diff --git a/commands/root.go b/commands/root.go
index adbf51d97fb6febc0fe993cff0ea2bf1216b163b..3438d15ccb50997df03e519cf9fa4b1c742a6023 100644
--- a/commands/root.go
+++ b/commands/root.go
@@ -88,7 +88,9 @@ func loadRepoEnsureUser(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	}
 
 	if !set {
-		return identity.ErrNoIdentitySet
+		// Print the error directly to not confuse a user
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, identity.ErrNoIdentitySet.Error())
+		os.Exit(-1)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/identity/identity.go b/identity/identity.go
index 3dddfaec42a8b7916b5b70a5adddeeadeaa4dbe6..be3c16ecc098c771efb473e88a7ca87105788a36 100644
--- a/identity/identity.go
+++ b/identity/identity.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ const idLength = 40
 const humanIdLength = 7
 
 var ErrNonFastForwardMerge = errors.New("non fast-forward identity merge")
-var ErrNoIdentitySet = errors.New("user identity first needs to be created using \"git bug user create\" or \"git bug user adopt\"")
+var ErrNoIdentitySet = errors.New("to interact with bugs, an identity first needs to be created using \"git bug user create\" or \"git bug user adopt\"")
 var ErrMultipleIdentitiesSet = errors.New("multiple user identities set")
 
 var _ Interface = &Identity{}