diff --git a/resource/modules/resource_match.cpp b/resource/modules/resource_match.cpp
index c66905b90..13c0b7251 100644
--- a/resource/modules/resource_match.cpp
+++ b/resource/modules/resource_match.cpp
@@ -1201,7 +1201,6 @@ static int mark_now (std::shared_ptr<resource_ctx_t> &ctx,
                         "%s: traverser::mark: %s",
                         __FUNCTION__,
                         ctx->traverser->err_message ().c_str ());
-        ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
         goto done;
     }
     flux_log (ctx->h,
@@ -2685,7 +2684,6 @@ static int run_find (std::shared_ptr<resource_ctx_t> &ctx,
                             "%s: %s",
                             __FUNCTION__,
                             ctx->traverser->err_message ().c_str ());
-            ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
         }
         goto error;
     }
@@ -2956,7 +2954,6 @@ static void set_status_request_cb (flux_t *h,
                         "%s: traverser::mark: %s",
                         __FUNCTION__,
                         ctx->traverser->err_message ().c_str ());
-        ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
         errmsg = "Failed to set status of resource vertex";
         goto error;
     }
diff --git a/resource/reapi/bindings/c++/reapi_cli_impl.hpp b/resource/reapi/bindings/c++/reapi_cli_impl.hpp
index 1d81410fe..e9fda8306 100644
--- a/resource/reapi/bindings/c++/reapi_cli_impl.hpp
+++ b/resource/reapi/bindings/c++/reapi_cli_impl.hpp
@@ -682,7 +682,6 @@ int resource_query_t::remove_job (const uint64_t jobid)
         }
     } else {
         m_err_msg += traverser->err_message ();
-        traverser->clear_err_message ();
     }
     return rc;
 }
@@ -716,7 +715,6 @@ int resource_query_t::remove_job (const uint64_t jobid, const std::string &R, bo
         }
     } else {
         m_err_msg += traverser->err_message ();
-        traverser->clear_err_message ();
     }
 
     return rc;
diff --git a/resource/traversers/dfu.cpp b/resource/traversers/dfu.cpp
index f331c3123..97996c7ec 100644
--- a/resource/traversers/dfu.cpp
+++ b/resource/traversers/dfu.cpp
@@ -312,6 +312,9 @@ bool dfu_traverser_t::is_initialized () const
 
 int dfu_traverser_t::initialize ()
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
+
     int rc = 0;
     vtx_t root;
     if (!get_graph () || !get_graph_db () || !get_match_cb ()) {
@@ -350,6 +353,9 @@ int dfu_traverser_t::run (Jobspec::Jobspec &jobspec,
                           int64_t jobid,
                           int64_t *at)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
+
     subsystem_t dom = get_match_cb ()->dom_subsystem ();
     graph_duration_t graph_duration = get_graph_db ()->metadata.graph_duration;
     if (!get_graph () || !get_graph_db ()
@@ -413,6 +419,9 @@ int dfu_traverser_t::run (const std::string &str,
                           int64_t at,
                           uint64_t duration)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
+
     if (!get_match_cb () || !get_graph () || !get_graph_db () || !reader || at < 0) {
         errno = EINVAL;
         return -1;
@@ -435,11 +444,16 @@ int dfu_traverser_t::run (const std::string &str,
 
 int dfu_traverser_t::find (std::shared_ptr<match_writers_t> &writers, const std::string &criteria)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
     return detail::dfu_impl_t::find (writers, criteria);
 }
 
 int dfu_traverser_t::remove (int64_t jobid)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
+
     subsystem_t dom = get_match_cb ()->dom_subsystem ();
     if (!get_graph () || !get_graph_db ()
         || get_graph_db ()->metadata.roots.find (dom) == get_graph_db ()->metadata.roots.end ()
@@ -457,6 +471,9 @@ int dfu_traverser_t::remove (const std::string &R_to_cancel,
                              int64_t jobid,
                              bool &full_cancel)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
+
     subsystem_t dom = get_match_cb ()->dom_subsystem ();
     if (!get_graph () || !get_graph_db ()
         || get_graph_db ()->metadata.roots.find (dom) == get_graph_db ()->metadata.roots.end ()
@@ -471,11 +488,15 @@ int dfu_traverser_t::remove (const std::string &R_to_cancel,
 
 int dfu_traverser_t::mark (const std::string &root_path, resource_pool_t::status_t status)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
     return detail::dfu_impl_t::mark (root_path, status);
 }
 
 int dfu_traverser_t::mark (std::set<int64_t> &ranks, resource_pool_t::status_t status)
 {
+    // Clear the error message to disambiguate errors
+    clear_err_message ();
     return detail::dfu_impl_t::mark (ranks, status);
 }
 
diff --git a/resource/utilities/command.cpp b/resource/utilities/command.cpp
index 782d0dd0f..94e9ecc06 100644
--- a/resource/utilities/command.cpp
+++ b/resource/utilities/command.cpp
@@ -115,7 +115,6 @@ static int do_remove (std::shared_ptr<resource_context_t> &ctx, int64_t jobid)
         }
     } else {
         std::cout << ctx->traverser->err_message ();
-        ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
     }
     return rc;
 }
@@ -135,7 +134,6 @@ static int do_partial_remove (std::shared_ptr<resource_context_t> &ctx,
         }
     } else {
         std::cout << ctx->traverser->err_message ();
-        ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
     }
     return rc;
 }
@@ -295,7 +293,6 @@ static int run_match (std::shared_ptr<resource_context_t> &ctx,
 
     if (ctx->traverser->err_message () != "") {
         std::cerr << "ERROR: " << ctx->traverser->err_message ();
-        ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
     }
     if ((rc = ctx->writers->emit (o)) < 0) {
         std::cerr << "ERROR: match writer emit: " << strerror (errno) << std::endl;
@@ -436,7 +433,6 @@ static int update_run (std::shared_ptr<resource_context_t> &ctx,
             std::cerr << "ERROR: traverser run () returned error " << std::endl;
             if (ctx->traverser->err_message () != "") {
                 std::cerr << "ERROR: " << ctx->traverser->err_message ();
-                ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
             }
         }
     }
@@ -619,7 +615,6 @@ int cmd_find (std::shared_ptr<resource_context_t> &ctx, std::vector<std::string>
     if ((rc = ctx->traverser->find (ctx->writers, criteria)) < 0) {
         if (ctx->traverser->err_message () != "") {
             std::cerr << "ERROR: " << ctx->traverser->err_message ();
-            ctx->traverser->clear_err_message ();
         }
         goto done;
     }