diff --git a/docs/meson.build b/docs/meson.build
index 41d9f2476..7eaecda1b 100644
--- a/docs/meson.build
+++ b/docs/meson.build
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ if build_docs and introspection.allowed()
   toml_conf = configuration_data()
   docgen_version = source_version
   if git.found() and source_version != fwupd_version
-    docgen_version = run_command(git, 'branch', '--show-current').stdout().strip()
+    docgen_version = run_command([git, 'branch', '--show-current'], check: true).stdout().strip()
   endif
   toml_conf.set('version', docgen_version)
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index d1b6e4125..032fd7e11 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ conf.set_quoted('PACKAGE_VERSION', fwupd_version)
 git = find_program('git', required: false)
 tag = false
 if git.found()
-  source_version = run_command(git, 'describe').stdout().strip()
+  source_version = run_command([git, 'describe'], check: false).stdout().strip()
   if source_version == ''
     source_version = fwupd_version
   endif
-  tag = run_command([git, 'describe', '--exact-match']).returncode() == 0
+  tag = run_command([git, 'describe', '--exact-match'], check: false).returncode() == 0
 else
   source_version = fwupd_version
 endif
@@ -435,10 +435,7 @@ if build_standalone and efiboot.found() and efivar.found()
   endif
 
   if get_option('plugin_uefi_capsule_splash')
-    r = run_command([python3, 'po/test-deps'])
-    if r.returncode() != 0
-      error(r.stdout())
-    endif
+    run_command([python3, 'po/test-deps'], check: true)
   endif
 endif
 
@@ -549,7 +546,8 @@ build_docs = gidocgen_dep.found() and gidocgen_app.found()
 
 if build_docs and gidocgen_dep.version().version_compare('< 2022.2')
   markdown_version = run_command(
-    python3, '-c', 'import markdown; print(markdown.__version__)'
+    [python3, '-c', 'import markdown; print(markdown.__version__)'],
+    check: true,
   ).stdout().strip()
   build_docs = get_option('docs').require(
     markdown_version.version_compare('>=3.2'),
diff --git a/plugins/uefi-capsule/meson.build b/plugins/uefi-capsule/meson.build
index b4b038313..1cd3d053b 100644
--- a/plugins/uefi-capsule/meson.build
+++ b/plugins/uefi-capsule/meson.build
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ install_data(['uefi_capsule.conf'],
 
 # add all the .po files as inputs to watch
 ux_linguas = run_command(
-  'cat', files(join_paths(meson.project_source_root(), 'po', 'LINGUAS')),
+  ['cat', files(join_paths(meson.project_source_root(), 'po', 'LINGUAS'))],
+  check: true,
 ).stdout().strip().split('\n')
 ux_capsule_pofiles = []
 foreach ux_lingua: ux_linguas