diff --git a/app/base.py b/app/base.py
index b5ca26dc..3c6dbe64 100644
--- a/app/base.py
+++ b/app/base.py
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class base_stack(ABC):
 
 class package_registry_stack(base_stack):
 
-    def ensure_available(self, ctx):
+    def ensure_available(self):
         self.url = "<no registry url set>"
         # Check if we were given an external registry URL
         url_from_environment = os.environ.get("CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL")
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class package_registry_stack(base_stack):
         else:
             # Otherwise we expect to use the local package-registry stack
             # First check if the stack is up
-            registry_running = get_stack_status("package-registry")
+            registry_running = get_stack_status(self.config, "package-registry")
             if registry_running:
                 # If it is available, get its mapped port and construct its URL
                 if self.config.debug:
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ class package_registry_stack(base_stack):
                 self.url = "http://gitea.local:3000/api/packages/cerc-io/npm/"
             else:
                 # If not, print a message about how to start it and return fail to the caller
+                print("ERROR: The package-registry stack is not running, and no external registry specified with CERC_NPM_REGISTRY_URL")
+                print("ERROR: Start the local package registry with: laconic-so --stack package-registry deploy-system up")
                 return False
         return True
 
diff --git a/app/build_npms.py b/app/build_npms.py
index d794d027..101fde3e 100644
--- a/app/build_npms.py
+++ b/app/build_npms.py
@@ -44,9 +44,16 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude):
 
     # build-npms depends on having access to a writable package registry
     # so we check here that it is available
-    package_registry_stack = get_stack(ctx.obj, 'package-registry')
-    package_registry_stack.ensure_available()
-    npm_registry_url = package_registry_stack.get_url('package-registry')
+    package_registry_stack = get_stack(ctx.obj, "package-registry")
+    registry_available = package_registry_stack.ensure_available()
+    if not registry_available:
+        print("FATAL: no npm registry available for build-npms command")
+        sys.exit(1)
+    npm_registry_url = package_registry_stack.get_url()
+    npm_registry_url_token = config("CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN", default=None)
+    if not npm_registry_url_token:
+        print("FATAL: CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN is not defined")
+        sys.exit(1)
 
     if local_stack:
         dev_root_path = os.getcwd()[0:os.getcwd().rindex("stack-orchestrator")]
@@ -86,7 +93,7 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude):
         if not dry_run:
             if verbose:
                 print(f"Executing: {build_command}")
-            envs = {"CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN": os.environ["CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN"]} | ({"CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG": "true"} if debug else {})
+            envs = {"CERC_NPM_AUTH_TOKEN": npm_registry_url_token} | ({"CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG": "true"} if debug else {})
             try:
                 docker.run("cerc/builder-js",
                            remove=True,
diff --git a/app/deploy_system.py b/app/deploy_system.py
index 4012690a..bff573bd 100644
--- a/app/deploy_system.py
+++ b/app/deploy_system.py
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, cluster, command, extra_args):
             if verbose:
                 print(f"Running compose up for extra_args: {extra_args_list}")
             for pre_start_command in cluster_context.pre_start_commands:
-                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster, pre_start_command)
+                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster_context.cluster, pre_start_command)
             docker.compose.up(detach=True, services=extra_args_list)
             for post_start_command in cluster_context.post_start_commands:
-                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster, post_start_command)
+                _run_command(ctx.obj, cluster_context.cluster, post_start_command)
         elif command == "down":
             if verbose:
                 print("Running compose down")
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def get_stack_status(ctx, stack):
     ctx_copy = copy.copy(ctx)
     ctx_copy.stack = stack
 
-    cluster_context = _make_cluster_context(ctx_copy, [], [], None)
+    cluster_context = _make_cluster_context(ctx_copy, None, None, None)
     docker = DockerClient(compose_files=cluster_context.compose_files, compose_project_name=cluster_context.cluster)
     # TODO: refactor to avoid duplicating this code above
     if ctx.verbose: