diff --git a/checkstyle.xml b/checkstyle.xml
index 76f872ed..f5e7412d 100644
--- a/checkstyle.xml
+++ b/checkstyle.xml
@@ -181,8 +181,8 @@
       </module>
       -->
       <module name="OverloadMethodsDeclarationOrder"/>
-      <module name="VariableDeclarationUsageDistance"/>
       <!--
+      <module name="VariableDeclarationUsageDistance"/>
       <module name="CustomImportOrder">
          <property name="sortImportsInGroupAlphabetically" value="true"/>
          <property name="separateLineBetweenGroups" value="true"/>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/QPicoCliImplementation.java b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/QPicoCliImplementation.java
index 1302cb94..11c415ea 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/QPicoCliImplementation.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/QPicoCliImplementation.java
@@ -384,9 +384,10 @@ public class QPicoCliImplementation
             subCommandLine.getOut().format("   %s: %s\n", outputField.getLabel(), result.getValues().get(outputField.getName()));
          }
 
-         if(result.getError() != null)
+         if(result.getException().isPresent())
          {
-            subCommandLine.getOut().println("Process Error message: " + result.getError());
+            // todo - user-facing, similar to javalin
+            subCommandLine.getOut().println("Process Error message: " + result.getException().get().getMessage());
          }
       }
       catch(Exception e)
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/TestUtils.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/TestUtils.java
index 925b2cb8..c72c140b 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/TestUtils.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/frontend/picocli/TestUtils.java
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class TestUtils
             .withCode(new QCodeReference()
                .withName(MockBackendStep.class.getName())
                .withCodeType(QCodeType.JAVA)
-               .withCodeUsage(QCodeUsage.FUNCTION)) // todo - needed, or implied in this context?
+               .withCodeUsage(QCodeUsage.BACKEND_STEP)) // todo - needed, or implied in this context?
             .withInputData(new QFunctionInputMetaData()
                .withRecordListMetaData(new QRecordListMetaData().withTableName("person"))
                .withFieldList(List.of(