diff --git a/venv/cros_venv/scripts/create_venv.py b/venv/cros_venv/scripts/create_venv.py
index b7d0ee6..49ef0f7 100644
--- a/venv/cros_venv/scripts/create_venv.py
+++ b/venv/cros_venv/scripts/create_venv.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 import argparse
 import logging
+import os
 import sys
 
 from cros_venv import venvlib
@@ -36,6 +37,10 @@
     try:
         print(venv.ensure())
         logging.debug('Log file can be found at: %s', venv.logfile)
+    except venvlib.VirtualenvMissingError as e:
+        print('%s: error: %s' % (os.path.basename(sys.argv[0]), e),
+              file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
     except Exception:
         logging.error('Creating venv with reqs file "%s" failed',
                       args.reqs_file, exc_info=True)
diff --git a/venv/cros_venv/venvlib.py b/venv/cros_venv/venvlib.py
index 0464bb2..f55c6f2 100644
--- a/venv/cros_venv/venvlib.py
+++ b/venv/cros_venv/venvlib.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 import collections
 import distutils.util
+import errno
 import functools
 import hashlib
 import itertools
@@ -36,6 +37,10 @@
 _BASE_DEPENDENCIES = ('setuptools==44.0.0', 'pip==20.0.2')
 
 
+class Error(Exception):
+    """Base exception for all errors in this module."""
+
+
 class _VenvPaths(object):
 
     """Wrapper defining paths inside a versioned virtualenv."""
@@ -167,7 +172,7 @@
             return _load_spec(f)
 
 
-class SpecMismatchError(Exception):
+class SpecMismatchError(Error):
     """Versioned virtualenv specs do not match."""
 
 
@@ -230,11 +235,11 @@
     try:
       result = subprocess.check_output([_VIRTUALENV_COMMAND, '--version'],
                                        stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
-    except OSError:
-      raise EnvironmentError(
-          'Error executing virtualenv, make sure that you install '
-          'virtualenv first (see '
-          'https://virtualenv.pypa.io/en/latest/installation.html)')
+    except OSError as e:
+      if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
+          raise VirtualenvMissingError(e)
+      else:
+          raise
 
     # This strips off "rc" and related tags, but we don't care for our use.
     m = re.match(br'^(virtualenv *)?([0-9.]+)', result)
@@ -264,7 +269,7 @@
         raise VirtualenvMissingError(e)
 
 
-class VirtualenvMissingError(Exception):
+class VirtualenvMissingError(Error):
     """Virtualenv is missing."""
 
     def __init__(self, cause):