diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8d24e986..74deb72e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     "debug": "^3.1.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "@oclif/errors": "^1.0.9",
+    "@oclif/errors": "^1.0.12",
     "@oclif/parser": "^3.3.3",
     "@oclif/tslint": "^1.1.1",
     "@types/chai": "^4.1.3",
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
     "@types/indent-string": "^3.0.0",
     "@types/lodash": "^4.14.108",
     "@types/mocha": "^5.2.0",
-    "@types/node": "^10.0.4",
+    "@types/node": "^10.0.8",
     "@types/wrap-ansi": "^3.0.0",
     "chai": "^4.1.2",
-    "fancy-test": "^1.0.6",
+    "fancy-test": "^1.0.8",
     "globby": "^8.0.1",
     "lodash": "^4.17.10",
     "mocha": "^5.1.1",
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index 8e5e4160..4202cc8d 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ export class Config implements IConfig {
     if (this.options.userPlugins !== false) {
       try {
         const userPJSONPath = path.join(this.dataDir, 'package.json')
+        debug('reading user plugins pjson %s', userPJSONPath)
         const pjson = this.userPJSON = await loadJSON(userPJSONPath)
         if (!pjson.oclif) pjson.oclif = {schema: 1}
         await this.loadPlugins(userPJSONPath, 'user', pjson.oclif.plugins.filter((p: any) => p.type === 'user'))
diff --git a/src/util.ts b/src/util.ts
index 81e647ed..f1fa55df 100644
--- a/src/util.ts
+++ b/src/util.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // tslint:disable no-implicit-dependencies
 import * as fs from 'fs'
 
+const debug = require('debug')('@oclif/config')
+
 export function flatMap<T, U>(arr: T[], fn: (i: T) => U[]): U[] {
   return arr.reduce((arr, i) => arr.concat(fn(i)), [] as U[])
 }
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ export function mapValues<T extends object, TResult>(obj: {[P in keyof T]: T[P]}
 }
 
 export function loadJSONSync(path: string): any {
+  debug('loadJSONSync %s', path)
   // let loadJSON
   // try { loadJSON = require('load-json-file') } catch {}
   // if (loadJSON) return loadJSON.sync(path)
@@ -26,13 +29,18 @@ export function exists(path: string): Promise<boolean> {
 }
 
 export function loadJSON(path: string): Promise<any> {
+  debug('loadJSON %s', path)
   // let loadJSON
   // try { loadJSON = require('load-json-file') } catch {}
   // if (loadJSON) return loadJSON.sync(path)
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     fs.readFile(path, 'utf8', (err, d) => {
-      if (err) reject(err)
-      else resolve(JSON.parse(d))
+      try {
+        if (err) reject(err)
+        else resolve(JSON.parse(d))
+      } catch (err) {
+        reject(err)
+      }
     })
   })
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index b2e986e4..4744d343 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 # yarn lockfile v1
 
 
-"@oclif/errors@^1.0.9":
-  version "1.0.9"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@oclif/errors/-/errors-1.0.9.tgz#6fe3afd8e7683c436df63674550899adec10c81c"
+"@oclif/errors@^1.0.12":
+  version "1.0.12"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@oclif/errors/-/errors-1.0.12.tgz#6c8ea932d3fcfc26f5b3bc77e45da8f33189f188"
   dependencies:
     clean-stack "^1.3.0"
-    fs-extra "^6.0.0"
+    fs-extra "^6.0.1"
     indent-string "^3.2.0"
     strip-ansi "^4.0.0"
     wrap-ansi "^3.0.1"
@@ -71,9 +71,9 @@
   version "9.4.5"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-9.4.5.tgz#d2a90c634208173d1b1a0a6ba9f1df3de62edcf5"
 
-"@types/node@^10.0.4":
-  version "10.0.4"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-10.0.4.tgz#130598ee56e9a1210a53f557d64935571f05390d"
+"@types/node@^10.0.8":
+  version "10.0.8"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@types/node/-/node-10.0.8.tgz#37b4d91d4e958e4c2ba0be2b86e7ed4ff19b0858"
 
 "@types/wrap-ansi@^3.0.0":
   version "3.0.0"
@@ -425,9 +425,9 @@ extglob@^2.0.2:
     snapdragon "^0.8.1"
     to-regex "^3.0.1"
 
-fancy-test@^1.0.6:
-  version "1.0.6"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fancy-test/-/fancy-test-1.0.6.tgz#e0a061ecdcfb9d8fbea1f86375ed26e258ed7243"
+fancy-test@^1.0.8:
+  version "1.0.8"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fancy-test/-/fancy-test-1.0.8.tgz#d66a5ffab73a0792bf3c8404812c5a774f0e3180"
   dependencies:
     lodash "^4.17.10"
     stdout-stderr "^0.1.9"
@@ -460,9 +460,9 @@ fragment-cache@^0.2.1:
   dependencies:
     map-cache "^0.2.2"
 
-fs-extra@^6.0.0:
-  version "6.0.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fs-extra/-/fs-extra-6.0.0.tgz#0f0afb290bb3deb87978da816fcd3c7797f3a817"
+fs-extra@^6.0.1:
+  version "6.0.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/fs-extra/-/fs-extra-6.0.1.tgz#8abc128f7946e310135ddc93b98bddb410e7a34b"
   dependencies:
     graceful-fs "^4.1.2"
     jsonfile "^4.0.0"