diff --git a/cargo-dist/src/errors.rs b/cargo-dist/src/errors.rs
index 9ca422e96..68db075e7 100644
--- a/cargo-dist/src/errors.rs
+++ b/cargo-dist/src/errors.rs
@@ -362,9 +362,12 @@ pub enum DistError {
     },
 
     /// One or more required tools are missing.
-    #[error("One or more required tools are missing.")]
+    #[error("The following tools are required to run this task, but are missing:\n{tools:#?}")]
     #[diagnostic(help("Please install the tools mentioned above and try again."))]
-    EnvToolsMissing {},
+    EnvToolsMissing {
+        /// the names of the missing tools
+        tools: Vec<String>,
+    },
 
     /// Unknown target requested
     #[error(
diff --git a/cargo-dist/src/lib.rs b/cargo-dist/src/lib.rs
index ec872ffc5..6d6184dc9 100644
--- a/cargo-dist/src/lib.rs
+++ b/cargo-dist/src/lib.rs
@@ -57,14 +57,6 @@ pub mod tasks;
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests;
 
-fn tool_status(tool: Result<&Tool, DistError>) -> Result<String, String> {
-    match tool {
-        Ok(tool) => Ok(format!("✅ located {}", tool.cmd)),
-        Err(DistError::ToolMissing { tool: ref name }) => Err(format!("🗙 missing {}", name)),
-        Err(_) => unreachable!("tool_status() was given a DistError that wasn't DistError::ToolMissing. This is a bug in dist."),
-    }
-}
-
 /// dist env test -- make sure we have everything we need for a build.
 pub fn do_env_test(cfg: &Config) -> DistResult<()> {
     let (dist, mut manifest) = tasks::gather_work(cfg)?;
@@ -96,29 +88,40 @@ pub fn do_env_test(cfg: &Config) -> DistResult<()> {
         */
     }
 
-    let commands: Vec<Result<String, String>> = vec![
+    // These are all of the tools we can check for.
+    //
+    // bool::then(f) returns an Option, so we start with a
+    // Vec<Option<Result<&Tool, DistResult>>>.
+    let all_tools: Vec<Option<DistResult<&Tool>>> = vec![
         need_cargo_auditable.then(|| tools.cargo_auditable()),
         need_cargo_cyclonedx.then(|| tools.cargo_cyclonedx()),
         need_omnibor.then(|| tools.omnibor()),
         need_xwin.then(|| tools.cargo_xwin()),
         need_zigbuild.then(|| tools.cargo_zigbuild()),
-    ]
-    .into_iter()
-    .filter_map(|t| t)
-    .filter(|t| t.is_err())
-    .map(|t| tool_status(t))
-    .filter(|t| t.is_err())
-    .collect();
-
-    let mut okay = true;
-    for command in commands {
-        if let Err(s) = command {
-            okay = false;
-            println!("{}", s);
-        }
-    }
+    ];
+
+    // Drop `None`s, then extract the values from the remaining `Option`s.
+    let needed_tools = all_tools.into_iter().flatten();
+
+    // For each tool we need,
+    let missing: Vec<String> = needed_tools
+        .filter_map(|t| match t {
+            // The tool was found.
+            Ok(_) => None,
+            // The tool is missing
+            Err(DistError::ToolMissing { tool: ref name }) => Some(name.to_owned()),
+            // This should never happen, but I can't find a way to enforce
+            // it at the type system level. ;~; -@duckinator
+            Err(_) => unreachable!(
+                "do_env_test() got an Err that wasn't DistError::ToolMissing. This is a dist bug."
+            ),
+        })
+        .collect();
 
-    okay.then(|| ()).ok_or(DistError::EnvToolsMissing {})
+    missing
+        .is_empty()
+        .then_some(())
+        .ok_or(DistError::EnvToolsMissing { tools: missing })
 }
 
 /// dist build -- actually build binaries and installers!