diff --git a/context/context_test.go b/context/context_test.go
index b2e42fe8..16ecbb2b 100644
--- a/context/context_test.go
+++ b/context/context_test.go
@@ -84,6 +84,6 @@ func (s *AptlyContextSuite) TestGetPublishedStorageBadFS(c *C) {
 	// storage never exists.
 	c.Assert(func() { s.context.GetPublishedStorage("filesystem:fuji") },
 		FatalErrorPanicMatches,
-		&FatalError{ReturnCode: 1, Message: fmt.Sprintf("error loading config file %s/.aptly.conf: not valid yaml or json",
+		&FatalError{ReturnCode: 1, Message: fmt.Sprintf("error loading config file %s/.aptly.conf: invalid yaml (EOF) or json (EOF)",
 			os.Getenv("HOME"))})
 }
diff --git a/system/t02_config/BadConfigTest_gold b/system/t02_config/BadConfigTest_gold
index 0b0ca447..f6864d06 100644
--- a/system/t02_config/BadConfigTest_gold
+++ b/system/t02_config/BadConfigTest_gold
@@ -1 +1 @@
-ERROR: error loading config file ${HOME}/.aptly.conf: not valid yaml or json
+ERROR: error loading config file ${HOME}/.aptly.conf: invalid yaml (yaml: line 1: did not find expected ',' or '}') or json (invalid character 's' looking for beginning of object key string)
diff --git a/utils/config.go b/utils/config.go
index fa542ac4..c0cc12d6 100644
--- a/utils/config.go
+++ b/utils/config.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package utils
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -258,9 +257,11 @@ func LoadConfig(filename string, config *ConfigStructure) error {
 	if err = decJSON.Decode(&config); err != nil {
 		f.Seek(0, 0)
 		decYAML := yaml.NewDecoder(f)
-		if err = decYAML.Decode(&config); err != nil {
-			err = errors.New("not valid yaml or json")
-		}
+		if err2 := decYAML.Decode(&config); err2 != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("invalid yaml (%s) or json (%s)", err2, err)
+		} else {
+			err = nil
+                }
 	}
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/utils/config_test.go b/utils/config_test.go
index 087ad258..3317f05d 100644
--- a/utils/config_test.go
+++ b/utils/config_test.go
@@ -175,9 +175,22 @@ func (s *ConfigSuite) TestLoadYAMLConfig(c *C) {
 	c.Check(s.config.DatabaseOpenAttempts, Equals, 10)
 }
 
-func (s *ConfigSuite) TestSaveYAMLConfig(c *C) {
+func (s *ConfigSuite) TestLoadYAMLErrorConfig(c *C) {
 	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml2")
 	f, _ := os.Create(configname)
+	f.WriteString(configFileYAMLError)
+	f.Close()
+
+        // start with empty config
+        s.config = ConfigStructure{}
+
+	err := LoadConfig(configname, &s.config)
+	c.Assert(err.Error(), Equals, "invalid yaml (unknown pool storage type: invalid) or json (invalid character 'p' looking for beginning of value)")
+}
+
+func (s *ConfigSuite) TestSaveYAMLConfig(c *C) {
+	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml3")
+	f, _ := os.Create(configname)
 	f.WriteString(configFileYAML)
 	f.Close()
 
@@ -207,7 +220,7 @@ func (s *ConfigSuite) TestSaveYAML2Config(c *C) {
 	s.config.PackagePoolStorage.Local = &LocalPoolStorage{"/tmp/aptly-pool"}
         s.config.PackagePoolStorage.Azure = nil
 
-	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml3")
+	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml4")
         err := SaveConfigYAML(configname, &s.config)
 	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
 
@@ -260,7 +273,7 @@ func (s *ConfigSuite) TestSaveYAML2Config(c *C) {
 }
 
 func (s *ConfigSuite) TestLoadEmptyConfig(c *C) {
-	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml4")
+	configname := filepath.Join(c.MkDir(), "aptly.yaml5")
 	f, _ := os.Create(configname)
 	f.Close()
 
@@ -268,7 +281,7 @@ func (s *ConfigSuite) TestLoadEmptyConfig(c *C) {
         s.config = ConfigStructure{}
 
 	err := LoadConfig(configname, &s.config)
-	c.Assert(err.Error(), Equals, "not valid yaml or json")
+	c.Assert(err.Error(), Equals, "invalid yaml (EOF) or json (EOF)")
 }
 
 const configFile = `{"rootDir": "/opt/aptly/", "downloadConcurrency": 33, "databaseOpenAttempts": 33}`
@@ -355,3 +368,6 @@ packagepool_storage:
     account_key: a key
     endpoint: ""
 `
+const configFileYAMLError = `packagepool_storage:
+    type: invalid
+`