diff --git a/src/config.c b/src/config.c
index 681c63d..5bc6b75 100644
--- a/src/config.c
+++ b/src/config.c
@@ -22,13 +22,13 @@ parse_long(const char *s, long *dest) {
   const char *endptr = NULL;
   long val = strtol(s, (char **) &endptr, 0);
   if (!endptr || endptr == s) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Invalid number.", s);
+    log_error("Invalid number: %s", s);
     return false;
   }
   while (isspace(*endptr))
     ++endptr;
   if (*endptr) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Trailing characters.", s);
+    log_error("Trailing characters: %s", s);
     return false;
   }
   *dest = val;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ parse_matrix_readnum(const char *src, double *dest) {
   char *pc = NULL;
   double val = strtod(src, &pc);
   if (!pc || pc == src) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): No number found.", src);
+    log_error("No number found: %s", src);
     return src;
   }
 
@@ -78,16 +78,16 @@ parse_matrix(session_t *ps, const char *src, const char **endptr) {
 
   // Validate matrix width and height
   if (wid <= 0 || hei <= 0) {
-    printf_errf("(): Invalid matrix width/height.");
+    log_error("Invalid matrix width/height.");
     goto err1;
   }
   if (!(wid % 2 && hei % 2)) {
-    printf_errf("(): Width/height not odd.");
+    log_error("Width/height not odd.");
     goto err1;
   }
   if (wid > 16 || hei > 16)
-    printf_errf("(): Matrix width/height too large, may slow down"
-                "rendering, and/or consume lots of memory");
+    log_warn("Matrix width/height too large, may slow down"
+             "rendering, and/or consume lots of memory");
 
   // Allocate memory
   auto matrix = ccalloc(wid * hei + 2, xcb_render_fixed_t);
@@ -110,14 +110,14 @@ parse_matrix(session_t *ps, const char *src, const char **endptr) {
       matrix[2 + i] = DOUBLE_TO_XFIXED(val);
     }
     if (BKEND_XRENDER == ps->o.backend && hasneg)
-      printf_errf("(): A convolution kernel with negative values "
-          "may not work properly under X Render backend.");
+      log_warn("A convolution kernel with negative values may not work properly under X "
+               "Render backend.");
   }
 
   // Detect trailing characters
   for ( ;*pc && ';' != *pc; ++pc)
     if (!isspace(*pc) && ',' != *pc) {
-      printf_errf("(): Trailing characters in matrix string.");
+      log_error("Trailing characters in matrix string.");
       goto err2;
     }
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ parse_matrix(session_t *ps, const char *src, const char **endptr) {
   if (endptr)
     *endptr = pc;
   else if (*pc) {
-    printf_errf("(): Only one matrix expected.");
+    log_error("Only one matrix expected.");
     goto err2;
   }
 
@@ -197,13 +197,13 @@ parse_conv_kern_lst(session_t *ps, const char *src, xcb_render_fixed_t **dest, i
   }
 
   if (i > 1) {
-    printf_errf("(): You are seeing this message because your are using multipass\n"
-        "blur. Please report an issue to us so we know multipass blur is actually been used.\n"
-        "Otherwise it might be removed in future releases");
+    log_warn("You are seeing this message because your are using multipassblur. Please "
+             "report an issue to us so we know multipass blur is actually been used. "
+             "Otherwise it might be removed in future releases");
   }
 
   if (*pc) {
-    printf_errf("(): Too many blur kernels!");
+    log_error("Too many blur kernels!");
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ parse_geometry(session_t *ps, const char *src, region_t *dest) {
     if (src != endptr) {
       geom.wid = val;
       if (geom.wid < 0) {
-        printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Invalid width.", src);
+        log_error("Invalid width: %s", src);
         return false;
       }
       src = endptr;
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ parse_geometry(session_t *ps, const char *src, region_t *dest) {
     if (src != endptr) {
       geom.hei = val;
       if (geom.hei < 0) {
-        printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Invalid height.", src);
+        log_error("Invalid height: %s", src);
         return false;
       }
       src = endptr;
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ parse_geometry(session_t *ps, const char *src, region_t *dest) {
   }
 
   if (*src) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Trailing characters.", src);
+    log_error("Trailing characters: %s", src);
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -305,11 +305,11 @@ bool parse_rule_opacity(session_t *ps, const char *src) {
   char *endptr = NULL;
   long val = strtol(src, &endptr, 0);
   if (!endptr || endptr == src) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): No opacity specified?", src);
+    log_error("No opacity specified: %s", src);
     return false;
   }
   if (val > 100 || val < 0) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Opacity %ld invalid.", src, val);
+    log_error("Opacity %ld invalid: %s", val, src);
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ bool parse_rule_opacity(session_t *ps, const char *src) {
   while (*endptr && isspace(*endptr))
     ++endptr;
   if (':' != *endptr) {
-    printf_errf("(\"%s\"): Opacity terminator not found.", src);
+    log_error("Opacity terminator not found: %s", src);
     return false;
   }
   ++endptr;
diff --git a/src/config_libconfig.c b/src/config_libconfig.c
index d4fa5a2..1804a8f 100644
--- a/src/config_libconfig.c
+++ b/src/config_libconfig.c
@@ -140,10 +140,11 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
   f = open_config_file(ps->o.config_file, &path);
   if (!f) {
     if (ps->o.config_file) {
-      printf_errfq(1, "(): Failed to read configuration file \"%s\".",
-          ps->o.config_file);
       free(ps->o.config_file);
       ps->o.config_file = NULL;
+
+      log_fatal("Failed to read configuration file \"%s\".", ps->o.config_file);
+      abort();
     }
     return;
   }
@@ -166,8 +167,8 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
     fclose(f);
     f = NULL;
     if (read_result == CONFIG_FALSE) {
-      printf("Error when reading configuration file \"%s\", line %d: %s\n",
-          path, config_error_line(&cfg), config_error_text(&cfg));
+      log_error("Error when reading configuration file \"%s\", line %d: %s",
+                path, config_error_line(&cfg), config_error_text(&cfg));
       config_destroy(&cfg);
       free(path);
       return;
@@ -213,22 +214,22 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
     *shadow_enable = ival;
   // -C (no_dock_shadow)
   if (config_lookup_bool(&cfg, "no-dock-shadow", &ival)) {
-    printf_errf("(): option `no-dock-shadow` is deprecated, and will be removed.\n"
-      " Please use the wintype option `shadow` of `dock` instead.");
+    log_warn("Option `no-dock-shadow` is deprecated, and will be removed."
+             " Please use the wintype option `shadow` of `dock` instead.");
     ps->o.wintype_option[WINTYPE_DOCK].shadow = false;
     winopt_mask[WINTYPE_DOCK].shadow = true;
   }
   // -G (no_dnd_shadow)
   if (config_lookup_bool(&cfg, "no-dnd-shadow", &ival)) {
-    printf_errf("(): option `no-dnd-shadow` is deprecated, and will be removed.\n"
-      " Please use the wintype option `shadow` of `dnd` instead.");
+    log_warn("Option `no-dnd-shadow` is deprecated, and will be removed."
+             " Please use the wintype option `shadow` of `dnd` instead.");
     ps->o.wintype_option[WINTYPE_DND].shadow = false;
     winopt_mask[WINTYPE_DND].shadow = true;
   };
   // -m (menu_opacity)
   if (config_lookup_float(&cfg, "menu-opacity", &dval)) {
-    printf_errf("(): option `menu-opacity` is deprecated, and will be removed.\n"
-      "Please use the wintype option `opacity` of `popup_menu` and `dropdown_menu` instead.");
+    log_warn("Option `menu-opacity` is deprecated, and will be removed.Please use the "
+             "wintype option `opacity` of `popup_menu` and `dropdown_menu` instead.");
     ps->o.wintype_option[WINTYPE_DROPDOWN_MENU].opacity = dval;
     ps->o.wintype_option[WINTYPE_POPUP_MENU].opacity = dval;
     winopt_mask[WINTYPE_DROPDOWN_MENU].opacity = true;
@@ -276,11 +277,15 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
   // --refresh-rate
   config_lookup_int(&cfg, "refresh-rate", &ps->o.refresh_rate);
   // --vsync
-  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "vsync", &sval) && !parse_vsync(ps, sval))
+  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "vsync", &sval) && !parse_vsync(ps, sval)) {
+    log_fatal("Cannot parse vsync");
     exit(1);
+  }
   // --backend
-  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "backend", &sval) && !parse_backend(ps, sval))
+  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "backend", &sval) && !parse_backend(ps, sval)) {
+    log_fatal("Cannot parse backend");
     exit(1);
+  }
   // --log-level
   if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "log-level", &sval)) {
     auto level = string_to_log_level(sval);
@@ -332,8 +337,10 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
       &ps->o.blur_background_fixed);
   // --blur-kern
   if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "blur-kern", &sval)
-      && !parse_conv_kern_lst(ps, sval, ps->o.blur_kerns, MAX_BLUR_PASS))
+      && !parse_conv_kern_lst(ps, sval, ps->o.blur_kerns, MAX_BLUR_PASS)) {
+    log_fatal("Cannot parse \"blur-kern\"");
     exit(1);
+  }
   // --resize-damage
   config_lookup_int(&cfg, "resize-damage", &ps->o.resize_damage);
   // --glx-no-stencil
@@ -341,9 +348,11 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
   // --glx-no-rebind-pixmap
   lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "glx-no-rebind-pixmap", &ps->o.glx_no_rebind_pixmap);
   // --glx-swap-method
-  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "glx-swap-method", &sval)
-      && !parse_glx_swap_method(ps, sval))
+  if (config_lookup_string(&cfg, "glx-swap-method", &sval) &&
+      !parse_glx_swap_method(ps, sval)) {
+    log_fatal("Cannot parse \"glx-swap-method\"");
     exit(1);
+  }
   // --glx-use-gpushader4
   lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "glx-use-gpushader4", &ps->o.glx_use_gpushader4);
   // --xrender-sync
@@ -352,22 +361,22 @@ void parse_config_libconfig(session_t *ps, bool *shadow_enable,
   lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "xrender-sync-fence", &ps->o.xrender_sync_fence);
 
   if (lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "clear-shadow", &bval))
-    printf_errf("(): \"clear-shadow\" is removed as an option, and is always"
-                " enabled now. Consider removing it from your config file");
+    log_warn("\"clear-shadow\" is removed as an option, and is always"
+             " enabled now. Consider removing it from your config file");
   if (lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "paint-on-overlay", &bval))
-    printf_errf("(): \"paint-on-overlay\" has been removed as an option, and "
-                "is enabled whenever possible");
+    log_warn("\"paint-on-overlay\" has been removed as an option, and "
+             "is enabled whenever possible");
 
   if (config_lookup_float(&cfg, "alpha-step", &dval))
-    printf_errf("(): \"alpha-step\" has been removed, compton now tries to make use"
-                " of all alpha values");
+    log_warn("\"alpha-step\" has been removed, compton now tries to make use"
+             " of all alpha values");
 
   const char *deprecation_message = "has been removed. If you encounter problems "
     "without this feature, please feel free to open a bug report";
   if (lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "glx-use-copysubbuffermesa", &bval) && bval)
-    printf_errf("(): \"glx-use-copysubbuffermesa\" %s", deprecation_message);
+    log_warn("\"glx-use-copysubbuffermesa\" %s", deprecation_message);
   if (lcfg_lookup_bool(&cfg, "glx-copy-from-front", &bval) && bval)
-    printf_errf("(): \"glx-copy-from-front\" %s", deprecation_message);
+    log_warn("\"glx-copy-from-front\" %s", deprecation_message);
 
   // Wintype settings