diff --git a/src/bin/pgbench/pgbench.c b/src/bin/pgbench/pgbench.c
index d7479925cb..2d9080c444 100644
--- a/src/bin/pgbench/pgbench.c
+++ b/src/bin/pgbench/pgbench.c
@@ -3171,6 +3171,7 @@ advanceConnectionState(TState *thread, CState *st, StatsData *agg)
 
 					if ((st->con = doConnect()) == NULL)
 					{
+						/* as the bench is already running, we do not abort */
 						pg_log_error("client %d aborted while establishing connection", st->id);
 						st->state = CSTATE_ABORTED;
 						break;
@@ -4405,7 +4406,10 @@ runInitSteps(const char *initialize_steps)
 	initPQExpBuffer(&stats);
 
 	if ((con = doConnect()) == NULL)
+	{
+		pg_log_fatal("connection for initialization failed");
 		exit(1);
+	}
 
 	setup_cancel_handler(NULL);
 	SetCancelConn(con);
@@ -6332,7 +6336,10 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	/* opening connection... */
 	con = doConnect();
 	if (con == NULL)
+	{
+		pg_log_fatal("setup connection failed");
 		exit(1);
+	}
 
 	pg_log_debug("pghost: %s pgport: %s nclients: %d %s: %d dbName: %s",
 				 PQhost(con), PQport(con), nclients,
@@ -6437,7 +6444,10 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	errno = THREAD_BARRIER_INIT(&barrier, nthreads);
 	if (errno != 0)
+	{
 		pg_log_fatal("could not initialize barrier: %m");
+		exit(1);
+	}
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_THREAD_SAFETY
 	/* start all threads but thread 0 which is executed directly later */
@@ -6548,7 +6558,7 @@ threadRun(void *arg)
 		if (thread->logfile == NULL)
 		{
 			pg_log_fatal("could not open logfile \"%s\": %m", logpath);
-			goto done;
+			exit(1);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -6572,16 +6582,10 @@ threadRun(void *arg)
 		{
 			if ((state[i].con = doConnect()) == NULL)
 			{
-				/*
-				 * On connection failure, we meet the barrier here in place of
-				 * GO before proceeding to the "done" path which will cleanup,
-				 * so as to avoid locking the process.
-				 *
-				 * It is unclear whether it is worth doing anything rather
-				 * than coldly exiting with an error message.
-				 */
-				THREAD_BARRIER_WAIT(&barrier);
-				goto done;
+				/* coldly abort on connection failure */
+				pg_log_fatal("cannot create connection for thread %d client %d",
+							 thread->tid, i);
+				exit(1);
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -6647,6 +6651,7 @@ threadRun(void *arg)
 				if (sock < 0)
 				{
 					pg_log_error("invalid socket: %s", PQerrorMessage(st->con));
+					st->state = CSTATE_ABORTED;
 					goto done;
 				}
 
@@ -6707,7 +6712,8 @@ threadRun(void *arg)
 					continue;
 				}
 				/* must be something wrong */
-				pg_log_fatal("%s() failed: %m", SOCKET_WAIT_METHOD);
+				pg_log_error("%s() failed: %m", SOCKET_WAIT_METHOD);
+				state[0].state = CSTATE_ABORTED;
 				goto done;
 			}
 		}
@@ -6733,6 +6739,7 @@ threadRun(void *arg)
 				if (sock < 0)
 				{
 					pg_log_error("invalid socket: %s", PQerrorMessage(st->con));
+					st->state = CSTATE_ABORTED;
 					goto done;
 				}