diff --git a/src/buskill_gui.py b/src/buskill_gui.py
index 4dfd75dd..94808fed 100755
--- a/src/buskill_gui.py
+++ b/src/buskill_gui.py
@@ -172,8 +172,11 @@ def toggle_buskill(self):
 			# buskill failed to arm/disarm; tell the user
 			
 			msg = "Unable to toggle buskill state"
-			# for some reason 'e' is undefined, but we can get the exception thrown
-			# by the child process from its 'exception' instance field
+			# for some reason 'e' is sometimes undefined, but we can get the
+			# exception thrown by the child process from its 'exception'
+			# instance field
+			if e:
+				msg += "\n\nException: " +str(e)
 			if self.bk.usb_handler.exception[0]:
 				msg += "\n\nException: " +str(self.bk.usb_handler.exception[0])
 
diff --git a/src/packages/buskill/root_child_mac.py b/src/packages/buskill/root_child_mac.py
index e380c738..9a8911da 100644
--- a/src/packages/buskill/root_child_mac.py
+++ b/src/packages/buskill/root_child_mac.py
@@ -167,8 +167,17 @@ def trigger_softshutdown_mac_halt():
 #  * https://github.com/BusKill/buskill-app/issues/14#issuecomment-1279975783
 #  * https://github.com/BusKill/buskill-app/issues/77#issuecomment-2254299923
 
-# set owner of <this> binary to root:root
-os.chown( os.path.abspath(__file__), 0, 0 )
+our_filepath = os.path.abspath(__file__)
+
+msg = "Attempting to harden ourselves " +str(our_filepath)
+logging.info(msg)
+
+try:
+	# set owner of <this> binary to root:root
+	os.chown( our_filepath, 0, 0 )
+except Exception as e:
+	msg = "Failed to harden"
+	logging.warning(msg)
 
 #############
 # MAIN LOOP #