diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0e27442..ea83056 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
     "find-elm-dependencies": "^1.0.1",
     "find-up": "^2.1.0",
     "fkill": "^5.0.0",
+    "fs-extra": "^4.0.1",
     "gulp": "^3.9.1",
     "gulp-any-template": "^0.3.1",
     "gulp-elm-basic": "^0.3.0",
@@ -70,7 +71,6 @@
     "husky": "^0.14.3",
     "lint-staged": "^4.0.4",
     "mocha": "^3.5.0",
-    "mute": "^2.0.6",
     "nyc": "^11.1.0",
     "portscanner": "^2.1.1",
     "request-promise-native": "^1.0.4",
diff --git a/src/tasks/build.js b/src/tasks/build.js
index e937848..fb2522b 100644
--- a/src/tasks/build.js
+++ b/src/tasks/build.js
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ const build = options => {
   const opts = Object.assign({}, defaults, options)
 
   // CLI spinner
+  spinner.space()
   spinner.next('old builds are being cleaned')
 
   return del(opts.outputPath)
@@ -169,12 +170,11 @@ const build = options => {
     .then(() => {
       spinner.space()
       spinner.succeed('main application has been compiled')
-      spinner.space()
     })
     .catch(e => {
       spinner.space()
-      spinner.fail(e)
-      spinner.space()
+      spinner.fail(e, false)
+      throw e
     })
 }
 
diff --git a/src/tasks/dev.js b/src/tasks/dev.js
index b80394e..980ff88 100644
--- a/src/tasks/dev.js
+++ b/src/tasks/dev.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ const elmCss = require('elm-css')
 const execa = require('execa')
 const findAllDependencies = require('find-elm-dependencies').findAllDependencies
 const fkill = require('fkill')
-const fs = require('fs')
+const fs = require('fs-extra')
 const nocache = require('nocache')
 const path = require('path')
 const proxy = require('http-proxy-middleware')
@@ -62,27 +62,61 @@ const loadHtmlCompiler = file => {
   validateParam('string', 'file', file)
 
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    fs.readFile(file, (err, contents) => {
-      if (err) {
-        reject(err)
-      }
+    fs
+      .pathExists(file)
+      .then(() => fs.readFile(file))
+      .then((contents) => {
+        const compiler = anyTemplate.compiler({ path: file, contents })
+
+        if (compiler) {
+          resolve(compiler)
+        } else {
+          reject(new Error('html template format unsupported'))
+        }
+      })
+      .catch(reject)
+  })
+}
 
-      const compiler = anyTemplate.compiler({ path: file, contents })
+const createWatcher = (onChange, onDeps, filter, bs, entry) => {
+  validateParam('function', 'onChange', onChange)
+  validateParam('function', 'onDeps', onDeps)
+  validateParam('function', 'filter', filter)
+  validateParam('object', 'bs', bs)
+  validateParam('string', 'entry', entry)
 
-      if (compiler) {
-        resolve(compiler)
-      } else {
-        reject(new Error('html template format unsupported'))
-      }
-    })
-  })
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
+    getDepTree(entry)
+      .then(deps => {
+        onDeps(deps)
+
+        const watcher = bs.watch(['!elm-stuff', ...deps])
+
+        watcher.on('change', file => {
+          if (filter(file)) {
+            // stop watching temporarily
+            watcher && watcher.close()
+
+            // trigger on change
+            onChange(file)
+
+            // start watching again
+            createWatcher(onChange, onDeps, filter, bs, entry)
+          }
+        })
+
+        resolve(watcher)
+      })
+      .catch(reject)
+  )
 }
 
 const htmlCompiler = (bs, html) => (request, response, next) => {
   if (path.extname(request.url) === '.elm') {
     return loadHtmlCompiler(html)
       .catch(e => {
-        spinner(e)
+        spinner.fail(e, false)
+        throw e
       })
       .then(compiler =>
         compiler({
@@ -94,11 +128,6 @@ const htmlCompiler = (bs, html) => (request, response, next) => {
         response.write(compiledHtml)
         response.end()
       })
-      .catch(e => {
-        response.write(e)
-        response.end()
-        throw e
-      })
       .then(() =>
         createWatcher(
           () => bs.reload(),
@@ -108,6 +137,9 @@ const htmlCompiler = (bs, html) => (request, response, next) => {
           path.join(process.cwd(), request.url)
         )
       )
+      .catch(e => {
+        next()
+      })
   } else {
     next()
   }
@@ -226,53 +258,18 @@ const startBrowserSync = (
   })
 }
 
-const createWatcher = (onChange, onDeps, filter, bs, entry) => {
-  validateParam('function', 'onChange', onChange)
-  validateParam('function', 'onDeps', onDeps)
-  validateParam('function', 'filter', filter)
-  validateParam('object', 'bs', bs)
-  validateParam('string', 'entry', entry)
-
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
-    getDepTree(entry)
-      .then(deps => {
-        onDeps(deps)
-
-        const watcher = bs.watch(['!elm-stuff', ...deps])
-
-        watcher.on('change', file => {
-          if (filter(file)) {
-            // stop watching temporarily
-            watcher && watcher.close()
-
-            // trigger on change
-            onChange(file)
-
-            // start watching again
-            createWatcher(onChange, onDeps, filter, bs, entry)
-          }
-        })
-
-        resolve(watcher)
-      })
-      .catch(reject)
-  )
-}
-
 const compileCss = (stylesheets, dir) =>
   elmCss(process.cwd(), stylesheets, dir)
     .then(() => {
       setTimeout(() => {
         spinner.space()
         spinner.succeed('css has been compiled')
-        spinner.space()
       })
     })
     .catch(e => {
       setTimeout(() => {
         spinner.space()
         spinner.fail(`elm-css ${e.message}`, false)
-        spinner.space()
       })
     })
 
@@ -280,77 +277,68 @@ const dev = options => {
   const opts = Object.assign({}, defaults, options)
   const tmpDir = tmp.dirSync({ unsafeCleanup: true })
 
+  spinner.space()
   spinner.next('elm-package install is starting')
 
-  return (
-    // first install packages using elm-package
-    installPackages()
-      .catch(e => {
-        spinner.fail(e)
-      })
-      // then start elm-reactor
-      .then(output => {
-        spinner.succeed('elm-package install has completed')
-        spinner.next('elm-reactor is starting')
+  return installPackages()
+    .catch(e => {
+      spinner.fail(e)
+    })
+    .then(output => {
+      spinner.succeed('elm-package install has completed')
+      spinner.next('elm-reactor is starting')
 
-        return startReactor(opts.reactorHost, opts.reactorPort)
-      })
-      // then start browser-sync
-      .then(() => {
-        spinner.succeed('elm-reactor is now started')
-        spinner.next('browser-sync is starting')
-
-        return startBrowserSync(
-          opts.host,
-          opts.port,
-          `http://${opts.reactorHost}:${opts.reactorPort}`,
-          opts.html,
-          tmpDir.name,
-          opts.proxy,
-          opts.proxyRewrite
-        ).catch(e => {
-          spinner.fail(e)
-        })
-      })
-      .then(({ bs, port }) => {
-        spinner.succeed('browser-sync is now started')
-
-        return Promise.all([
-          Promise.resolve(port),
-          // check if our stylesheet exists
-          exists(opts.stylesheets)
-            .then(() => {
-              // compile stylesheet
-              spinner.next('css is now compiling')
-
-              return compileCss(opts.stylesheets, tmpDir.name)
-            })
-            .then(() => {
-              // create stylesheet watcher
-              return createWatcher(
-                file => compileCss(opts.stylesheets, tmpDir.name),
-                deps => (stylesheetsDeps = deps),
-                () => true,
-                bs,
-                opts.stylesheets
-              )
-            })
-            .catch(e => {
-              spinner.space()
-              spinner.fail(e, false)
-            }),
-        ])
-      })
-      .then(port => {
-        spinner.succeed(`ready! http://${opts.host}:${opts.port}`)
-        spinner.space()
-      })
-      .catch(e => {
-        spinner.fail(e, false)
-        spinner.space()
-        throw e
+      return startReactor(opts.reactorHost, opts.reactorPort)
+    })
+    .then(() => {
+      spinner.succeed('elm-reactor is now started')
+      spinner.next('browser-sync is starting')
+
+      return startBrowserSync(
+        opts.host,
+        opts.port,
+        `http://${opts.reactorHost}:${opts.reactorPort}`,
+        opts.html,
+        tmpDir.name,
+        opts.proxy,
+        opts.proxyRewrite
+      ).catch(e => {
+        spinner.fail(e)
       })
-  )
+    })
+    .then(({ bs, port }) => {
+      spinner.succeed('browser-sync is now started')
+
+      return Promise.all([
+        Promise.resolve(port),
+        fs
+          .readFile(opts.stylesheets)
+          .then(() => {
+            spinner.next('css is now compiling')
+
+            return compileCss(opts.stylesheets, tmpDir.name)
+          })
+          .then(() => {
+            return createWatcher(
+              file => compileCss(opts.stylesheets, tmpDir.name),
+              deps => (stylesheetsDeps = deps),
+              () => true,
+              bs,
+              opts.stylesheets
+            )
+          })
+          .catch(e => {
+            spinner.fail(e, false)
+          }),
+      ])
+    })
+    .then(port => {
+      spinner.succeed(`ready! http://${opts.host}:${opts.port}`)
+    })
+    .catch(e => {
+      spinner.fail(e, false)
+      throw e
+    })
 }
 
 module.exports = {
@@ -358,8 +346,8 @@ module.exports = {
   createProxies,
   getDepTree,
   loadHtmlCompiler,
+  createWatcher,
   startReactor,
   startBrowserSync,
-  createWatcher,
   dev,
 }
diff --git a/src/tasks/init.js b/src/tasks/init.js
index 5209709..dabbd1d 100644
--- a/src/tasks/init.js
+++ b/src/tasks/init.js
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 const anyTemplate = require('gulp-any-template')
 const filter = require('gulp-filter')
-const fs = require('fs')
+const fs = require('fs-extra')
 const gulp = require('gulp')
 const path = require('path')
 const pumpify = require('pumpify')
 const rename = require('gulp-rename')
 
+const defaults = require('../defaults').init
 const { initializeSpinner, validateParam } = require('./utils')
 
 // global reference to CLI spinner
@@ -15,9 +16,12 @@ const isEmpty = dir => {
   validateParam('string', 'dir', dir)
 
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    fs.readdir(dir, function(err, files) {
-      resolve(files ? files.length === 0 : true)
-    })
+    fs
+      .readdir(dir)
+      .then(files => {
+        resolve(files ? files.length === 0 : true)
+      })
+      .catch(() => resolve(true))
   })
 }
 
@@ -48,6 +52,7 @@ const copy = dir => {
 const init = (options = {}) => {
   validateParam('object', 'options', options)
 
+  spinner.space()
   spinner.next('initializing your project')
 
   return isEmpty(options.dir)
@@ -60,13 +65,10 @@ const init = (options = {}) => {
     })
     .then(() => {
       spinner.succeed('project created!')
-      spinner.space()
       spinner.stopAndPersist({ symbol: '$ ', text: `cd ${options.dir}` })
-      spinner.space()
     })
     .catch(e => {
       spinner.fail(e, false)
-      spinner.space()
     })
 }
 
diff --git a/src/tasks/utils.js b/src/tasks/utils.js
index 1ade3f8..327c784 100644
--- a/src/tasks/utils.js
+++ b/src/tasks/utils.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 const chalk = require('chalk')
 const check = require('check-types')
 const execa = require('execa')
-const fs = require('fs')
 const ora = require('ora')
 
 const spacer = (count = 50) => '-'.repeat(count)
@@ -15,20 +14,6 @@ const validateParam = (type, name, value, required = true) => {
   return checker[type](value, invalidParam(type, name))
 }
 
-const exists = path => {
-  validateParam('string', 'path', path)
-
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    fs.stat(path, (err, contents) => {
-      if (err) {
-        reject(`could not find ${path}`)
-      } else {
-        resolve(contents)
-      }
-    })
-  })
-}
-
 const installPackages = (cwd = process.cwd()) => {
   validateParam('string', 'cwd', cwd)
 
@@ -47,25 +32,34 @@ const installPackages = (cwd = process.cwd()) => {
 
 const initializeSpinner = spinner => {
   const inner = spinner || ora()
+  const space = () => inner.stopAndPersist({ symbol: spacer(), text: ' ' })
 
   return {
     inner,
-    space: () => inner.stopAndPersist({ symbol: spacer(), text: ' ' }),
+    space,
     next: text => {
-      inner.stopAndPersist({ symbol: spacer(), text: ' ' })
       inner.text = text
       inner.start()
     },
     succeed: text => {
       inner.succeed(text)
+      space()
+    },
+    warn: text => {
+      inner.warn(text)
+      space()
     },
     fail: (e, rethrow = true) => {
       inner.fail((e.message || e).trim())
       if (rethrow) {
         throw e
       }
+      space()
+    },
+    stopAndPersist: opts => {
+      inner.stopAndPersist(opts)
+      space()
     },
-    stopAndPersist: opts => spinner.stopAndPersist(opts),
   }
 }
 
@@ -73,7 +67,6 @@ module.exports = {
   invalidParam,
   validateParam,
   spacer,
-  exists,
   installPackages,
   initializeSpinner,
 }
diff --git a/test/tasks/dev-test.js b/test/tasks/dev-test.js
index 4f8d319..9ee4029 100644
--- a/test/tasks/dev-test.js
+++ b/test/tasks/dev-test.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import chaifs from 'chai-fs'
 import chaiAsPromised from 'chai-as-promised'
 import fs from 'fs'
 import http from 'http'
-import mute from 'mute'
 import path from 'path'
 import portscanner from 'portscanner'
 import request from 'request-promise-native'
diff --git a/test/tasks/utils-test.js b/test/tasks/utils-test.js
index aac4dab..47ae997 100644
--- a/test/tasks/utils-test.js
+++ b/test/tasks/utils-test.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import chai, { assert, expect } from 'chai'
 import chaifs from 'chai-fs'
 import chaiAsPromised from 'chai-as-promised'
 import check from 'check-types'
-import fs from 'fs'
 import path from 'path'
 import sinon from 'sinon'
 import tmp from 'tmp'
@@ -107,16 +106,24 @@ describe('UTILS', function() {
     let space
     let next
     let succeed
+    let warn
     let fail
     let stopAndPersist
     let start
 
     beforeEach(() => {
       succeed = sinon.spy()
+      warn = sinon.spy()
       fail = sinon.spy()
       stopAndPersist = sinon.spy()
       start = sinon.spy()
-      spinner = initializeSpinner({ succeed, fail, stopAndPersist, start })
+      spinner = initializeSpinner({
+        succeed,
+        warn,
+        fail,
+        stopAndPersist,
+        start,
+      })
       space = sinon.spy(spinner.space)
       next = sinon.spy(spinner.next)
     })
@@ -125,10 +132,11 @@ describe('UTILS', function() {
       expect(spinner)
         .to.be.an('object')
         .with.all.keys(
-          'space',
           'inner',
-          'succeed',
+          'space',
           'next',
+          'succeed',
+          'warn',
           'fail',
           'stopAndPersist'
         )
@@ -139,15 +147,18 @@ describe('UTILS', function() {
         true
       )
     })
+    it('#next() sets inner text and calls inner start', () => {
+      spinner.next('bar')
+      expect(spinner.inner.text).to.eql('bar')
+      expect(spinner.inner.start.callCount).to.eql(1)
+    })
     it('#succeed() inserts a spacer and calls inner succeed', () => {
       spinner.succeed('foo')
       expect(succeed.callCount).to.eql(1)
     })
-    it('#next() inserts a spacer, sets text, and restarts spinner', () => {
-      spinner.next('bar')
-      expect(stopAndPersist.callCount).to.eql(1)
-      expect(spinner.inner.text).to.eql('bar')
-      expect(spinner.inner.start.callCount).to.eql(1)
+    it('#warn() inserts a spacer and calls inner warn', () => {
+      spinner.warn('foo')
+      expect(warn.callCount).to.eql(1)
     })
     it('#fail() handles an object or string', () => {
       expect(() => spinner.fail('foo')).to.throw()
@@ -164,7 +175,7 @@ describe('UTILS', function() {
     })
     it('#stopAndPersist() calls inner stopAndPersist', () => {
       spinner.stopAndPersist()
-      expect(stopAndPersist.callCount).to.eql(1)
+      expect(stopAndPersist.callCount).to.eql(2)
     })
   })
 })
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 33937f6..a35c8bc 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2013,6 +2013,14 @@ fs-extra@3.0.1:
     jsonfile "^3.0.0"
     universalify "^0.1.0"
 
+fs-extra@^4.0.1:
+  version "4.0.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fs-extra/-/fs-extra-4.0.1.tgz#7fc0c6c8957f983f57f306a24e5b9ddd8d0dd880"
+  dependencies:
+    graceful-fs "^4.1.2"
+    jsonfile "^3.0.0"
+    universalify "^0.1.0"
+
 fs-readdir-recursive@^1.0.0:
   version "1.0.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fs-readdir-recursive/-/fs-readdir-recursive-1.0.0.tgz#8cd1745c8b4f8a29c8caec392476921ba195f560"
@@ -3726,10 +3734,6 @@ mustache@^2.3.0:
   version "2.3.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mustache/-/mustache-2.3.0.tgz#4028f7778b17708a489930a6e52ac3bca0da41d0"
 
-mute@^2.0.6:
-  version "2.0.6"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/mute/-/mute-2.0.6.tgz#8bf10f1f285ea38c9db2630bff675c114c973ed5"
-
 nan@^2.3.0:
   version "2.7.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/nan/-/nan-2.7.0.tgz#d95bf721ec877e08db276ed3fc6eb78f9083ad46"