diff --git a/lib/libbe/be.c b/lib/libbe/be.c
index 540fe44ea..b0ee8ea53 100644
--- a/lib/libbe/be.c
+++ b/lib/libbe/be.c
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ be_snapshot(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *source, const char *snap_name,
 	be_root_concat(lbh, source, buf);
 
 	if ((err = be_exists(lbh, buf)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if (snap_name != NULL) {
 		if (strlcat(buf, "@", sizeof(buf)) >= sizeof(buf))
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ be_create(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name)
 
 	err = be_create_from_existing(lbh, name, be_active_path(lbh));
 
-	return (set_error(lbh, err));
+	return err;
 }
 
 
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ be_deep_clone(zfs_handle_t *ds, void *data)
 	isdc = (struct libbe_deep_clone *)data;
 	dspath = zfs_get_name(ds);
 	if ((dsname = strrchr(dspath, '/')) == NULL)
-		return (BE_ERR_UNKNOWN);
+		return (set_error(isdc->lbh, BE_ERR_UNKNOWN));
 	dsname++;
 
 	if (isdc->bename == NULL)
@@ -439,14 +439,14 @@ be_create_from_existing_snap(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name,
 	struct libbe_deep_clone sdc;
 
 	if ((err = be_validate_name(lbh, name)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, snap, snap_path)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 	if ((err = be_validate_snap(lbh, snap_path)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, name, be_path)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if ((bename = strrchr(name, '/')) == NULL)
 		bename = name;
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ be_create_from_existing_snap(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name,
 	err = be_deep_clone(parent_hdl, &sdc);
 
 	free(parentname);
-	return (set_error(lbh, err));
+	return err;
 }
 
 
@@ -487,11 +487,11 @@ be_create_from_existing(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name, const char *old)
 	char buf[BE_MAXPATHLEN];
 
 	if ((err = be_snapshot(lbh, old, NULL, true, (char *)&buf)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	err = be_create_from_existing_snap(lbh, name, (char *)buf);
 
-	return (set_error(lbh, err));
+	return err;
 }
 
 
@@ -509,22 +509,22 @@ be_validate_snap(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *snap_name)
 	int err = BE_ERR_SUCCESS;
 
 	if (strlen(snap_name) >= BE_MAXPATHLEN)
-		return (BE_ERR_PATHLEN);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_PATHLEN));
 
 	if (!zfs_dataset_exists(lbh->lzh, snap_name,
 	    ZFS_TYPE_SNAPSHOT))
-		return (BE_ERR_NOENT);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_NOENT));
 
 	strlcpy(buf, snap_name, sizeof(buf));
 
 	/* Find the base filesystem of the snapshot */
 	if ((delim_pos = strchr(buf, '@')) == NULL)
-		return (BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME));
 	*delim_pos = '\0';
 
 	if ((zfs_hdl =
 	    zfs_open(lbh->lzh, buf, ZFS_TYPE_DATASET)) == NULL)
-		return (BE_ERR_NOORIGIN);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_NOORIGIN));
 
 	if ((err = zfs_prop_get(zfs_hdl, ZFS_PROP_MOUNTPOINT, buf,
 	    sizeof(buf), NULL, NULL, 0, 1)) != 0)
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ be_validate_snap(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *snap_name)
 
 	zfs_close(zfs_hdl);
 
-	return (err);
+	return (set_error(lbh, err));
 }
 
 
@@ -558,20 +558,20 @@ be_root_concat(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name, char *result)
 	/* Act idempotently; return be name if it is already a full path */
 	if (strrchr(name, '/') != NULL) {
 		if (strstr(name, lbh->root) != name)
-			return (BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME);
+			return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME));
 
 		if (name_len >= BE_MAXPATHLEN)
-			return (BE_ERR_PATHLEN);
+			return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_PATHLEN));
 
 		strlcpy(result, name, BE_MAXPATHLEN);
-		return (BE_ERR_SUCCESS);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_SUCCESS));
 	} else if (name_len + root_len + 1 < BE_MAXPATHLEN) {
 		snprintf(result, BE_MAXPATHLEN, "%s/%s", lbh->root,
 		    name);
-		return (BE_ERR_SUCCESS);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_SUCCESS));
 	}
 
-	return (BE_ERR_PATHLEN);
+	return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_PATHLEN));
 }
 
 
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ be_validate_name(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name)
 		char c = *(name++);
 		if (isalnum(c) || (c == '-') || (c == '_') || (c == '.'))
 			continue;
-		return (BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_INVALIDNAME));
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -596,8 +596,8 @@ be_validate_name(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *name)
 	 * not exceed the maximum length of a dataset, i.e. MAXNAMELEN.
 	 */
 	if (strlen(lbh->root) + 1 + strlen(name) > MAXNAMELEN)
-		return (BE_ERR_PATHLEN);
-	return (BE_ERR_SUCCESS);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_PATHLEN));
+	return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_SUCCESS));
 }
 
 
@@ -617,11 +617,11 @@ be_rename(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *old, const char *new)
 	 * do so here.
 	 */
 	if ((err = be_validate_name(lbh, new)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, old, full_old)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, new, full_new)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if (!zfs_dataset_exists(lbh->lzh, full_old, ZFS_TYPE_DATASET))
 		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_NOENT));
@@ -657,7 +657,7 @@ be_export(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *bootenv, int fd)
 
 	if ((err = be_snapshot(lbh, bootenv, NULL, true, snap_name)) != 0)
 		/* Use the error set by be_snapshot */
-		return (err);
+		return err;
 
 	be_root_concat(lbh, snap_name, buf);
 
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ be_export(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *bootenv, int fd)
 	err = zfs_send_one(zfs, NULL, fd, 0);
 	zfs_close(zfs);
 
-	return (err);
+	return (set_error(lbh, err));
 }
 
 
@@ -953,7 +953,7 @@ be_activate(libbe_handle_t *lbh, const char *bootenv, bool temporary)
 
 	/* Note: be_exists fails if mountpoint is not / */
 	if ((err = be_exists(lbh, be_path)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if (temporary) {
 		config = zpool_get_config(lbh->active_phandle, NULL);
diff --git a/lib/libbe/be_access.c b/lib/libbe/be_access.c
index 328326f71..c284db15f 100644
--- a/lib/libbe/be_access.c
+++ b/lib/libbe/be_access.c
@@ -112,10 +112,10 @@ be_mount(libbe_handle_t *lbh, char *bootenv, char *mountpoint, int flags,
 	int err;
 
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, bootenv, be)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if ((err = be_exists(lbh, bootenv)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if (is_mounted(lbh->lzh, be, NULL))
 		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_MOUNTED));
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ be_unmount(libbe_handle_t *lbh, char *bootenv, int flags)
 	char *mntpath;
 
 	if ((err = be_root_concat(lbh, bootenv, be)) != 0)
-		return (set_error(lbh, err));
+		return err;
 
 	if ((mntsize = getmntinfo(&mntbuf, MNT_NOWAIT)) == 0) {
 		if (errno == EIO)
diff --git a/lib/libbe/be_info.c b/lib/libbe/be_info.c
index dba718cba..f4b60be76 100644
--- a/lib/libbe/be_info.c
+++ b/lib/libbe/be_info.c
@@ -296,23 +296,23 @@ be_exists(libbe_handle_t *lbh, char *be)
 	be_root_concat(lbh, be, buf);
 
 	if (!zfs_dataset_exists(lbh->lzh, buf, ZFS_TYPE_DATASET))
-		return (BE_ERR_NOENT);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_NOENT));
 
 	/* Also check if it's mounted at / */
 	if (be_prop_list_alloc(&dsprops) != 0)
-		return (BE_ERR_UNKNOWN);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_UNKNOWN));
 
 	if (be_get_dataset_props(lbh, buf, dsprops) != 0) {
 		nvlist_free(dsprops);
-		return (BE_ERR_UNKNOWN);
+		return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_UNKNOWN));
 	}
 
 	if (nvlist_lookup_string(dsprops, "mountpoint", &mntpoint) == 0) {
 		valid = (strcmp(mntpoint, "/") == 0);
 		nvlist_free(dsprops);
-		return (valid ? BE_ERR_SUCCESS : BE_ERR_BADMOUNT);
+		return (set_error(lbh, valid ? BE_ERR_SUCCESS : BE_ERR_BADMOUNT));
 	}
 
 	nvlist_free(dsprops);
-	return (BE_ERR_BADMOUNT);
+	return (set_error(lbh, BE_ERR_BADMOUNT));
 }