diff --git a/modules/context/context.go b/modules/context/context.go
index cf5eb7d..fc7a7b4 100644
--- a/modules/context/context.go
+++ b/modules/context/context.go
@@ -123,8 +123,16 @@ func InitCommand(ctx *cli.Context) *TeaContext {
 		}
 	} else if c.Login == nil {
 		if c.Login, err = config.GetDefaultLogin(); err != nil {
-			log.Fatal(err.Error())
+			if err.Error() == "No available login" {
+				// TODO: maybe we can directly start interact.CreateLogin() (only if
+				// we're sure we can interactively!), as gh cli does.
+				fmt.Println(`No gitea login configured. To start using tea, first run
+  tea login add
+and then run your command again.`)
+			}
+			os.Exit(1)
 		}
+		fmt.Printf("NOTE: no gitea login detected, falling back to login '%s'\n", c.Login.Name)
 	}
 
 	// parse reposlug (owner falling back to login owner if reposlug contains only repo name)
diff --git a/modules/task/pull_checkout.go b/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
index 9beceaa..a003982 100644
--- a/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
+++ b/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func PullCheckout(
 	client := login.Client()
 	pr, _, err := client.GetPullRequest(repoOwner, repoName, index)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("couldn't fetch PR: %s", err)
 	}
 	if err := workaround.FixPullHeadSha(client, pr); err != nil {
 		return err