diff --git a/.travis/runner.ls b/.travis/runner.ls
index 8a4a06fa0..6dab2af9d 100644
--- a/.travis/runner.ls
+++ b/.travis/runner.ls
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@ export class Urbit
     #
     process.on \exit ~> @pty.write '\04' # send EOF to gracefully checkpoint
   #
-  note: -> console.log "\nnode:".blue, it
-  warn: -> console.log "\nnode:".red, it
+  note: (...args)-> console.log "\nnode:".blue, ...args
+  warn: (...args)-> console.log "\nnode:".red, ...args
   wait-silent: ~> # this feels hacky
     new Promise (resolve)~>
       a = set-interval ~>
-        if Date.now! > @last-output + 1000
+        if Date.now! > @last-output + 2000
           clear-interval a
           resolve @last-output
       , 200
diff --git a/.travis/test.ls b/.travis/test.ls
index 8ca5fa925..89c9bd273 100644
--- a/.travis/test.ls
+++ b/.travis/test.ls
@@ -4,10 +4,15 @@ urbit = new Urbit <[-B urbit.pill -A .. -cFI zod zod]>
 Promise.resolve urbit
 .then (urb)->
   urb.note "Booting urbit"
-  # TODO exit on ford stack trace
-  <- urb.expect /dojo> / .then
-  <- urb.expect-echo "%dojo-booted" .then
-  urb
+  Promise.race [
+    urb.expect-error!then ->
+      urb.warn "Error detected"
+      throw Error "Stack trace while booting"
+  , do
+    <- urb.expect /dojo> / .then
+    <- urb.expect-echo "%dojo-booted" .then
+    urb
+  ]
 .then (urb)->
   urb.note "Testing compilation"
   # TODO tally ford stack traces
@@ -28,5 +33,5 @@ Promise.resolve urbit
   urbit.exit 0
 .catch (err)->
   <- urbit.wait-silent!then # assumptions?
-  urbit.warn err
+  urbit.warn "Test aborted:" err
   urbit.exit 1