diff --git a/get_latest_image.sh b/get_latest_image.sh
index 1044caaf88..66916b3545 100755
--- a/get_latest_image.sh
+++ b/get_latest_image.sh
@@ -43,12 +43,18 @@ fi
 
 IMAGES_DIR="${DEFAULT_BUILD_ROOT}/images/${FLAGS_board}"
 
-# If there are no images, return nothing
-[ -d $IMAGES_DIR ] || exit 0
+# If there are no images, error out since presumably the
+# caller isn't doing this for fun.
+if [[ ! -d ${IMAGES_DIR} ]] ; then
+  die "${IMAGES_DIR} does not exist; have you run ./build_image?"
+fi
 
 # Use latest link if it exists, otherwise most recently changed dir
 if [ -L ${IMAGES_DIR}/latest ] ; then
-  DEFAULT_FROM="${IMAGES_DIR}/`readlink ${IMAGES_DIR}/latest`"
+  if ! dst=$(readlink "${IMAGES_DIR}"/latest) ; then
+    die "Could not read ${IMAGES_DIR}/latest; have you run ./build_image?"
+  fi
+  DEFAULT_FROM="${IMAGES_DIR}/${dst}"
 else
   DEFAULT_FROM=$(ls -dt "$IMAGES_DIR"/*/ | head -1)
 fi