diff --git a/src/e-backport.js b/src/e-backport.js
index 41a2c597..f5be5c92 100644
--- a/src/e-backport.js
+++ b/src/e-backport.js
@@ -65,42 +65,33 @@ program
       return;
     }
 
-    const checkoutResult = spawnSync(config, 'git', ['checkout', targetBranch], gitOpts);
-    if (checkoutResult.status !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to checkout base branch');
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const ensureLatestResult = spawnSync(config, 'git', ['pull', 'origin', targetBranch], gitOpts);
-    if (ensureLatestResult.status !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to update base branch');
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const ensureMergeRefLocal = spawnSync(config, 'git', ['fetch', 'origin', pr.base.ref], gitOpts);
-    if (ensureMergeRefLocal.status !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to fetch latest upstream');
-      return;
-    }
+    spawnSync(config, 'git', ['checkout', targetBranch], gitOpts, 'Failed to checkout base branch');
+    spawnSync(
+      config,
+      'git',
+      ['pull', 'origin', targetBranch],
+      gitOpts,
+      'Failed to update base branch',
+    );
+    spawnSync(
+      config,
+      'git',
+      ['fetch', 'origin', pr.base.ref],
+      gitOpts,
+      'Failed to fetch latest upstream',
+    );
 
     const manualBpBranch = `manual-bp/${user.login}/pr/${prNumber}/branch/${targetBranch}`;
     spawnSync(config, 'git', ['branch', '-D', manualBpBranch], gitOpts);
-    const backportBranchResult = spawnSync(
+    spawnSync(
       config,
       'git',
       ['checkout', '-b', manualBpBranch],
       gitOpts,
+      `Failed to checkout new branch "${manualBpBranch}"`,
     );
-    if (backportBranchResult.status !== 0) {
-      fatal(`Failed to checkout new branch "${manualBpBranch}"`);
-      return;
-    }
 
-    const yarnInstallResult = spawnSync(config, 'yarn', ['install'], gitOpts);
-    if (yarnInstallResult.status !== 0) {
-      fatal(`Failed to do "yarn install" on new branch`);
-      return;
-    }
+    spawnSync(config, 'yarn', ['install'], gitOpts, `Failed to do "yarn install" on new branch`);
 
     const cherryPickResult = spawnSync(config, 'git', ['cherry-pick', pr.merge_commit_sha], {
       cwd: gitOpts.cwd,
diff --git a/src/e-init.js b/src/e-init.js
index 91ea3640..9b47d1e5 100644
--- a/src/e-init.js
+++ b/src/e-init.js
@@ -92,11 +92,7 @@ function runGClientConfig(config) {
     cwd: root,
     shell: true,
   };
-  const { status } = depot.spawnSync(config, exec, args, opts);
-
-  if (status !== 0) {
-    fatal('gclient config failed');
-  }
+  depot.spawnSync(config, exec, args, opts, 'gclient config failed');
 }
 
 function ensureRoot(config, force) {
diff --git a/src/e-sync.js b/src/e-sync.js
index e76ee639..a0f2ebb2 100644
--- a/src/e-sync.js
+++ b/src/e-sync.js
@@ -68,11 +68,7 @@ function runGClientSync(syncArgs, syncOpts) {
         }
       : {},
   };
-  const { status } = depot.spawnSync(config, exec, args, opts);
-
-  if (status !== 0) {
-    fatal('gclient sync failed');
-  }
+  depot.spawnSync(config, exec, args, opts, 'gclient sync failed');
 
   // Only set remotes if we're building an Electron target.
   if (config.defaultTarget !== 'chrome') {
diff --git a/src/utils/depot-tools.js b/src/utils/depot-tools.js
index 076c3e26..aef010de 100644
--- a/src/utils/depot-tools.js
+++ b/src/utils/depot-tools.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const os = require('os');
 const childProcess = require('child_process');
 const pathKey = require('path-key');
 
-const { color } = require('./logging');
+const { color, fatal } = require('./logging');
 
 const defaultDepotPath = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..', 'third_party', 'depot_tools');
 const DEPOT_TOOLS_DIR = process.env.DEPOT_TOOLS_DIR || defaultDepotPath;
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ function depotOpts(config, opts = {}) {
   return opts;
 }
 
-function depotSpawnSync(config, cmd, args, opts_in) {
+function depotSpawnSync(config, cmd, args, opts_in, fatalMessage) {
   const opts = depotOpts(config, opts_in);
   if (os.platform() === 'win32' && ['python', 'python3'].includes(cmd)) {
     cmd = `${cmd}.bat`;
@@ -133,7 +133,13 @@ function depotSpawnSync(config, cmd, args, opts_in) {
       console.log(color.childExec(cmd, args, opts));
     }
   }
-  return childProcess.spawnSync(cmd, args, opts);
+  const result = childProcess.spawnSync(cmd, args, opts);
+  if (fatalMessage !== undefined && result.status !== 0) {
+    fatal(fatalMessage);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  return result;
 }
 
 function depotExecFileSync(config, exec, args, opts_in) {
diff --git a/src/utils/setup-reclient-chromium.js b/src/utils/setup-reclient-chromium.js
index a3817f21..3a5f540a 100644
--- a/src/utils/setup-reclient-chromium.js
+++ b/src/utils/setup-reclient-chromium.js
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ function configureReclient() {
       'tools',
       'engflow_reclient_configs.patch',
     );
-    const { status: patchStatus } = spawnSync(
+    spawnSync(
       evmConfig.current(),
       'git',
       ['apply', reclientConfigPatchPath],
@@ -67,14 +67,11 @@ function configureReclient() {
         cwd: engflowConfigsDir,
         stdio: 'inherit',
       },
+      'Failed to apply EngFlow reclient configs patch',
     );
 
-    if (patchStatus !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to apply EngFlow reclient configs patch');
-    }
-
     const configureReclientScript = path.join(engflowConfigsDir, 'configure_reclient.py');
-    const { status: configureReclientStatus } = spawnSync(
+    spawnSync(
       evmConfig.current(),
       'python3',
       [configureReclientScript, '--src_dir=src', '--force'],
@@ -82,19 +79,16 @@ function configureReclient() {
         cwd: root,
         stdio: 'inherit',
       },
+      'Failed to configure EngFlow reclient configs',
     );
 
-    if (configureReclientStatus !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to configure EngFlow reclient configs');
-    }
-
     const configureConfigScript = path.join(
       srcDir,
       'buildtools',
       'reclient_cfgs',
       'configure_reclient_cfgs.py',
     );
-    const { status: configureConfigStatus } = spawnSync(
+    spawnSync(
       evmConfig.current(),
       'python3',
       [
@@ -111,12 +105,9 @@ function configureReclient() {
         cwd: root,
         stdio: 'inherit',
       },
+      'Failed to configure RBE config scripts for untrusted RBE',
     );
 
-    if (configureConfigStatus !== 0) {
-      fatal('Failed to configure RBE config scripts for untrusted RBE');
-    }
-
     console.info(`${color.info} Successfully configured EngFlow reclient configs for Chromium`);
   }
 }