diff --git a/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/ArtifactResolutionException.java b/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/ArtifactResolutionException.java
index 90356d0a81..55c6add2b8 100644
--- a/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/ArtifactResolutionException.java
+++ b/maven-artifact/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/resolver/ArtifactResolutionException.java
@@ -80,28 +80,26 @@ public class ArtifactResolutionException
             }
         }
 
-        // TODO: don't show this section for metadata
-        sb.append( LS );
-        sb.append( LS );
-        sb.append( "Try downloading the file manually" );
-        if ( downloadUrl != null )
+        if ( downloadUrl != null && !type.equals( "pom" ) )
         {
-            sb.append( " from " );
+            sb.append( LS );
+            sb.append( LS );
+            sb.append( "Try downloading the file manually from" );
             sb.append( LS );
             sb.append( "  " + downloadUrl );
+            sb.append( LS );
+            sb.append( "and install it using the command: " );
+            sb.append( LS );
+            sb.append( "  m2 install:install-file -DgroupId=" );
+            sb.append( groupId );
+            sb.append( " -DartifactId=" );
+            sb.append( artifactId );
+            sb.append( " -Dversion=" );
+            sb.append( version );
+            sb.append( " -Dpackaging=" );
+            sb.append( type );
+            sb.append( " -Dfile=/path/to/file" );
         }
-        sb.append( LS );
-        sb.append( "and install it using the command: " );
-        sb.append( LS );
-        sb.append( "  m2 install:install-file -DgroupId=" );
-        sb.append( groupId );
-        sb.append( " -DartifactId=" );
-        sb.append( artifactId );
-        sb.append( " -Dversion=" );
-        sb.append( version );
-        sb.append( " -Dpackaging=" );
-        sb.append( type );
-        sb.append( " -Dfile=/path/to/file" );
 
         return sb.toString();
     }
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
index 73a67d84bf..e470195383 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/DefaultMaven.java
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 /**
  * @author <a href="mailto:jason@maven.org">Jason van Zyl </a>
  * @version $Id$
+ * @todo unify error reporting. We should return one response, always - and let the CLI decide how to render it. The reactor response should contain individual project responses
  */
 public class DefaultMaven
     extends AbstractLogEnabled
@@ -120,17 +121,33 @@ public class DefaultMaven
         {
             throw new ReactorException( "Error processing projects for the reactor: ", e );
         }
-        catch ( ProjectBuildingException e )
-        {
-            throw new ReactorException( "Error processing projects for the reactor: ", e );
-        }
         catch ( CycleDetectedException e )
         {
             throw new ReactorException( "Error processing projects for the reactor: ", e );
         }
         catch ( ArtifactResolutionException e )
         {
-            throw new ReactorException( "Error processing projects for the reactor: ", e );
+            dispatcher.dispatchError( event, request.getBaseDirectory(), e );
+
+            MavenExecutionResponse response = new MavenExecutionResponse();
+            response.setStart( new Date() );
+            response.setFinish( new Date() );
+            response.setException( e );
+            logFailure( response, e, null );
+
+            return response;
+        }
+        catch ( ProjectBuildingException e )
+        {
+            dispatcher.dispatchError( event, request.getBaseDirectory(), e );
+
+            MavenExecutionResponse response = new MavenExecutionResponse();
+            response.setStart( new Date() );
+            response.setFinish( new Date() );
+            response.setException( e );
+            logFailure( response, e, null );
+
+            return response;
         }
 
         try
@@ -150,6 +167,8 @@ public class DefaultMaven
                     MavenExecutionResponse response = processProject( request, project, dispatcher );
                     if ( response.isExecutionFailure() )
                     {
+                        dispatcher.dispatchError( event, request.getBaseDirectory(), response.getException() );
+
                         return response;
                     }
                 }
@@ -414,6 +433,7 @@ public class DefaultMaven
             line();
         }
 
+        // TODO: needs to honour -e
         if ( getLogger().isDebugEnabled() )
         {
             getLogger().debug( "Trace", e );
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/Maven.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/Maven.java
index 298d7391c1..6b32f3b18b 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/Maven.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/Maven.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ package org.apache.maven;
 import org.apache.maven.execution.MavenExecutionRequest;
 import org.apache.maven.execution.MavenExecutionResponse;
 import org.apache.maven.reactor.ReactorException;
+import org.apache.maven.project.ProjectBuildingException;
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.resolver.ArtifactResolutionException;
 
 /**
  * @author <a href="mailto:jason@maven.org">Jason van Zyl </a>
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
index e3d29ec4f2..320f7cd4d0 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ public class MavenCli
         }
         else
         {
-            System.err.println( "For more information, run with the -X flag" );
+            System.err.println( "For more information, run with the -e flag" );
         }
     }