diff --git a/src/remote-viewer-main.c b/src/remote-viewer-main.c
index 1bb61c7..749fac1 100644
--- a/src/remote-viewer-main.c
+++ b/src/remote-viewer-main.c
@@ -176,6 +176,9 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
     if (!virt_viewer_app_start(app, &error)) {
         if (g_error_matches(error, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_CANCELLED))
             ret = 0;
+        else if (error) {
+            virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, error->message);
+        }
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/remote-viewer.c b/src/remote-viewer.c
index 5b67f51..4110b1e 100644
--- a/src/remote-viewer.c
+++ b/src/remote-viewer.c
@@ -1265,30 +1265,30 @@ retry_dialog:
             vvfile = virt_viewer_file_new(path, &error);
             g_free(path);
             if (error) {
-                virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, _("Invalid file %s"), guri);
+                g_prefix_error(&error, _("Invalid file %s: "), guri);
                 g_warning("%s", error->message);
                 goto cleanup;
             }
             g_object_get(G_OBJECT(vvfile), "type", &type, NULL);
         } else if (virt_viewer_util_extract_host(guri, &type, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL) < 0 || type == NULL) {
-            virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, _("Cannot determine the connection type from URI"));
+            g_set_error_literal(&error,
+                                VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_FAILED,
+                                _("Cannot determine the connection type from URI"));
             goto cleanup;
         }
 #ifdef HAVE_OVIRT
         if (g_strcmp0(type, "ovirt") == 0) {
             if (!create_ovirt_session(app, guri, &error)) {
-                if (error && !g_error_matches(error, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_CANCELLED)) {
-                    virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app,
-                                                          _("Couldn't open oVirt session: %s"),
-                                                          error->message);
-                }
+                g_prefix_error(&error, _("Couldn't open oVirt session: "));
                 goto cleanup;
             }
         } else
 #endif
         {
             if (virt_viewer_app_create_session(app, type) < 0) {
-                virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, _("Couldn't create a session for this type: %s"), type);
+                g_set_error(&error,
+                            VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_FAILED,
+                            _("Couldn't create a session for this type: %s"), type);
                 goto cleanup;
             }
         }
@@ -1305,10 +1305,11 @@ retry_dialog:
 #endif
 
         if (!virt_viewer_app_initial_connect(app, &error)) {
-            const gchar *msg = error ? error->message :
-                _("Failed to initiate connection");
-
-            virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, msg);
+            if (error == NULL) {
+                g_set_error_literal(&error,
+                                    VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_FAILED,
+                                    _("Failed to initiate connection"));
+            }
             goto cleanup;
         }
 #ifdef HAVE_SPICE_GTK
diff --git a/src/virt-viewer-main.c b/src/virt-viewer-main.c
index f3d6b35..291af42 100644
--- a/src/virt-viewer-main.c
+++ b/src/virt-viewer-main.c
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     if (!virt_viewer_app_start(VIRT_VIEWER_APP(viewer), &error)) {
         if (g_error_matches(error, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_CANCELLED))
             ret = 0;
+        else if (error) {
+            virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(VIRT_VIEWER_APP(viewer), error->message);
+        }
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/virt-viewer.c b/src/virt-viewer.c
index 371bf4a..49e8923 100644
--- a/src/virt-viewer.c
+++ b/src/virt-viewer.c
@@ -746,7 +746,9 @@ virt_viewer_initial_connect(VirtViewerApp *app, GError **error)
 
     virt_viewer_app_show_status(app, _("Checking guest domain status"));
     if (virDomainGetInfo(dom, &info) < 0) {
-        g_debug("Cannot get guest state");
+        g_set_error_literal(&err, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_FAILED,
+                            _("Cannot get guest state"));
+        g_debug("%s", err->message);
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -911,7 +913,6 @@ virt_viewer_connect(VirtViewerApp *app, GError **err)
             g_set_error_literal(&error,
                                 VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_FAILED,
                                 error_message);
-            virt_viewer_app_simple_message_dialog(app, error_message);
 
             g_free(error_message);
         } else {
@@ -924,21 +925,7 @@ virt_viewer_connect(VirtViewerApp *app, GError **err)
     }
 
     if (!virt_viewer_app_initial_connect(app, &error)) {
-        if (error != NULL) {
-            if (!g_error_matches(error, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR, VIRT_VIEWER_ERROR_CANCELLED)) {
-                VirtViewerWindow *main_window = virt_viewer_app_get_main_window(app);
-
-                GtkWidget *dialog = gtk_message_dialog_new(virt_viewer_window_get_window(main_window),
-                                                           GTK_DIALOG_DESTROY_WITH_PARENT,
-                                                           GTK_MESSAGE_ERROR,
-                                                           GTK_BUTTONS_CLOSE,
-                                                           "Failed to connect: %s",
-                                                           error->message);
-                gtk_dialog_run(GTK_DIALOG(dialog));
-                gtk_widget_destroy(GTK_WIDGET(dialog));
-            }
-            g_propagate_error(err, error);
-        }
+        g_propagate_prefixed_error(err, error, _("Failed to connect: "));
         return -1;
     }