diff --git a/helix-term/src/application.rs b/helix-term/src/application.rs
index 3b96c45a..65cf4b2e 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/application.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/application.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ use std::{
     time::{Duration, Instant},
 };
 
-use anyhow::Error;
+use anyhow::{Context, Error};
 
 use crossterm::{
     event::{DisableMouseCapture, EnableMouseCapture, Event},
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ impl Application {
         });
         let syn_loader = std::sync::Arc::new(syntax::Loader::new(syn_loader_conf));
 
-        let mut compositor = Compositor::new()?;
+        let mut compositor = Compositor::new().context("build compositor")?;
         let config = Arc::new(ArcSwap::from_pointee(config));
         let mut editor = Editor::new(
             compositor.size(),
@@ -141,26 +141,28 @@ impl Application {
 
         if args.load_tutor {
             let path = helix_loader::runtime_dir().join("tutor.txt");
-            editor.open(path, Action::VerticalSplit)?;
+            editor.open(&path, Action::VerticalSplit)?;
             // Unset path to prevent accidentally saving to the original tutor file.
             doc_mut!(editor).set_path(None)?;
         } else if !args.files.is_empty() {
             let first = &args.files[0].0; // we know it's not empty
             if first.is_dir() {
-                std::env::set_current_dir(&first)?;
+                std::env::set_current_dir(&first).context("set current dir")?;
                 editor.new_file(Action::VerticalSplit);
                 let picker = ui::file_picker(".".into(), &config.load().editor);
                 compositor.push(Box::new(overlayed(picker)));
             } else {
                 let nr_of_files = args.files.len();
-                editor.open(first.to_path_buf(), Action::VerticalSplit)?;
+                editor.open(first, Action::VerticalSplit)?;
                 for (file, pos) in args.files {
                     if file.is_dir() {
                         return Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
                             "expected a path to file, found a directory. (to open a directory pass it as first argument)"
                         ));
                     } else {
-                        let doc_id = editor.open(file, Action::Load)?;
+                        let doc_id = editor
+                            .open(&file, Action::Load)
+                            .context(format!("open '{}'", file.to_string_lossy()))?;
                         // with Action::Load all documents have the same view
                         let view_id = editor.tree.focus;
                         let doc = editor.document_mut(doc_id).unwrap();
@@ -192,7 +194,8 @@ impl Application {
         #[cfg(windows)]
         let signals = futures_util::stream::empty();
         #[cfg(not(windows))]
-        let signals = Signals::new(&[signal::SIGTSTP, signal::SIGCONT])?;
+        let signals =
+            Signals::new(&[signal::SIGTSTP, signal::SIGCONT]).context("build signal handler")?;
 
         let app = Self {
             compositor,
diff --git a/helix-term/src/commands.rs b/helix-term/src/commands.rs
index 6b01cbe3..85dbfd56 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/commands.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/commands.rs
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ fn goto_file_impl(cx: &mut Context, action: Action) {
     for sel in paths {
         let p = sel.trim();
         if !p.is_empty() {
-            if let Err(e) = cx.editor.open(PathBuf::from(p), action) {
+            if let Err(e) = cx.editor.open(&PathBuf::from(p), action) {
                 cx.editor.set_error(format!("Open file failed: {:?}", e));
             }
         }
@@ -1849,7 +1849,7 @@ fn global_search(cx: &mut Context) {
                         }
                     },
                     move |cx, (line_num, path), action| {
-                        match cx.editor.open(path.into(), action) {
+                        match cx.editor.open(path, action) {
                             Ok(_) => {}
                             Err(e) => {
                                 cx.editor.set_error(format!(
diff --git a/helix-term/src/commands/lsp.rs b/helix-term/src/commands/lsp.rs
index b6bea8d6..ff61ee63 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/commands/lsp.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/commands/lsp.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ fn jump_to_location(
             return;
         }
     };
-    let _id = editor.open(path, action).expect("editor.open failed");
+    let _id = editor.open(&path, action).expect("editor.open failed");
     let (view, doc) = current!(editor);
     let definition_pos = location.range.start;
     // TODO: convert inside server
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ fn sym_picker(
                         return;
                     }
                 };
-                if let Err(err) = cx.editor.open(path, action) {
+                if let Err(err) = cx.editor.open(&path, action) {
                     let err = format!("failed to open document: {}: {}", uri, err);
                     log::error!("{}", err);
                     cx.editor.set_error(err);
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ pub fn apply_workspace_edit(
         };
 
         let current_view_id = view!(editor).id;
-        let doc_id = match editor.open(path, Action::Load) {
+        let doc_id = match editor.open(&path, Action::Load) {
             Ok(doc_id) => doc_id,
             Err(err) => {
                 let err = format!("failed to open document: {}: {}", uri, err);
diff --git a/helix-term/src/commands/typed.rs b/helix-term/src/commands/typed.rs
index ae3e63af..3c88b0ce 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/commands/typed.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/commands/typed.rs
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ fn open(
     ensure!(!args.is_empty(), "wrong argument count");
     for arg in args {
         let (path, pos) = args::parse_file(arg);
-        let _ = cx.editor.open(path, Action::Replace)?;
+        let _ = cx.editor.open(&path, Action::Replace)?;
         let (view, doc) = current!(cx.editor);
         let pos = Selection::point(pos_at_coords(doc.text().slice(..), pos, true));
         doc.set_selection(view.id, pos);
@@ -819,7 +819,7 @@ fn vsplit(
     } else {
         for arg in args {
             cx.editor
-                .open(PathBuf::from(arg.as_ref()), Action::VerticalSplit)?;
+                .open(&PathBuf::from(arg.as_ref()), Action::VerticalSplit)?;
         }
     }
 
@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ fn hsplit(
     } else {
         for arg in args {
             cx.editor
-                .open(PathBuf::from(arg.as_ref()), Action::HorizontalSplit)?;
+                .open(&PathBuf::from(arg.as_ref()), Action::HorizontalSplit)?;
         }
     }
 
@@ -923,7 +923,7 @@ fn tutor(
     _event: PromptEvent,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let path = helix_loader::runtime_dir().join("tutor.txt");
-    cx.editor.open(path, Action::Replace)?;
+    cx.editor.open(&path, Action::Replace)?;
     // Unset path to prevent accidentally saving to the original tutor file.
     doc_mut!(cx.editor).set_path(None)?;
     Ok(())
@@ -1150,7 +1150,7 @@ fn open_config(
     _event: PromptEvent,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     cx.editor
-        .open(helix_loader::config_file(), Action::Replace)?;
+        .open(&helix_loader::config_file(), Action::Replace)?;
     Ok(())
 }
 
@@ -1159,7 +1159,7 @@ fn open_log(
     _args: &[Cow<str>],
     _event: PromptEvent,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    cx.editor.open(helix_loader::log_file(), Action::Replace)?;
+    cx.editor.open(&helix_loader::log_file(), Action::Replace)?;
     Ok(())
 }
 
diff --git a/helix-term/src/compositor.rs b/helix-term/src/compositor.rs
index e3cec643..1d421213 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/compositor.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/compositor.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ pub trait Component: Any + AnyComponent {
     }
 }
 
-use anyhow::Error;
+use anyhow::Context as AnyhowContext;
 use std::io::stdout;
 use tui::backend::{Backend, CrosstermBackend};
 type Terminal = tui::terminal::Terminal<CrosstermBackend<std::io::Stdout>>;
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ pub struct Compositor {
 }
 
 impl Compositor {
-    pub fn new() -> Result<Self, Error> {
+    pub fn new() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
         let backend = CrosstermBackend::new(stdout());
-        let terminal = Terminal::new(backend)?;
+        let terminal = Terminal::new(backend).context("build terminal")?;
         Ok(Self {
             layers: Vec::new(),
             terminal,
diff --git a/helix-term/src/ui/mod.rs b/helix-term/src/ui/mod.rs
index 23d0dca0..76ddaf89 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/ui/mod.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/ui/mod.rs
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ pub fn file_picker(root: PathBuf, config: &helix_view::editor::Config) -> FilePi
             path.strip_prefix(&root).unwrap_or(path).to_string_lossy()
         },
         move |cx, path: &PathBuf, action| {
-            if let Err(e) = cx.editor.open(path.into(), action) {
+            if let Err(e) = cx.editor.open(path, action) {
                 let err = if let Some(err) = e.source() {
                     format!("{}", err)
                 } else {
diff --git a/helix-view/src/editor.rs b/helix-view/src/editor.rs
index e8603221..8ef4413e 100644
--- a/helix-view/src/editor.rs
+++ b/helix-view/src/editor.rs
@@ -779,8 +779,8 @@ impl Editor {
     }
 
     // ??? possible use for integration tests
-    pub fn open(&mut self, path: PathBuf, action: Action) -> Result<DocumentId, Error> {
-        let path = helix_core::path::get_canonicalized_path(&path)?;
+    pub fn open(&mut self, path: &Path, action: Action) -> Result<DocumentId, Error> {
+        let path = helix_core::path::get_canonicalized_path(path)?;
         let id = self.document_by_path(&path).map(|doc| doc.id);
 
         let id = if let Some(id) = id {
diff --git a/helix-view/src/handlers/dap.rs b/helix-view/src/handlers/dap.rs
index b17ca353..ae1ae64c 100644
--- a/helix-view/src/handlers/dap.rs
+++ b/helix-view/src/handlers/dap.rs
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ pub fn jump_to_stack_frame(editor: &mut Editor, frame: &helix_dap::StackFrame) {
         return;
     };
 
-    if let Err(e) = editor.open(path, Action::Replace) {
+    if let Err(e) = editor.open(&path, Action::Replace) {
         editor.set_error(format!("Unable to jump to stack frame: {}", e));
         return;
     }