diff --git a/auth/auth.py b/auth/auth.py
index 9c6281aef..f751d6814 100644
--- a/auth/auth.py
+++ b/auth/auth.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import logging
 
 from functools import wraps
-from flask import request, _request_ctx_stack, abort, session
+from flask import request, _request_ctx_stack, abort as flask_abort, session
 from flask.ext.principal import identity_changed, Identity
 from base64 import b64decode
 
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from app import app
 from permissions import QuayDeferredPermissionUser
 
 from util.names import parse_namespace_repository
+from util.http import abort
 
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -89,13 +90,13 @@ def process_token(auth):
 
   if len(token_details) != 1:
     logger.warning('Invalid token format: %s' % auth)
-    abort(401)
+    abort(401, message="Invalid token format: %(auth)", issue='invalid-auth-token', auth=auth)
 
   token_vals = {val[0]: val[1] for val in
                 (detail.split('=') for detail in token_details)}
   if 'signature' not in token_vals:
     logger.warning('Token does not contain signature: %s' % auth)
-    abort(401)
+    abort(401, message="Token does not contain a valid signature: %(auth)", issue='invalid-auth-token', auth=auth)
 
   try:
     token_data = model.load_token_data(token_vals['signature'])
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ def process_token(auth):
   except model.InvalidTokenException:
     logger.warning('Token could not be validated: %s' %
                    token_vals['signature'])
-    abort(401)
+    abort(401, message="Token could not be validated: %(auth)", issue='invalid-auth-token', auth=auth)
 
   logger.debug('Successfully validated token: %s' % token_data.code)
   ctx = _request_ctx_stack.top
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ def extract_namespace_repo_from_session(f):
     if 'namespace' not in session or 'repository' not in session:
       logger.error('Unable to load namespace or repository from session: %s' %
                    session)
-      abort(400)
+      abort(400, message="Missing namespace in request")
 
     return f(session['namespace'], session['repository'], *args, **kwargs)
   return wrapper
diff --git a/endpoints/registry.py b/endpoints/registry.py
index 9727d5ccb..211c2e12b 100644
--- a/endpoints/registry.py
+++ b/endpoints/registry.py
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ def get_image_json(namespace, repository, image_id, headers):
     data = store.get_content(store.image_json_path(namespace, repository,
                                                    image_id, uuid))
   except IOError:
-    flask_abort(404)
+    abort(404, message='Image data not found')
 
   try:
     size = store.get_size(store.image_layer_path(namespace, repository,
diff --git a/util/http.py b/util/http.py
index 6592768cc..a678c97ec 100644
--- a/util/http.py
+++ b/util/http.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import logging
 
 from app import mixpanel
 from flask import request, abort as flask_abort, jsonify
-from auth.auth import get_authenticated_user, get_validated_token
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -16,6 +15,8 @@ DEFAULT_MESSAGE[409] = 'Conflict'
 DEFAULT_MESSAGE[501] = 'Not Implemented'
 
 def abort(status_code, message=None, issue=None, **kwargs):
+  from auth.auth import get_authenticated_user, get_validated_token
+
   message = (str(message) % kwargs if message else
              DEFAULT_MESSAGE.get(status_code, ''))