diff --git a/src/mouse.rs b/src/mouse.rs
index 7c0c95f..4ce28fe 100644
--- a/src/mouse.rs
+++ b/src/mouse.rs
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ pub struct Mouse(sys::Mouse);
 #[allow(unreachable_code, unused_variables)]
 impl Mouse {
     /// This method creates a new mouse instance, must always be run before anything else
-    pub fn new() -> Mouse {
-        Mouse(sys::Mouse::new())
+    pub fn new() -> Result<Mouse, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+        Ok(Mouse(sys::Mouse::new()?))
     }
 
     /// This method moves the mouse around
diff --git a/src/sys/linux.rs b/src/sys/linux.rs
index f2e4f4d..9d661da 100644
--- a/src/sys/linux.rs
+++ b/src/sys/linux.rs
@@ -1,22 +1,25 @@
 use crate::types::keys::Keys;
 use crate::types::Point;
-use std::error::Error;
+use std::error;
+use std::fmt;
 
 use libc;
 
-use libc::{c_int, c_void, c_char};
-use std::{ptr};
+use libc::{c_char, c_int, c_void};
+use std::ptr;
 
 type XDO = *const c_void;
 type WINDOW = c_int;
 type INTPTR = *mut c_int;
 
+const XDO_SUCCESS: c_int = 0;
+
 fn xdo_translate_key(key: &Keys) -> c_int {
     match key {
         Keys::LEFT => 1,
         Keys::WHEEL | Keys::MIDDLE => 2,
         Keys::RIGHT => 3,
-        _ => panic!("Invalid key passed: {:?}", key)
+        _ => panic!("Invalid key passed: {:?}", key),
     }
 }
 
@@ -29,9 +32,31 @@ impl From<(c_int, c_int)> for Point {
     }
 }
 
+/// xdo logs errors to stderr (sometimes!) and does not communicate them back to
+/// the caller in a programmatic way, so the best we can do is a generic
+/// "<operation> failed" :/
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct Error;
+
+impl error::Error for Error {}
+
+impl fmt::Display for Error {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "xdo operation failed")
+    }
+}
+
+fn check_xdo(result: c_int) -> Result<(), Box<dyn error::Error>> {
+    if result == XDO_SUCCESS {
+        Ok(())
+    } else {
+        Err(Box::new(Error))
+    }
+}
+
 pub struct Mouse {
     xdo: XDO,
-    current_window: c_int
+    current_window: c_int,
 }
 
 #[link(name = "xdo")]
@@ -40,55 +65,61 @@ extern "C" {
     fn xdo_free(xdo: XDO);
 
     fn xdo_move_mouse(xdo: XDO, x: c_int, y: c_int, screen: c_int) -> c_int;
-    fn xdo_mouse_down(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int);
-    fn xdo_mouse_up(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int);
-    fn xdo_click_window(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int);
-    fn xdo_get_mouse_location(xdo: XDO, x: INTPTR, y: INTPTR, screen_num: INTPTR);
+    fn xdo_mouse_down(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int) -> c_int;
+    fn xdo_mouse_up(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int) -> c_int;
+    fn xdo_click_window(xdo: XDO, window: WINDOW, button: c_int) -> c_int;
+    fn xdo_get_mouse_location(xdo: XDO, x: INTPTR, y: INTPTR, screen_num: INTPTR) -> c_int;
 }
 
 impl Mouse {
-    pub fn new() -> Self {
-        Mouse {
-            xdo: unsafe { xdo_new(ptr::null()) },
-            current_window: 0
+    pub fn new() -> Result<Mouse, Box<dyn error::Error>> {
+        let xdo = unsafe { xdo_new(ptr::null()) };
+        if xdo.is_null() {
+            return Err(Box::new(Error));
         }
+
+        Ok(Mouse {
+            xdo,
+            current_window: 0,
+        })
     }
 
-    pub fn move_to(&self, x: i32, y: i32) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
-        unsafe {
-            xdo_move_mouse(self.xdo, x as c_int, y as c_int, 0);
-        }
-        Ok(())
+    pub fn move_to(&self, x: i32, y: i32) -> Result<(), Box<dyn error::Error>> {
+        let result = unsafe { xdo_move_mouse(self.xdo, x as c_int, y as c_int, 0) };
+        check_xdo(result)
     }
 
-    pub fn press<'a>(&self, key: &'a Keys) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
-        unsafe {
-            xdo_mouse_down(self.xdo, self.current_window, xdo_translate_key(key))
-        }
-        Ok(())
+    pub fn press<'a>(&self, key: &'a Keys) -> Result<(), Box<dyn error::Error>> {
+        let result =
+            unsafe { xdo_mouse_down(self.xdo, self.current_window, xdo_translate_key(key)) };
+        check_xdo(result)
     }
 
-    pub fn release<'a>(&self, key: &'a Keys) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
-        unsafe {
-            xdo_mouse_up(self.xdo, self.current_window, xdo_translate_key(key))
-        }
-        Ok(())
+    pub fn release<'a>(&self, key: &'a Keys) -> Result<(), Box<dyn error::Error>> {
+        let result = unsafe { xdo_mouse_up(self.xdo, self.current_window, xdo_translate_key(key)) };
+        check_xdo(result)
     }
 
-    pub fn get_position(&self) -> Result<Point, Box<dyn Error>> {
+    pub fn get_position(&self) -> Result<Point, Box<dyn error::Error>> {
         let pos: Point;
         unsafe {
             let mut x: c_int = 0;
             let mut y: c_int = 0;
             let mut _screen_num: c_int = 0;
-            xdo_get_mouse_location(self.xdo, &mut x as INTPTR, &mut y as INTPTR, &mut _screen_num as INTPTR);
+            let result = xdo_get_mouse_location(
+                self.xdo,
+                &mut x as INTPTR,
+                &mut y as INTPTR,
+                &mut _screen_num as INTPTR,
+            );
+            check_xdo(result)?;
             pos = (x, y).into();
         }
 
         Ok(pos)
     }
 
-    pub fn wheel(&self, mut delta: i32) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    pub fn wheel(&self, mut delta: i32) -> Result<(), Box<dyn error::Error>> {
         let key = if delta < 0 { 4 } else { 5 };
 
         if delta < 0 {
@@ -96,9 +127,8 @@ impl Mouse {
         }
 
         for _ in 0..delta {
-            unsafe {
-                xdo_click_window(self.xdo, self.current_window, key);
-            }
+            let result = unsafe { xdo_click_window(self.xdo, self.current_window, key) };
+            check_xdo(result)?;
         }
         Ok(())
     }
@@ -106,8 +136,8 @@ impl Mouse {
 
 impl Drop for Mouse {
     fn drop(&mut self) {
-        unsafe { 
-            xdo_free(self.xdo); 
+        unsafe {
+            xdo_free(self.xdo);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/sys/macos.rs b/src/sys/macos.rs
index 2b78461..df41c36 100644
--- a/src/sys/macos.rs
+++ b/src/sys/macos.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ impl Mouse {
         )
     }
 
-    pub fn new() -> Mouse {
+    pub fn new() -> Result<Mouse, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         Mouse
     }
 
diff --git a/src/sys/windows.rs b/src/sys/windows.rs
index 7bfe761..7e17894 100644
--- a/src/sys/windows.rs
+++ b/src/sys/windows.rs
@@ -84,10 +84,10 @@ impl Mouse {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn new() -> Mouse {
-        Mouse {
-            user32: libloading::Library::new("user32").unwrap(),
-        }
+    pub fn new() -> Result<Mouse, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+        Ok(Mouse {
+            user32: libloading::Library::new("user32")?,
+        })
     }
 
     pub fn move_to(&self, x: i32, y: i32) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {