diff --git a/src/basic/process-util.c b/src/basic/process-util.c
index be82d0ffe71..4df369dd2a1 100644
--- a/src/basic/process-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/process-util.c
@@ -1185,7 +1185,7 @@ int safe_fork_full(
         else
                 pid = fork();
         if (pid < 0)
-                return log_full_errno(prio, errno, "Failed to fork: %m");
+                return log_full_errno(prio, errno, "Failed to fork off '%s': %m", strna(name));
         if (pid > 0) {
                 /* We are in the parent process */
 
diff --git a/src/shared/exec-util.c b/src/shared/exec-util.c
index 7ed2cce76b9..2e8f5b85627 100644
--- a/src/shared/exec-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/exec-util.c
@@ -151,18 +151,16 @@ static int do_execute(
                         t = NULL;
                 } else {
                         r = wait_for_terminate_and_check(t, pid, WAIT_LOG);
-                        if (FLAGS_SET(flags, EXEC_DIR_IGNORE_ERRORS)) {
-                                if (r < 0)
-                                        continue;
-                        } else if (r > 0)
+                        if (r < 0)
+                                return r;
+                        if (!FLAGS_SET(flags, EXEC_DIR_IGNORE_ERRORS) && r > 0)
                                 return r;
 
                         if (callbacks) {
                                 if (lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_SET) < 0)
                                         return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to seek on serialization fd: %m");
 
-                                r = callbacks[STDOUT_GENERATE](fd, callback_args[STDOUT_GENERATE]);
-                                fd = -EBADF;
+                                r = callbacks[STDOUT_GENERATE](TAKE_FD(fd), callback_args[STDOUT_GENERATE]);
                                 if (r < 0)
                                         return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to process output from %s: %m", *path);
                         }
@@ -186,6 +184,8 @@ static int do_execute(
                 assert(t);
 
                 r = wait_for_terminate_and_check(t, pid, WAIT_LOG);
+                if (r < 0)
+                        return r;
                 if (!FLAGS_SET(flags, EXEC_DIR_IGNORE_ERRORS) && r > 0)
                         return r;
         }
@@ -249,8 +249,7 @@ int execute_directories(
         if (lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_SET) < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to rewind serialization fd: %m");
 
-        r = callbacks[STDOUT_CONSUME](fd, callback_args[STDOUT_CONSUME]);
-        fd = -EBADF;
+        r = callbacks[STDOUT_CONSUME](TAKE_FD(fd), callback_args[STDOUT_CONSUME]);
         if (r < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to parse returned data: %m");
         return 0;