diff --git a/gcl.py b/gcl.py
index 413e2bb6d..f64f67221 100755
--- a/gcl.py
+++ b/gcl.py
@@ -1119,8 +1119,12 @@ def CMDchange(args):
       if sys.platform == 'win32' and os.environ.get('TERM') == 'msys':
         # Msysgit requires the usage of 'env' to be present.
         cmd = 'env ' + cmd
-      # shell=True to allow the shell to handle all forms of quotes in $EDITOR.
-      subprocess.check_call(cmd, shell=True)
+      try:
+        # shell=True to allow the shell to handle all forms of quotes in
+        # $EDITOR.
+        subprocess.check_call(cmd, shell=True)
+      except subprocess.CalledProcessError, e:
+        ErrorExit('Editor returned %d' % e.returncode)
     result = gclient_utils.FileRead(filename, 'r')
   finally:
     os.remove(filename)
diff --git a/git_cl.py b/git_cl.py
index 9e1124c65..5cf2580e4 100755
--- a/git_cl.py
+++ b/git_cl.py
@@ -842,7 +842,10 @@ def UserEditedLog(starting_text):
       # Msysgit requires the usage of 'env' to be present.
       cmd = 'env ' + cmd
     # shell=True to allow the shell to handle all forms of quotes in $EDITOR.
-    subprocess.check_call(cmd, shell=True)
+    try:
+      subprocess.check_call(cmd, shell=True)
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError, e:
+      DieWithError('Editor returned %d' % e.returncode)
     fileobj = open(filename)
     text = fileobj.read()
     fileobj.close()