diff --git a/home/bin/deboco b/home/bin/deboco
index 0be1470..e284197 100755
--- a/home/bin/deboco
+++ b/home/bin/deboco
@@ -226,10 +226,15 @@ deboco__init()
 		log 'error' "$debops_controller_path already exists"
 		return "$RETURNCODE_ERROR"
 	fi
+	local exit_code=''
 	local local_repos_path=$(controller__get_local_repos_path "$debops_controller_path")
 	local ipr_debops_url='https://git.ipr.univ-rennes.fr/cellinfo/ansible.debops'
 	log 'info' "cloning $ipr_debops_url into $local_repos_path"
 	git clone https://git.ipr.univ-rennes.fr/cellinfo/ansible.debops "$local_repos_path"
+	if [ $? != "$RETURNCODE_SUCCESS" ]
+	then
+		return $RETURNCODE_ERROR
+	fi
 
 	local debops_env_path=$(controller__get_debops_env_path "$debops_controller_path")
 
@@ -292,6 +297,12 @@ deboco__init()
 	local virtual_env_path=$(controller__get_virtualenv_path "$debops_controller_path")
 	# no need to call update-debops.sh since update-dev.sh does it
 	DEBOPS_VENV="$virtual_env_path" "$local_repos_path/bin/update-dev.sh"
+	exit_code=$?
+	if [ "$exit_code" != "$RETURNCODE_SUCCESS" ]
+	then
+		log 'error' "$local_repos_path/bin/update-dev.sh with DEBOPS_VENV=$virtual_env_path failed with exit code $exit_code"
+		return $RETURNCODE_ERROR
+	fi
 
 	controller__check_integrity "$debops_controller_path"
 	if [ $? != "$RETURNCODE_SUCCESS" ]
@@ -311,6 +322,7 @@ deboco__update()
 		return $RETURNCODE_ERROR
 	fi
 
+	local exit_code=''
 
 	reports_path="$(controller__get_reports_path "$debops_controller_path")"
 	mkdir -p "${reports_path}"
@@ -326,6 +338,12 @@ deboco__update()
 
 	log info "updating debops itself in $virtual_env_path"
 	DEBOPS_VENV="$virtual_env_path" "$local_repos_path/bin/update-dev.sh" | tee --append ${report_file_path}
+	exit_code=$?
+	if [ "$exit_code" != "$RETURNCODE_SUCCESS" ]
+	then
+		log 'error' "$local_repos_path/bin/update-dev.sh with DEBOPS_VENV=$virtual_env_path failed with exit code $exit_code"
+		return $RETURNCODE_ERROR
+	fi
 
 	controller__check_integrity "$debops_controller_path"
 	if [ $? != "$RETURNCODE_SUCCESS" ]