diff --git a/daemon/compress.c b/daemon/compress.c
index 7cab68a8f..b00be3e37 100644
--- a/daemon/compress.c
+++ b/daemon/compress.c
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ do_compressX_out (const char *file, const char *filter, int is_device)
 #define CHECK_SUPPORTED(prog)                                           \
   if (!prog_exists (prog))                                              \
     /* note: substring "not supported" must appear in this error */     \
-    NOT_SUPPORTED (-1, "compression type %s is not supported", prog);
+    NOT_SUPPORTED (-1, "compression type %s is not supported, because external program '%s' is not available in the appliance", prog, prog);
 
 static int
 get_filter (const char *ctype, int level, char *ret, size_t n)
diff --git a/src/fuse.c b/src/fuse.c
index 491494a4b..3413f9005 100644
--- a/src/fuse.c
+++ b/src/fuse.c
@@ -1476,24 +1476,29 @@ dir_cache_invalidate (guestfs_h *g, const char *path)
 
 #else /* !HAVE_FUSE */
 
+#define FUSE_NOT_SUPPORTED()                                            \
+  NOT_SUPPORTED (g, -1, _("FUSE is not supported in this build of "     \
+                          "libguestfs because libfuse was not found "   \
+                          "when libguestfs was compiled"))
+
 int
 guestfs__mount_local (guestfs_h *g, const char *localmountpoint,
                       const struct guestfs_mount_local_argv *optargs)
 {
-  NOT_SUPPORTED (g, -1, _("FUSE not supported"));
+  FUSE_NOT_SUPPORTED ();
 }
 
 int
 guestfs__mount_local_run (guestfs_h *g)
 {
-  NOT_SUPPORTED (g, -1, _("FUSE not supported"));
+  FUSE_NOT_SUPPORTED ();
 }
 
 int
 guestfs__umount_local (guestfs_h *g,
                        const struct guestfs_umount_local_argv *optargs)
 {
-  NOT_SUPPORTED (g, -1, _("FUSE not supported"));
+  FUSE_NOT_SUPPORTED ();
 }
 
 #endif /* !HAVE_FUSE */
diff --git a/src/osinfo.c b/src/osinfo.c
index f44b42283..c4c042eba 100644
--- a/src/osinfo.c
+++ b/src/osinfo.c
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ int
 guestfs___osinfo_map (guestfs_h *g, const struct guestfs_isoinfo *isoinfo,
                       const struct osinfo **osinfo_ret)
 {
-  debug (g, "osinfo: libxml2 not available");
+  debug (g, "osinfo: libxml2 not available at compile time");
   return 0;
 }