diff --git a/src/runner/error.cpp b/src/runner/error.cpp
index 62a2346..e17cd14 100644
--- a/src/runner/error.cpp
+++ b/src/runner/error.cpp
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 #ifndef Q_MOC_RUN
 #include <boost/python.hpp>
 #endif
-#include <QString>
 #include <utility.h>
+#include <QDebug>
+#include "error.h"
 
 using namespace MOBase;
 namespace bpy = boost::python;
@@ -10,17 +11,55 @@ namespace bpy = boost::python;
 void reportPythonError()
 {
   if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
-    // prints to s_ErrIO buffer
+    ErrWrapper &errWrapper = ErrWrapper::instance();
+
+    errWrapper.startRecordingExceptionMessage();
     PyErr_Print();
-    // extract data from python buffer
-    bpy::object mainModule = bpy::import("__main__");
-    bpy::object mainNamespace = mainModule.attr("__dict__");
-    bpy::object errMsgObj = bpy::eval("s_ErrIO.getvalue()", mainNamespace);
-    QString errMsg = bpy::extract<QString>(errMsgObj.ptr());
-    bpy::eval("s_ErrIO.truncate(0)", mainNamespace);
+    errWrapper.stopRecordingExceptionMessage();
+
+    QString errMsg = errWrapper.getLastExceptionMessage();
 
     throw MyException(errMsg);
   } else {
     throw MyException("An unexpected C++ exception was thrown in python code");
   }
 }
+
+ErrWrapper & ErrWrapper::instance()
+{
+  static ErrWrapper err;
+  return err;
+}
+
+void ErrWrapper::write(const char * message)
+{
+  buffer << message;
+  if (buffer.tellp() != 0 && buffer.str().back() == '\n')
+  {
+    // actually put the string in a variable so it doesn't get destroyed as soon as we get a pointer to its data
+    std::string string = buffer.str().substr(0, buffer.str().length() - 1);
+    qCritical().nospace().noquote() << string.c_str();
+    buffer = std::stringstream();
+  }
+  
+  if (recordingExceptionMessage)
+  {
+    lastException << message;
+  }
+}
+
+void ErrWrapper::startRecordingExceptionMessage()
+{
+  recordingExceptionMessage = true;
+  lastException = std::stringstream();
+}
+
+void ErrWrapper::stopRecordingExceptionMessage()
+{
+  recordingExceptionMessage = false;
+}
+
+QString ErrWrapper::getLastExceptionMessage()
+{
+  return QString::fromStdString(lastException.str());
+}
diff --git a/src/runner/error.h b/src/runner/error.h
index 5d3d6ff..2cadb57 100644
--- a/src/runner/error.h
+++ b/src/runner/error.h
@@ -1,7 +1,26 @@
 #ifndef ERROR_H
 #define ERROR_H
+#include <QString>
+#include <sstream>
 
 // turn an error from the python interpreter into an exception
 void reportPythonError();
 
+struct ErrWrapper
+{
+  static ErrWrapper & instance();
+  
+  void write(const char * message);
+
+  void startRecordingExceptionMessage();
+
+  void stopRecordingExceptionMessage();
+
+  QString getLastExceptionMessage();
+
+  std::stringstream buffer;
+  bool recordingExceptionMessage;
+  std::stringstream lastException;
+};
+
 #endif // ERROR_H
diff --git a/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp b/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
index 36b45a6..5c8d91f 100644
--- a/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
+++ b/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
@@ -1299,6 +1299,36 @@ PythonRunner::PythonRunner(const MOBase::IOrganizer *moInfo)
 
 static const char *argv0 = "ModOrganizer.exe";
 
+struct PrintWrapper
+{
+  void write(const char * message)
+  {
+    buffer << message;
+    if (buffer.tellp() != 0 && buffer.str().back() == '\n')
+    {
+      // actually put the string in a variable so it doesn't get destroyed as soon as we get a pointer to its data
+      std::string string = buffer.str().substr(0, buffer.str().length() - 1);
+      qDebug().nospace().noquote() << string.c_str();
+      buffer = std::stringstream();
+    }
+  }
+
+  std::stringstream buffer;
+};
+
+// ErrWrapper is in error.h
+
+BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(moprivate)
+{
+  bpy::class_<PrintWrapper, boost::noncopyable>("PrintWrapper", bpy::init<>())
+    .def("write", &PrintWrapper::write);
+  bpy::class_<ErrWrapper, boost::noncopyable>("ErrWrapper", bpy::init<>())
+    .def("instance", &ErrWrapper::instance, bpy::return_value_policy<bpy::reference_existing_object>()).staticmethod("instance")
+    .def("write", &ErrWrapper::write)
+    .def("startRecordingExceptionMessage", &ErrWrapper::startRecordingExceptionMessage)
+    .def("stopRecordingExceptionMessage", &ErrWrapper::stopRecordingExceptionMessage)
+    .def("getLastExceptionMessage", &ErrWrapper::getLastExceptionMessage);
+}
 
 bool PythonRunner::initPython(const QString &pythonPath)
 {
@@ -1317,6 +1347,7 @@ bool PythonRunner::initPython(const QString &pythonPath)
 
     Py_SetProgramName(argBuffer);
     PyImport_AppendInittab("mobase", &PyInit_mobase);
+    PyImport_AppendInittab("moprivate", &PyInit_moprivate);
     Py_OptimizeFlag = 2;
     Py_NoSiteFlag = 1;
     initPath();
@@ -1331,11 +1362,13 @@ bool PythonRunner::initPython(const QString &pythonPath)
     bpy::object mainModule = bpy::import("__main__");
     bpy::object mainNamespace = mainModule.attr("__dict__");
     mainNamespace["sys"] = bpy::import("sys");
+    mainNamespace["moprivate"] = bpy::import("moprivate");
     bpy::import("site");
-    mainNamespace["io"] = bpy::import("io");
-    bpy::exec("s_ErrIO = io.StringIO()\n"
-                        "sys.stderr = s_ErrIO",
+    bpy::exec("sys.stdout = moprivate.PrintWrapper()\n"
+              "sys.stderr = moprivate.ErrWrapper.instance()\n"
+              "sys.excepthook = lambda x, y, z: sys.__excepthook__(x, y, z)\n",
                         mainNamespace);
+
     return true;
   } catch (const bpy::error_already_set&) {
     qDebug("failed to init python");