diff --git a/core/server/data/sephiroth/index.js b/core/server/data/sephiroth/index.js
index 6817101ad1..f96b9bb594 100644
--- a/core/server/data/sephiroth/index.js
+++ b/core/server/data/sephiroth/index.js
@@ -5,10 +5,6 @@ function Sephiroth(options) {
     this.utils = require('./lib/utils');
     this.database = require('./lib/database');
 
-    if (!options.database) {
-        this.utils.throwError({code: this.utils.errors.databaseConfigMissing});
-    }
-
     this.database.connect(options.database);
 }
 
diff --git a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/commands/init.js b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/commands/init.js
index 6676c34537..5eddbd4da1 100644
--- a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/commands/init.js
+++ b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/commands/init.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 var Promise = require('bluebird'),
     path = require('path'),
     utils = require('../utils'),
+    errors = require('../errors'),
     logging = require('../../../../logging');
 
 /**
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ module.exports = function init(options) {
                     type: 'init'
                 });
             }).catch(function (err) {
-                if (err.code === utils.errors.taskFound) {
+                if (err instanceof errors.MigrationExistsError) {
                     logging.warn('Skipping:' + task.name);
                     return Promise.resolve();
                 }
diff --git a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/database.js b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/database.js
index 93fe55bb31..07db0c7a2b 100644
--- a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/database.js
+++ b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/database.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ var knex = require('knex');
  * we only support knex
  */
 exports.connect = function connect(options) {
+    options = options || {};
     var client = options.client;
 
     if (client === 'sqlite3') {
diff --git a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/errors.js b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/errors.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2de8766e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/errors.js
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+var _ = require('lodash'),
+    util = require('util');
+
+function SephirothError(options) {
+    options = options || {};
+    var self = this;
+
+    if (_.isString(options)) {
+        throw new Error('Please instantiate Errors with the option pattern. e.g. new errors.SephirothError({message: ...})');
+    }
+
+    Error.call(this);
+    Error.captureStackTrace(this, SephirothError);
+
+    /**
+     * defaults
+     */
+    this.statusCode = 500;
+    this.errorType = this.name = 'SephirothError';
+    this.id = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * option overrides
+     */
+    this.id = options.id || this.id;
+    this.message = options.message || this.message;
+    this.code = options.code || this.code;
+    this.errorType = this.name = options.errorType || this.errorType;
+
+    // error to inherit from, override!
+    if (options.err) {
+        Object.getOwnPropertyNames(options.err).forEach(function (property) {
+            self[property] = options.err[property] || self[property];
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+// jscs:disable
+var errors = {
+    MigrationExistsError: function MigrationExistsError(options) {
+        SephirothError.call(this, _.merge({
+            id: 100,
+            errorType: 'MigrationExistsError'
+        }, options));
+    },
+    DatabaseIsNotOkError: function DatabaseIsNotOkError(options) {
+        SephirothError.call(this, _.merge({
+            id: 200,
+            errorType: 'DatabaseIsNotOkError'
+        }, options));
+    }
+};
+
+_.each(errors, function (error) {
+    util.inherits(error, SephirothError);
+});
+
+module.exports = errors;
+module.exports.SephirothError = SephirothError;
diff --git a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/utils.js b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/utils.js
index a29e069636..414210adba 100644
--- a/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/utils.js
+++ b/core/server/data/sephiroth/lib/utils.js
@@ -2,27 +2,9 @@ var path = require('path'),
     _ = require('lodash'),
     fs = require('fs'),
     database = require('./database'),
+    errors = require('./errors'),
     logging = require('../../../logging');
 
-exports.errors = {
-    taskFound: 100,
-    unknown: 99,
-    migrationsTableMissing: 98,
-    dbInitMissing: 97,
-    databaseConfigMissing: 96
-};
-
-/**
- * Sephiroth erorr handling for now
- */
-exports.throwError = function throwError(options) {
-    var code = options.code,
-        err = new Error();
-
-    err.code = code;
-    throw err;
-};
-
 exports.readTasks = function readTasks(absolutePath) {
     var files = [],
         tasks = [];
@@ -39,7 +21,7 @@ exports.readTasks = function readTasks(absolutePath) {
 
         return tasks;
     } catch (err) {
-        throw err;
+        throw new errors.SephirothError({err: err});
     }
 };
 
@@ -65,12 +47,12 @@ exports.preTask = function preTask(options) {
             }
 
             if (_.find(migrations, {name: task, type: type})) {
-                exports.throwError({code: exports.errors.taskFound});
+                throw new errors.MigrationExistsError();
             }
         })
         .catch(function (err) {
             // CASE: table does not exist
-            if (err.errno === 1) {
+            if (err.errno === 1 || err.errno === 1146) {
                 logging.info('Creating table: migrations');
 
                 return (localDatabase || database.knex).schema.createTable('migrations', function (table) {
@@ -117,14 +99,21 @@ exports.isDatabaseOK = function isDatabaseOK(options) {
                 return;
             }
 
-            exports.throwError({code: exports.errors.dbInitMissing});
+            throw new errors.DatabaseIsNotOkError({
+                message: 'Please run node core/server/data/sephiroth/bin/sephiroth init.',
+                code: 'DB_NOT_INITIALISED'
+            });
         })
         .catch(function (err) {
-            // CASE: table does not exist
-            if (err.errno === 1) {
-                exports.throwError({code: exports.errors.dbInitMissing});
+            if (err.errno === 1 || err.errno === 1146) {
+                throw new errors.DatabaseIsNotOkError({
+                    message: 'Please run node core/server/data/sephiroth/bin/sephiroth init.',
+                    code: 'MIGRATION_TABLE_IS_MISSING'
+                });
             }
 
-            exports.throwError({code: exports.errors.unknown});
+            throw new errors.SephirothError({
+                err: err
+            });
         });
 };