diff --git a/src/commands/nsec3hash.rs b/src/commands/nsec3hash.rs
index 675c583..0a75621 100644
--- a/src/commands/nsec3hash.rs
+++ b/src/commands/nsec3hash.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use crate::error::Error;
 use clap::builder::ValueParser;
 use domain::base::iana::nsec3::Nsec3HashAlg;
-use domain::base::name::Name;
+use domain::base::name::{self, Name};
 use domain::base::ToName;
 use domain::rdata::nsec3::{Nsec3Salt, OwnerHash};
 use lexopt::Arg;
@@ -106,11 +106,11 @@ impl LdnsCommand for Nsec3Hash {
 }
 
 impl Nsec3Hash {
-    pub fn parse_name(arg: &str) -> Result<Name<Vec<u8>>, Error> {
-        Name::from_str(&arg.to_lowercase()).map_err(|e| Error::from(e.to_string()))
+    pub fn parse_name(arg: &str) -> Result<Name<Vec<u8>>, name::FromStrError> {
+        Name::from_str(&arg.to_lowercase())
     }
 
-    pub fn parse_nsec_alg(arg: &str) -> Result<Nsec3HashAlg, Error> {
+    pub fn parse_nsec_alg(arg: &str) -> Result<Nsec3HashAlg, &'static str> {
         if let Ok(num) = arg.parse() {
             let alg = Nsec3HashAlg::from_int(num);
             // check for valid algorithm here, to be consistent with error messages
@@ -118,11 +118,10 @@ impl Nsec3Hash {
             if alg.to_mnemonic().is_some() {
                 Ok(alg)
             } else {
-                Err(Error::from("unknown algorithm number"))
+                Err("unknown algorithm number")
             }
         } else {
-            Nsec3HashAlg::from_mnemonic(arg.as_bytes())
-                .ok_or(Error::from("unknown algorithm mnemonic"))
+            Nsec3HashAlg::from_mnemonic(arg.as_bytes()).ok_or("unknown algorithm mnemonic")
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index 1e70425..e2c2470 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -1,44 +1,81 @@
-use std::borrow::Cow;
-use std::num::ParseIntError;
-use std::string::ParseError;
 use std::{error, fmt, io};
 
-#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
-pub struct Error {
-    message: Cow<'static, str>,
+//------------ Error ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// A program error.
+///
+/// Such errors are highly likely to halt the program.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct Error(Box<Information>);
+
+/// Information about an error.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+struct Information {
+    /// The primary error message.
+    primary: Box<str>,
+
+    /// Layers of context to the error.
+    ///
+    /// Ordered from innermost to outermost.
+    context: Vec<Box<str>>,
 }
 
-impl From<&'static str> for Error {
-    fn from(message: &'static str) -> Self {
-        Self {
-            message: Cow::Borrowed(message),
+//--- Interaction
+
+impl Error {
+    /// Construct a new error from a string.
+    pub fn new(error: &str) -> Self {
+        Self(Box::new(Information {
+            primary: error.into(),
+            context: Vec::new(),
+        }))
+    }
+
+    /// Add context to this error.
+    pub fn context(mut self, context: &str) -> Self {
+        self.0.context.push(context.into());
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Pretty-print this error.
+    pub fn pretty_print(self) {
+        use std::io::IsTerminal;
+
+        // NOTE: This is a multicall binary, so argv[0] is necessary for
+        // program operation.  We would fail very early if it didn't exist.
+        let prog = std::env::args().next().unwrap();
+        let term = std::io::stderr().is_terminal();
+
+        let error_marker = if term {
+            "\x1B[31mERROR:\x1B[0m"
+        } else {
+            "ERROR:"
+        };
+
+        eprint!("[{prog}] {error_marker} {}", self.0.primary);
+        for context in &self.0.context {
+            eprint!("\n... while {context}");
         }
     }
 }
 
+//--- Conversions for '?'
+
+impl From<&str> for Error {
+    fn from(error: &str) -> Self {
+        Self::new(error)
+    }
+}
+
 impl From<String> for Error {
-    fn from(message: String) -> Self {
-        Self {
-            message: Cow::Owned(message),
-        }
-    }
-}
-
-impl From<ParseError> for Error {
-    fn from(_err: ParseError) -> Self {
-        Self::from("message parse error")
-    }
-}
-
-impl From<ParseIntError> for Error {
-    fn from(_err: ParseIntError) -> Self {
-        Self::from("message parse error")
+    fn from(error: String) -> Self {
+        Self::new(&error)
     }
 }
 
 impl From<io::Error> for Error {
-    fn from(err: io::Error) -> Self {
-        Self::from(err.to_string())
+    fn from(error: io::Error) -> Self {
+        Self::new(&error.to_string())
     }
 }
 
@@ -48,10 +85,47 @@ impl From<lexopt::Error> for Error {
     }
 }
 
+//--- Display, Debug
+
 impl fmt::Display for Error {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-        fmt::Display::fmt(&self.message, f)
+        f.write_str(&self.0.primary)
     }
 }
 
+impl fmt::Debug for Error {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        f.debug_struct("Error")
+            .field("primary", &self.0.primary)
+            .field("context", &self.0.context)
+            .finish()
+    }
+}
+
+//--- Error
+
 impl error::Error for Error {}
+
+//------------ Result --------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// A program result.
+pub type Result<T> = core::result::Result<T, Error>;
+
+/// An extension trait for [`Result`]s using [`Error`].
+pub trait Context: Sized {
+    /// Add context for an error.
+    fn context(self, context: &str) -> Self;
+
+    /// Add context for an error, lazily.
+    fn with_context(self, context: impl FnOnce() -> String) -> Self;
+}
+
+impl<T> Context for Result<T> {
+    fn context(self, context: &str) -> Self {
+        self.map_err(|err| err.context(context))
+    }
+
+    fn with_context(self, context: impl FnOnce() -> String) -> Self {
+        self.map_err(|err| err.context(&(context)()))
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 57662a0..34d4d50 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
 use std::path::Path;
+use std::process::ExitCode;
 
 use clap::Parser;
 use dnst::commands::{nsec3hash::Nsec3Hash, LdnsCommand};
 
-fn main() {
+fn main() -> ExitCode {
     // If none of the ldns-* tools matched, then we continue with clap
     // argument parsing.
     let args = try_ldns_compatibility().unwrap_or_else(dnst::Args::parse);
 
-    if let Err(err) = args.execute() {
-        eprintln!("{}", err);
+    match args.execute() {
+        Ok(()) => ExitCode::SUCCESS,
+        Err(err) => {
+            err.pretty_print();
+            ExitCode::FAILURE
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -25,8 +30,8 @@ fn try_ldns_compatibility() -> Option<dnst::Args> {
 
     match res {
         Ok(args) => Some(args),
-        Err(e) => {
-            eprintln!("{e}");
+        Err(err) => {
+            err.pretty_print();
             std::process::exit(1)
         }
     }