diff --git a/first-setup.sh b/first-setup.sh
index b9f9585..d419c44 100755
--- a/first-setup.sh
+++ b/first-setup.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
 # A simple file to run all instructions from the README
 ## this should be run in the root of the repository
 
diff --git a/populate-db.sh b/populate-db.sh
index 8318bd8..800b53b 100755
--- a/populate-db.sh
+++ b/populate-db.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
 
 cd app
 cp database/* .