diff --git a/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/cli.py b/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/cli.py
index f341dc9..bd6c53f 100644
--- a/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/cli.py
+++ b/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/cli.py
@@ -399,6 +399,19 @@ def show_configuration(approved_tag_list: bool = False, organization: str = "hdx
                     secret_part = censor_secret(secret_part)
                     row = key_part + ': "' + secret_part
                 print(row, flush=True)
+    else:
+        click.secho(
+            f"No user configuration file at {user_hdx_config_yaml}. ",
+            bold=True,
+            color=True,
+            fg="red",
+        )
+        print(
+            "Unless API keys are supplied by environment variables a configuration file "
+            f"should be saved to {user_hdx_config_yaml} containing at least: \n\n"
+            'hdx_key: "[API Key obtained from '
+            'https://data.humdata.org/user/[your username]]/api-tokens]"\n'
+        )
 
     user_agent_config_yaml = os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".useragents.yaml")
     if os.path.exists(user_agent_config_yaml):
@@ -406,7 +419,19 @@ def show_configuration(approved_tag_list: bool = False, organization: str = "hdx
         with open(user_agent_config_yaml, encoding="utf-8") as config_file:
             user_agents_file_contents = config_file.read()
             print(user_agents_file_contents, flush=True)
-
+    else:
+        click.secho(
+            f"No user agents file found at {user_agent_config_yaml}",
+            color=True,
+            fg="red",
+        )
+        print(
+            f"The user agents file should be saved to {user_agent_config_yaml} "
+            "and contain at least the following:\n\n"
+            "hdx-cli-toolkit:\n"
+            "  preprefix: [your_organization]\n"
+            "  user_agent: hdx_cli_toolkit_[your_intitials]\n"
+        )
     # Check Environment variables
     environment_variables = ["HDX_KEY", "HDX_KEY_STAGE", "HDX_SITE", "HDX_URL"]
     click.secho(
@@ -430,11 +455,12 @@ def show_configuration(approved_tag_list: bool = False, organization: str = "hdx
 
     # Check API keys
     statuses = check_api_key(organization=organization, hdx_sites=None)
-    for status in statuses:
-        color = "green"
-        if "API key not valid" in status:
-            color = "red"
-        click.secho(f"{status}", fg=color, color=True)
+    if statuses is not None:
+        for status in statuses:
+            color = "green"
+            if "API key not valid" in status:
+                color = "red"
+            click.secho(f"{status}", fg=color, color=True)
 
 
 @hdx_toolkit.command(name="quickcharts")
diff --git a/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/hdx_utilities.py b/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/hdx_utilities.py
index 3dd8ff1..a37e4c8 100644
--- a/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/hdx_utilities.py
+++ b/src/hdx_cli_toolkit/hdx_utilities.py
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ def hdx_error_handler(f):
     def inner(*args, **kwargs):
         try:
             return f(*args, **kwargs)
-        except (HDXError, ckanapi.errors.ValidationError):
+        except (
+            HDXError,
+            ckanapi.errors.ValidationError,
+            FileNotFoundError,
+            ConfigurationError,
+        ):
             traceback_message = traceback.format_exc()
             message = parse_hdxerror_traceback(traceback_message)
             if message != "unknown":
@@ -67,6 +72,12 @@ def parse_hdxerror_traceback(traceback_message: str):
         message = "No Resources Error"
     elif "{'dataset_date': ['Invalid old HDX date" in traceback_message:
         message = "Invalid Dataset Date Error"
+    elif ".useragents.yaml" in traceback_message and "FileNotFoundError" in traceback_message:
+        message = "No .useragents.yaml file provided Error"
+    elif "There is no HDX configuration!" in traceback_message:
+        message = "There is no HDX configuration Error"
+    elif "No HDX API key supplied as a parameter or in configuration" in traceback_message:
+        message = "No HDX API key supplied Error"
 
     return message
 
@@ -524,17 +535,14 @@ def download_hdx_datasets(
 @hdx_error_handler
 def configure_hdx_connection(hdx_site: str, verbose: bool = True):
     Configuration._configuration = None
-    try:
-        Configuration.create(
-            user_agent_config_yaml=os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".useragents.yaml"),
-            user_agent_lookup="hdx-cli-toolkit",
-            hdx_site=hdx_site,
-            hdx_read_only=False,
-        )
-        if verbose:
-            print(f"Connected to HDX site {Configuration.read().get_hdx_site_url()}", flush=True)
-    except ConfigurationError:
-        print(traceback.format_exc(), flush=True)
+    Configuration.create(
+        user_agent_config_yaml=os.path.join(os.path.expanduser("~"), ".useragents.yaml"),
+        user_agent_lookup="hdx-cli-toolkit",
+        hdx_site=hdx_site,
+        hdx_read_only=False,
+    )
+    if verbose:
+        print(f"Connected to HDX site {Configuration.read().get_hdx_site_url()}", flush=True)
 
 
 def get_approved_tag_list() -> list[str]:
@@ -595,6 +603,7 @@ def remove_extras_key_from_dataset(
     return output_row
 
 
+@hdx_error_handler
 def check_api_key(organization: str = "hdx", hdx_sites: Optional[str] = None) -> list[str]:
     if hdx_sites is None:
         hdx_sites = ["stage", "prod"]