diff --git a/src/basic/process-util.c b/src/basic/process-util.c
index 42709202a5..1ff59dd374 100644
--- a/src/basic/process-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/process-util.c
@@ -389,11 +389,6 @@ int container_get_leader(const char *machine, pid_t *pid) {
 }
 
 int pid_is_kernel_thread(pid_t pid) {
-        _cleanup_free_ char *line = NULL;
-        unsigned long long flags;
-        size_t l, i;
-        const char *p;
-        char *q;
         int r;
 
         if (IN_SET(pid, 0, 1) || pid == getpid_cached()) /* pid 1, and we ourselves certainly aren't a kernel thread */
@@ -401,7 +396,8 @@ int pid_is_kernel_thread(pid_t pid) {
         if (!pid_is_valid(pid))
                 return -EINVAL;
 
-        p = procfs_file_alloca(pid, "stat");
+        const char *p = procfs_file_alloca(pid, "stat");
+        _cleanup_free_ char *line = NULL;
         r = read_one_line_file(p, &line);
         if (r == -ENOENT)
                 return -ESRCH;
@@ -409,14 +405,14 @@ int pid_is_kernel_thread(pid_t pid) {
                 return r;
 
         /* Skip past the comm field */
-        q = strrchr(line, ')');
+        char *q = strrchr(line, ')');
         if (!q)
                 return -EINVAL;
         q++;
 
         /* Skip 6 fields to reach the flags field */
-        for (i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-                l = strspn(q, WHITESPACE);
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
+                size_t l = strspn(q, WHITESPACE);
                 if (l < 1)
                         return -EINVAL;
                 q += l;
@@ -428,7 +424,7 @@ int pid_is_kernel_thread(pid_t pid) {
         }
 
         /* Skip preceding whitespace */
-        l = strspn(q, WHITESPACE);
+        size_t l = strspn(q, WHITESPACE);
         if (l < 1)
                 return -EINVAL;
         q += l;
@@ -439,6 +435,7 @@ int pid_is_kernel_thread(pid_t pid) {
                 return -EINVAL;
         q[l] = 0;
 
+        unsigned long long flags;
         r = safe_atollu(q, &flags);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
@@ -883,25 +880,23 @@ int pidref_wait_for_terminate_and_check(const char *name, PidRef *pidref, WaitFl
         siginfo_t status;
         r = pidref_wait_for_terminate(pidref, &status);
         if (r < 0)
-                return log_full_errno(prio, r, "Failed to wait for %s: %m", strna(name));
+                return log_full_errno(prio, r, "Failed to wait for '%s': %m", strna(name));
 
         if (status.si_code == CLD_EXITED) {
                 if (status.si_status != EXIT_SUCCESS)
                         log_full(flags & WAIT_LOG_NON_ZERO_EXIT_STATUS ? LOG_ERR : LOG_DEBUG,
-                                 "%s failed with exit status %i.", strna(name), status.si_status);
+                                 "'%s' failed with exit status %i.", strna(name), status.si_status);
                 else
-                        log_debug("%s succeeded.", name);
+                        log_debug("'%s' succeeded.", name);
 
                 return status.si_status;
 
-        } else if (IN_SET(status.si_code, CLD_KILLED, CLD_DUMPED)) {
+        } else if (IN_SET(status.si_code, CLD_KILLED, CLD_DUMPED))
+                return log_full_errno(prio, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EPROTO),
+                                      "'%s' terminated by signal %s.", strna(name), signal_to_string(status.si_status));
 
-                log_full(prio, "%s terminated by signal %s.", strna(name), signal_to_string(status.si_status));
-                return -EPROTO;
-        }
-
-        log_full(prio, "%s failed due to unknown reason.", strna(name));
-        return -EPROTO;
+        return log_full_errno(prio, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EPROTO),
+                              "'%s' failed due to unknown reason.", strna(name));
 }
 
 int kill_and_sigcont(pid_t pid, int sig) {
diff --git a/src/login/inhibit.c b/src/login/inhibit.c
index 786594c9ee..4df17d2d69 100644
--- a/src/login/inhibit.c
+++ b/src/login/inhibit.c
@@ -368,11 +368,11 @@ static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                         /* Child */
                         execvp(arguments[0], arguments);
                         log_open();
-                        log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to execute %s: %m", argv[optind]);
+                        log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to execute '%s': %m", arguments[0]);
                         _exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
                 }
 
-                return pidref_wait_for_terminate_and_check(argv[optind], &pidref, WAIT_LOG);
+                return pidref_wait_for_terminate_and_check(argv[optind], &pidref, WAIT_LOG_ABNORMAL);
         }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/ssh-generator/ssh-util.c b/src/ssh-generator/ssh-util.c
index 48cb662b71..b7af045487 100644
--- a/src/ssh-generator/ssh-util.c
+++ b/src/ssh-generator/ssh-util.c
@@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ int vsock_get_local_cid_or_warn(unsigned *ret) {
                 return 0;
         }
         if (r < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to query local AF_VSOCK CID: %m");
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to query host's AF_VSOCK CID: %m");
         return 1;
 }