diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index beb909c8f..d62b42724 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+.*.swp
 *.egg
 *.egg-info
 *.pyc
diff --git a/jenkins_jobs/builder.py b/jenkins_jobs/builder.py
index 73423a2e9..57d7e4c4d 100644
--- a/jenkins_jobs/builder.py
+++ b/jenkins_jobs/builder.py
@@ -237,6 +237,7 @@ class CacheStorage(object):
             self.data = {}
             return
         self.data = yaml.load(yfile)
+        logger.debug("Using cache: '{0}'".format(self.cachefilename))
         yfile.close()
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -348,3 +349,5 @@ class Builder(object):
             if self.cache.has_changed(job.name, md5):
                 self.jenkins.update_job(job.name, job.output())
                 self.cache.set(job.name, md5)
+            else:
+                logger.debug("'{0}' has not changed".format(job.name))
diff --git a/jenkins_jobs/cmd.py b/jenkins_jobs/cmd.py
index 78bfc1a24..7316c657d 100755
--- a/jenkins_jobs/cmd.py
+++ b/jenkins_jobs/cmd.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
 import jenkins_jobs.builder
+import jenkins_jobs.errors
 import argparse
 import ConfigParser
 import logging
@@ -52,13 +53,18 @@ def main():
         if os.path.isfile(localconf):
             conf = localconf
 
-    if not options.command == 'test':
+    if os.path.isfile(conf):
         logger.debug("Reading config from {0}".format(conf))
         conffp = open(conf, 'r')
         config = ConfigParser.ConfigParser()
         config.readfp(conffp)
-    else:
+    elif options.command == 'test':
+        logger.debug("Not reading config for test output generation")
         config = {}
+    else:
+        raise jenkins_jobs.errors.JenkinsJobsException(
+            "A valid configuration file is required when not run as a test")
+
     logger.debug("Config: {0}".format(config))
     builder = jenkins_jobs.builder.Builder(config.get('jenkins', 'url'),
                                            config.get('jenkins', 'user'),
diff --git a/jenkins_jobs/modules/hipchat_notif.py b/jenkins_jobs/modules/hipchat_notif.py
index 3cd10cf19..cdc1e9cc8 100644
--- a/jenkins_jobs/modules/hipchat_notif.py
+++ b/jenkins_jobs/modules/hipchat_notif.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import jenkins_jobs.modules.base
 import jenkins_jobs.errors
 import logging
 import ConfigParser
+import sys
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -65,15 +66,18 @@ class HipChat(jenkins_jobs.modules.base.Base):
            unless actually required.
         """
         if(not self.authToken):
-            # Verify that the config object in the registry is of type
-            # ConfigParser (it could possibly be a regular 'dict' object which
-            # doesn't have the right get() method).
-            if(not isinstance(self.registry.global_config,
-                              ConfigParser.ConfigParser)):
-                raise jenkins_jobs.errors.JenkinsJobsException(
-                    'HipChat requires a config object in the registry.')
-            self.authToken = self.registry.global_config.get(
-                'hipchat', 'authtoken')
+            try:
+                self.authToken = self.registry.global_config.get(
+                    'hipchat', 'authtoken')
+                # Require that the authtoken is non-null
+                if self.authToken == '':
+                    raise jenkins_jobs.errors.JenkinsJobsException(
+                        "Hipchat authtoken must not be a blank string")
+            except (ConfigParser.NoSectionError,
+                    jenkins_jobs.errors.JenkinsJobsException), e:
+                logger.fatal("The configuration file needs a hipchat section" +
+                             " containing authtoken:\n{0}".format(e))
+                sys.exit(1)
             self.jenkinsUrl = self.registry.global_config.get('jenkins', 'url')
 
     def gen_xml(self, parser, xml_parent, data):