diff --git a/tests/integration/codexprocess.nim b/tests/integration/codexprocess.nim
index 79d4b040..12e44f72 100644
--- a/tests/integration/codexprocess.nim
+++ b/tests/integration/codexprocess.nim
@@ -15,11 +15,27 @@ export codexclient
 export chronicles
 export nodeprocess
 
+{.push raises: [].}
+
 logScope:
   topics = "integration testing codex process"
 
-type CodexProcess* = ref object of NodeProcess
-  client: ?CodexClient
+type
+  CodexProcess* = ref object of NodeProcess
+    client: ?CodexClient
+
+  CodexProcessError* = object of NodeProcessError
+
+proc raiseCodexProcessError(
+    msg: string, parent: ref CatchableError
+) {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  raise newException(CodexProcessError, msg & ": " & parent.msg, parent)
+
+template convertError(msg, body: typed) =
+  try:
+    body
+  except CatchableError as parent:
+    raiseCodexProcessError(msg, parent)
 
 method workingDir(node: CodexProcess): string =
   return currentSourcePath() / ".." / ".." / ".."
@@ -33,27 +49,36 @@ method startedOutput(node: CodexProcess): string =
 method processOptions(node: CodexProcess): set[AsyncProcessOption] =
   return {AsyncProcessOption.StdErrToStdOut}
 
-method outputLineEndings(node: CodexProcess): string {.raises: [].} =
+method outputLineEndings(node: CodexProcess): string =
   return "\n"
 
-method onOutputLineCaptured(node: CodexProcess, line: string) {.raises: [].} =
+method onOutputLineCaptured(node: CodexProcess, line: string) =
   discard
 
-proc dataDir(node: CodexProcess): string =
-  let config = CodexConf.load(cmdLine = node.arguments, quitOnFailure = false)
-  return config.dataDir.string
+proc config(node: CodexProcess): CodexConf {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  # cannot use convertError here as it uses typed parameters which forces type
+  # resolution, while confutils.load uses untyped parameters and expects type
+  # resolution not to happen yet. In other words, it won't compile.
+  try:
+    return CodexConf.load(
+      cmdLine = node.arguments, quitOnFailure = false, secondarySources = nil
+    )
+  except ConfigurationError as parent:
+    raiseCodexProcessError "Failed to load node arguments into CodexConf", parent
 
-proc ethAccount*(node: CodexProcess): Address =
-  let config = CodexConf.load(cmdLine = node.arguments, quitOnFailure = false)
-  without ethAccount =? config.ethAccount:
+proc dataDir(node: CodexProcess): string {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  return node.config.dataDir.string
+
+proc ethAccount*(node: CodexProcess): Address {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  without ethAccount =? node.config.ethAccount:
     raiseAssert "eth account not set"
   return Address(ethAccount)
 
-proc apiUrl*(node: CodexProcess): string =
-  let config = CodexConf.load(cmdLine = node.arguments, quitOnFailure = false)
+proc apiUrl*(node: CodexProcess): string {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  let config = node.config
   return "http://" & config.apiBindAddress & ":" & $config.apiPort & "/api/codex/v1"
 
-proc client*(node: CodexProcess): CodexClient =
+proc client*(node: CodexProcess): CodexClient {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
   if client =? node.client:
     return client
   let client = CodexClient.new(node.apiUrl)
@@ -71,5 +96,6 @@ method stop*(node: CodexProcess) {.async.} =
     client.close()
     node.client = none CodexClient
 
-method removeDataDir*(node: CodexProcess) =
-  removeDir(node.dataDir)
+method removeDataDir*(node: CodexProcess) {.raises: [CodexProcessError].} =
+  convertError("failed to remove codex node data directory"):
+    removeDir(node.dataDir)
diff --git a/tests/integration/hardhatprocess.nim b/tests/integration/hardhatprocess.nim
index 0c7ffc08..35cc947e 100644
--- a/tests/integration/hardhatprocess.nim
+++ b/tests/integration/hardhatprocess.nim
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ export codexclient
 export chronicles
 export nodeprocess
 
+{.push raises: [].}
+
 logScope:
   topics = "integration testing hardhat process"
 
@@ -28,6 +30,8 @@ type
     logFile: ?IoHandle
     onOutputLine: OnOutputLineCaptured
 
+  HardhatProcessError* = object of NodeProcessError
+
 method workingDir(node: HardhatProcess): string =
   return currentSourcePath() / ".." / ".." / ".." / "vendor" / "codex-contracts-eth"
 
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ method startedOutput(node: HardhatProcess): string =
 method processOptions(node: HardhatProcess): set[AsyncProcessOption] =
   return {}
 
-method outputLineEndings(node: HardhatProcess): string {.raises: [].} =
+method outputLineEndings(node: HardhatProcess): string =
   return "\n"
 
 proc openLogFile(node: HardhatProcess, logFilePath: string): IoHandle =
@@ -55,14 +59,19 @@ proc openLogFile(node: HardhatProcess, logFilePath: string): IoHandle =
 
   return fileHandle
 
-method start*(node: HardhatProcess) {.async.} =
+method start*(
+    node: HardhatProcess
+) {.async: (raises: [CancelledError, NodeProcessError]).} =
   logScope:
     nodeName = node.name
 
-  let binary = absolutePath(node.workingDir / node.executable)
-  if not fileExists(binary):
-    raiseAssert "cannot start hardhat, binary doesn't exist (looking for " &
-      &"{binary}). Try running `npm install` in {node.workingDir}."
+  try:
+    let binary = absolutePath(node.workingDir / node.executable)
+    if not fileExists(binary):
+      raiseAssert "cannot start hardhat, binary doesn't exist (looking for " &
+        &"{binary}). Try running `npm install` in {node.workingDir}."
+  except CatchableError as parent:
+    raiseAssert "failed build path to hardhat executable: " & parent.msg
 
   let poptions = node.processOptions + {AsyncProcessOption.StdErrToStdOut}
   trace "starting node",
@@ -81,8 +90,10 @@ method start*(node: HardhatProcess) {.async.} =
     )
   except CancelledError as error:
     raise error
-  except CatchableError as e:
-    error "failed to start hardhat process", error = e.msg
+  except CatchableError as parent:
+    raise newException(
+      HardhatProcessError, "failed to start hardhat process: " & parent.msg, parent
+    )
 
 proc startNode*(
     _: type HardhatProcess,
diff --git a/tests/integration/multinodes.nim b/tests/integration/multinodes.nim
index 7e5ed70f..b4952c97 100644
--- a/tests/integration/multinodes.nim
+++ b/tests/integration/multinodes.nim
@@ -123,15 +123,14 @@ template multinodesuite*(name: string, body: untyped) =
       args.add("--port")
       args.add($port)
 
-      let node = await HardhatProcess.startNode(args, config.debugEnabled, "hardhat")
       try:
+        let node = await HardhatProcess.startNode(args, config.debugEnabled, "hardhat")
         await node.waitUntilStarted()
+        trace "hardhat node started"
+        return node
       except NodeProcessError as e:
         raiseMultiNodeSuiteError "hardhat node not started: " & e.msg
 
-      trace "hardhat node started"
-      return node
-
     proc newCodexProcess(
         roleIdx: int, conf: CodexConfig, role: Role
     ): Future[NodeProcess] {.async.} =
diff --git a/tests/integration/nodeprocess.nim b/tests/integration/nodeprocess.nim
index 8152ee9f..979328c7 100644
--- a/tests/integration/nodeprocess.nim
+++ b/tests/integration/nodeprocess.nim
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import ./codexclient
 export codexclient
 export chronicles
 
+{.push raises:[].}
+
 logScope:
   topics = "integration testing node process"
 
@@ -39,12 +41,12 @@ method startedOutput(node: NodeProcess): string {.base, gcsafe.} =
 method processOptions(node: NodeProcess): set[AsyncProcessOption] {.base, gcsafe.} =
   raiseAssert "not implemented"
 
-method outputLineEndings(node: NodeProcess): string {.base, gcsafe, raises: [].} =
+method outputLineEndings(node: NodeProcess): string {.base, gcsafe.} =
   raiseAssert "not implemented"
 
 method onOutputLineCaptured(
     node: NodeProcess, line: string
-) {.base, gcsafe, raises: [].} =
+) {.base, gcsafe.} =
   raiseAssert "not implemented"
 
 method start*(node: NodeProcess) {.base, async.} =
@@ -180,5 +182,5 @@ proc restart*(node: NodeProcess) {.async.} =
   await node.start()
   await node.waitUntilStarted()
 
-method removeDataDir*(node: NodeProcess) {.base.} =
+method removeDataDir*(node: NodeProcess) {.base, raises: [NodeProcessError].} =
   raiseAssert "[removeDataDir] not implemented"