diff --git a/libfwupdplugin/fu-cfi-device.c b/libfwupdplugin/fu-cfi-device.c
index a68843aa4..5a7ce990c 100644
--- a/libfwupdplugin/fu-cfi-device.c
+++ b/libfwupdplugin/fu-cfi-device.c
@@ -488,7 +488,10 @@ fu_cfi_device_chip_select(FuCfiDevice *self, gboolean value, GError **error)
 	g_return_val_if_fail(FU_IS_CFI_DEVICE(self), FALSE);
 	g_return_val_if_fail(error == NULL || *error == NULL, FALSE);
 	if (klass->chip_select == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "chip select is not implemented on this device");
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 	return klass->chip_select(self, value, error);
diff --git a/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-darwin.c b/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-darwin.c
index 74136572b..f5faa5c02 100644
--- a/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-darwin.c
+++ b/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-darwin.c
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@
 GPtrArray *
 fu_common_get_block_devices(GError **error)
 {
-	g_set_error(error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+	g_set_error(error,
+		    G_IO_ERROR,
+		    G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+		    "getting block devices is not supported on Darwin");
 	return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-windows.c b/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-windows.c
index 539c11f12..fd3e72999 100644
--- a/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-windows.c
+++ b/libfwupdplugin/fu-common-windows.c
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@
 GPtrArray *
 fu_common_get_block_devices(GError **error)
 {
-	g_set_error(error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+	g_set_error(error,
+		    G_IO_ERROR,
+		    G_IO_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+		    "getting block devices is not supported on Windows");
 	return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/libfwupdplugin/fu-device.c b/libfwupdplugin/fu-device.c
index 8caf303ac..23cb05841 100644
--- a/libfwupdplugin/fu-device.c
+++ b/libfwupdplugin/fu-device.c
@@ -3819,7 +3819,10 @@ fu_device_get_results(FuDevice *self, GError **error)
 
 	/* no plugin-specific method */
 	if (klass->get_results == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "getting results not supported by device");
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
@@ -3859,7 +3862,10 @@ fu_device_write_firmware(FuDevice *self,
 
 	/* no plugin-specific method */
 	if (klass->write_firmware == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "writing firmware not supported by device");
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
@@ -3994,7 +4000,10 @@ fu_device_read_firmware(FuDevice *self, FuProgress *progress, GError **error)
 
 	/* device does not support reading for verification CRCs */
 	if (!fu_device_has_flag(self, FWUPD_DEVICE_FLAG_CAN_VERIFY_IMAGE)) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "reading firmware is not supported by device");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -4035,7 +4044,10 @@ fu_device_dump_firmware(FuDevice *self, FuProgress *progress, GError **error)
 
 	/* use the default FuFirmware when only ->dump_firmware is provided */
 	if (klass->dump_firmware == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "dumping firmware is not supported by device");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -4756,7 +4768,10 @@ fu_device_bind_driver(FuDevice *self, const gchar *subsystem, const gchar *drive
 
 	/* not implemented */
 	if (klass->bind_driver == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "binding drivers is not supported by device");
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
@@ -4789,7 +4804,10 @@ fu_device_unbind_driver(FuDevice *self, GError **error)
 
 	/* not implemented */
 	if (klass->unbind_driver == NULL) {
-		g_set_error_literal(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error_literal(error,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR,
+				    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+				    "unbinding drivers is not supported by device");
 		return FALSE;
 	}
 
diff --git a/libfwupdplugin/fu-udev-device.c b/libfwupdplugin/fu-udev-device.c
index 4b4f62898..f5a89d039 100644
--- a/libfwupdplugin/fu-udev-device.c
+++ b/libfwupdplugin/fu-udev-device.c
@@ -1759,7 +1759,10 @@ fu_udev_device_get_sysfs_attr(FuUdevDevice *self, const gchar *attr, GError **er
 
 	return result;
 #else
-	g_set_error_literal(error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_FAILED, "not supported");
+	g_set_error_literal(error,
+			    G_IO_ERROR,
+			    G_IO_ERROR_FAILED,
+			    "getting attributes is not supported as no GUdev support");
 	return NULL;
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/plugins/vli/fu-vli-pd-parade-device.c b/plugins/vli/fu-vli-pd-parade-device.c
index 856448610..2459b65e7 100644
--- a/plugins/vli/fu-vli-pd-parade-device.c
+++ b/plugins/vli/fu-vli-pd-parade-device.c
@@ -155,7 +155,11 @@ fu_vli_pd_parade_device_read_fw_ver(FuVliPdParadeDevice *self, GError **error)
 	if (!fu_vli_pd_parade_device_i2c_read(self, self->page7, 0x02, buf, 0x1, error))
 		return FALSE;
 	if (buf[0] != 0x01 && buf[0] != 0x02) {
-		g_set_error(error, FWUPD_ERROR, FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED, "not supported");
+		g_set_error(error,
+			    FWUPD_ERROR,
+			    FWUPD_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED,
+			    "not supported on this device: buffer was 0x%02x",
+			    buf[0]);
 		return FALSE;
 	}