diff --git a/src/basic/log.c b/src/basic/log.c
index f0472032716..8bcc18bc809 100644
--- a/src/basic/log.c
+++ b/src/basic/log.c
@@ -87,11 +87,13 @@ static int log_open_console(void) {
         }
 
         if (console_fd < 3) {
-                console_fd = open_terminal("/dev/console", O_WRONLY|O_NOCTTY|O_CLOEXEC);
-                if (console_fd < 0)
-                        return console_fd;
+                int fd;
 
-                console_fd = fd_move_above_stdio(console_fd);
+                fd = open_terminal("/dev/console", O_WRONLY|O_NOCTTY|O_CLOEXEC);
+                if (fd < 0)
+                        return fd;
+
+                console_fd = fd_move_above_stdio(fd);
         }
 
         return 0;
@@ -372,13 +374,11 @@ static int write_to_console(
 
                 if (errno == EIO && getpid_cached() == 1) {
 
-                        /* If somebody tried to kick us from our
-                         * console tty (via vhangup() or suchlike),
-                         * try to reconnect */
+                        /* If somebody tried to kick us from our console tty (via vhangup() or suchlike), try
+                         * to reconnect. */
 
                         log_close_console();
-                        log_open_console();
-
+                        (void) log_open_console();
                         if (console_fd < 0)
                                 return 0;
 
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ int log_dispatch_internal(
                 level |= log_facility;
 
         if (open_when_needed)
-                log_open();
+                (void) log_open();
 
         do {
                 char *e;
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ int log_dispatch_internal(
                         k = write_to_kmsg(level, error, file, line, func, buffer);
                         if (k < 0) {
                                 log_close_kmsg();
-                                log_open_console();
+                                (void) log_open_console();
                         }
                 }
 
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ _noreturn_ void log_assert_failed_realm(
                 const char *file,
                 int line,
                 const char *func) {
-        log_open();
+        (void) log_open();
         log_assert(LOG_REALM_PLUS_LEVEL(realm, LOG_CRIT), text, file, line, func,
                    "Assertion '%s' failed at %s:%u, function %s(). Aborting.");
         abort();
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ _noreturn_ void log_assert_failed_unreachable_realm(
                 const char *file,
                 int line,
                 const char *func) {
-        log_open();
+        (void) log_open();
         log_assert(LOG_REALM_PLUS_LEVEL(realm, LOG_CRIT), text, file, line, func,
                    "Code should not be reached '%s' at %s:%u, function %s(). Aborting.");
         abort();
@@ -1356,5 +1356,5 @@ void log_setup_service(void) {
 
         log_set_target(LOG_TARGET_AUTO);
         log_parse_environment();
-        log_open();
+        (void) log_open();
 }
diff --git a/src/basic/terminal-util.c b/src/basic/terminal-util.c
index cf6af45fbb4..c732e8021cf 100644
--- a/src/basic/terminal-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/terminal-util.c
@@ -578,22 +578,29 @@ int vt_disallocate(const char *name) {
 int make_console_stdio(void) {
         int fd, r;
 
-        /* Make /dev/console the controlling terminal and stdin/stdout/stderr */
+        /* Make /dev/console the controlling terminal and stdin/stdout/stderr, if we can. If we can't use
+         * /dev/null instead. This is particularly useful if /dev/console is turned off, e.g. if console=null
+         * is specified on the kernel command line. */
 
         fd = acquire_terminal("/dev/console", ACQUIRE_TERMINAL_FORCE|ACQUIRE_TERMINAL_PERMISSIVE, USEC_INFINITY);
-        if (fd < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(fd, "Failed to acquire terminal: %m");
+        if (fd < 0) {
+                log_warning_errno(fd, "Failed to acquire terminal, using /dev/null stdin/stdout/stderr instead: %m");
 
-        r = reset_terminal_fd(fd, true);
-        if (r < 0)
-                log_warning_errno(r, "Failed to reset terminal, ignoring: %m");
+                r = make_null_stdio();
+                if (r < 0)
+                        return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to make /dev/null stdin/stdout/stderr: %m");
 
-        r = rearrange_stdio(fd, fd, fd); /* This invalidates 'fd' both on success and on failure. */
-        if (r < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to make terminal stdin/stdout/stderr: %m");
+        } else {
+                r = reset_terminal_fd(fd, true);
+                if (r < 0)
+                        log_warning_errno(r, "Failed to reset terminal, ignoring: %m");
+
+                r = rearrange_stdio(fd, fd, fd); /* This invalidates 'fd' both on success and on failure. */
+                if (r < 0)
+                        return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to make terminal stdin/stdout/stderr: %m");
+        }
 
         reset_terminal_feature_caches();
-
         return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/load-fragment.c b/src/core/load-fragment.c
index 20079e1fb12..c7827df95d2 100644
--- a/src/core/load-fragment.c
+++ b/src/core/load-fragment.c
@@ -98,14 +98,12 @@ int parse_confirm_spawn(const char *value, char **console) {
         if (r == 0) {
                 *console = NULL;
                 return 0;
-        }
-
-        if (r > 0) /* on with default tty */
+        } else if (r > 0) /* on with default tty */
                 s = strdup("/dev/console");
         else if (is_path(value)) /* on with fully qualified path */
                 s = strdup(value);
         else /* on with only a tty file name, not a fully qualified path */
-                s = strjoin("/dev/", value);
+                s = path_join("/dev/", value);
         if (!s)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index dfe8997f9d1..8d691a19c3d 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -4072,10 +4072,11 @@ static bool manager_get_show_status(Manager *m, StatusType type) {
 
 const char *manager_get_confirm_spawn(Manager *m) {
         static int last_errno = 0;
-        const char *vc = m->confirm_spawn;
         struct stat st;
         int r;
 
+        assert(m);
+
         /* Here's the deal: we want to test the validity of the console but don't want
          * PID1 to go through the whole console process which might block. But we also
          * want to warn the user only once if something is wrong with the console so we
@@ -4091,25 +4092,26 @@ const char *manager_get_confirm_spawn(Manager *m) {
          * reason the configured console is not ready, we fallback to the default
          * console. */
 
-        if (!vc || path_equal(vc, "/dev/console"))
-                return vc;
+        if (!m->confirm_spawn || path_equal(m->confirm_spawn, "/dev/console"))
+                return m->confirm_spawn;
 
-        r = stat(vc, &st);
-        if (r < 0)
+        if (stat(m->confirm_spawn, &st) < 0) {
+                r = -errno;
                 goto fail;
+        }
 
         if (!S_ISCHR(st.st_mode)) {
-                errno = ENOTTY;
+                r = -ENOTTY;
                 goto fail;
         }
 
         last_errno = 0;
-        return vc;
+        return m->confirm_spawn;
+
 fail:
-        if (last_errno != errno) {
-                last_errno = errno;
-                log_warning_errno(errno, "Failed to open %s: %m, using default console", vc);
-        }
+        if (last_errno != r)
+                last_errno = log_warning_errno(r, "Failed to open %s, using default console: %m", m->confirm_spawn);
+
         return "/dev/console";
 }
 
diff --git a/src/fsck/fsck.c b/src/fsck/fsck.c
index 0a5863667c0..935dce9d218 100644
--- a/src/fsck/fsck.c
+++ b/src/fsck/fsck.c
@@ -169,12 +169,12 @@ static int process_progress(int fd) {
         f = fdopen(fd, "r");
         if (!f) {
                 safe_close(fd);
-                return -errno;
+                return log_debug_errno(errno, "Failed to use pipe: %m");
         }
 
         console = fopen("/dev/console", "we");
         if (!console)
-                return -ENOMEM;
+                return log_debug_errno(errno, "Failed to open /dev/console, can't print progress output: %m");
 
         for (;;) {
                 int pass, m;
@@ -189,10 +189,9 @@ static int process_progress(int fd) {
                                 r = log_warning_errno(errno, "Failed to read from progress pipe: %m");
                         else if (feof(f))
                                 r = 0;
-                        else {
-                                log_warning("Failed to parse progress pipe data");
-                                r = -EBADMSG;
-                        }
+                        else
+                                r = log_warning_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(errno), "Failed to parse progress pipe data");
+
                         break;
                 }