diff --git a/run.lisp b/run.lisp
index b82800655e27c3e4de9315abbee5e60f087768c8..efc92de4f05dda0fbf0a5bb82a4cae4e21070f42 100644
--- a/run.lisp
+++ b/run.lisp
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
     (function
      (apply 'run-process-spec (funcall host spec) :host nil keys))))
 
-(defun run (cmd &key on-error time (output t) show host)
+(defun run (cmd &key time (output t) show host (on-error (list "Command ~S failed~@[ on ~A~]" cmd host)))
   (labels ((process-time ()
              (if time (time (process-command)) (process-command)))
            (process-command ()
diff --git a/utilities.lisp b/utilities.lisp
index 980ae77c092fe62f1265bf1417b7077b4d9e99ca..54cd7f4b093cbf1ccc027b03dd5e3ab86dd6316d 100644
--- a/utilities.lisp
+++ b/utilities.lisp
@@ -5,12 +5,16 @@
 ;;--- TODO: move these to FARE-UTILS and/or XCVB-DRIVER ?
 
 (defun make-directory (dir &optional (mode #o755))
+  ;; TODO: move to fare-utils or somewhere else
+  ;; TODO: it's low-level. rename this mkdir or some such, and document use of native-namestring.
+  #+clozure (ccl::%mkdir dir mode)
   #+sbcl (sb-posix:mkdir dir mode)
-  #-sbcl (NIY 'make-directory))
+  #-(or clozure sbcl) (NIY 'make-directory))
 
 (defun setenv (var val &optional (overwritep t))
+  #+clozure (ccl:setenv var val overwritep)
   #+sbcl (sb-posix:setenv var val (if overwritep 1 0))
-  #-sbcl (NIY 'setenv))
+  #-(or clozure sbcl) (NIY 'setenv))
 
 (defmacro pipe (values &rest transformers)
   (if (null transformers)