diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/batchprocess.py b/evennia/commands/default/batchprocess.py
index 5970d35887..425b552701 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/batchprocess.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/batchprocess.py
@@ -260,9 +260,13 @@ class CmdBatchCommands(_COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
             caller.msg(_UTF8_ERROR % (python_path, err))
             return
         except IOError as err:
-            string = "'%s' not found.\nYou have to supply the python path\n" \
-                     "using one of the defined batch-file directories\n (%s)."
-            caller.msg(string % (python_path, ", ".join(settings.BASE_BATCHPROCESS_PATHS)))
+            if err:
+                err = "{}\n".format(str(err))
+            else:
+                err = ""
+            string = "%s'%s' could not load. You have to supply python paths " \
+                     "from one of the defined batch-file directories\n (%s)."
+            caller.msg(string % (err, python_path, ", ".join(settings.BASE_BATCHPROCESS_PATHS)))
             return
         if not commands:
             caller.msg("File %s seems empty of valid commands." % python_path)
@@ -288,7 +292,8 @@ class CmdBatchCommands(_COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
             caller.msg("\nBatch-command processor - Interactive mode for %s ..." % python_path)
             show_curr(caller)
         else:
-            caller.msg("Running Batch-command processor - Automatic mode for %s (this might take some time) ..."
+            caller.msg("Running Batch-command processor - Automatic mode "
+                       "for %s (this might take some time) ..."
                        % python_path)
 
             procpool = False
@@ -370,10 +375,14 @@ class CmdBatchCode(_COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         except UnicodeDecodeError as err:
             caller.msg(_UTF8_ERROR % (python_path, err))
             return
-        except IOError:
-            string = "'%s' not found.\nYou have to supply the python path\n" \
+        except IOError as err:
+            if err:
+                err = "{}\n".format(str(err))
+            else:
+                err = ""
+            string = "%s'%s' could not load. You have to supply python paths " \
                      "from one of the defined batch-file directories\n (%s)."
-            caller.msg(string % (python_path, ", ".join(settings.BASE_BATCHPROCESS_PATHS)))
+            caller.msg(string % (err, python_path, ", ".join(settings.BASE_BATCHPROCESS_PATHS)))
             return
         if not codes:
             caller.msg("File %s seems empty of functional code." % python_path)
diff --git a/evennia/utils/batchprocessors.py b/evennia/utils/batchprocessors.py
index ac2e27a734..913b9041bb 100644
--- a/evennia/utils/batchprocessors.py
+++ b/evennia/utils/batchprocessors.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def read_batchfile(pythonpath, file_ending='.py'):
     # find all possible absolute paths
     abspaths = utils.pypath_to_realpath(pythonpath, file_ending, settings.BASE_BATCHPROCESS_PATHS)
     if not abspaths:
-        raise IOError
+        raise IOError("Absolute batchcmd paths could not be found.")
     text = None
     decoderr = []
     for abspath in abspaths:
@@ -273,7 +273,11 @@ class BatchCommandProcessor(object):
 
         def replace_insert(match):
             """Map replace entries"""
-            return "\n#\n".join(self.parse_file(match.group(1)))
+            try:
+                path = match.group(1)
+                return "\n#\n".join(self.parse_file(path))
+            except IOError as err:
+                raise IOError("#INSERT {} failed.".format(path))
 
         text = _RE_INSERT.sub(replace_insert, text)
         commands = _RE_CMD_SPLIT.split(text)
@@ -339,7 +343,10 @@ class BatchCodeProcessor(object):
         def replace_insert(match):
             """Run parse_file on the import before sub:ing it into this file"""
             path = match.group(1)
-            return "# batchcode insert (%s):" % path + "\n".join(self.parse_file(path))
+            try:
+                return "# batchcode insert (%s):" % path + "\n".join(self.parse_file(path))
+            except IOError as err:
+                raise IOError("#INSERT {} failed.".format(path))
 
         # process and then insert code from all #INSERTS
         text = _RE_INSERT.sub(replace_insert, text)