F
         result = literal_eval(result)
     except ValueError:
         pass
-    except Exception as err:
-        err = str(err)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        err = str(exc)
     if testing:
         return err, result
     return result