diff --git a/lib/nodes/kafka.cpp b/lib/nodes/kafka.cpp
index 2b4819477..2c0e28264 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/kafka.cpp
+++ b/lib/nodes/kafka.cpp
@@ -314,38 +314,55 @@ int kafka_start(struct vnode *n)
 	char *errstr;
 	rd_kafka_conf_t *rdkconf = rd_kafka_conf_new();
 
-	if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "client.id", k->client_id, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-		ret = 1;
+	ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "client.id", k->client_id, errstr, sizeof(errstr))
+	if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+		goto kafka_config_error;
 
-	if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "bootstrap.servers", k->server, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-		ret = 1;
+	ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "bootstrap.servers", k->server, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+	if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+		goto kafka_config_error;
 
-	if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "security.protocol", k->protocol, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-		ret = 1;
+	ret rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "security.protocol", k->protocol, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+	if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+		goto kafka_config_error;
 
 	if (!strcmp(k->protocol, "SASL_SSL") || !strcmp(k->protocol, "SSL")) {
-		if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "ssl.ca.location", k->ssl.ca, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
+		ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "ssl.ca.location", k->ssl.ca, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(k->protocol, "SASL_PLAINTEXT") || !strcmp(k->protocol, "SASL_SSL")) {
-		if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.mechanisms", k->sasl.mechanism, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
-		if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.username", k->sasl.username, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
-		if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.password", k->sasl.password, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
-	}
+		ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.mechanisms", k->sasl.mechanism, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
 
-	if (ret)
-		goto kafka_config_error;
+		ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.username", k->sasl.username, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
+		ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "sasl.password", k->sasl.password, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+	}
 
 	if (k->produce) {
 		k->producer.client = rd_kafka_new(RD_KAFKA_PRODUCER, rdkconf, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (!k->consumer.client)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
 		rd_kafka_topic_conf_t *topic_conf = rd_kafka_topic_conf_new();
-		if (rd_kafka_topic_conf_set(topic_conf, "acks", "all", errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
+		if (!topic_conf)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
+		ret = rd_kafka_topic_conf_set(topic_conf, "acks", "all", errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
 		k->producer.topic = rd_kafka_topic_new(k->producer.client, k->produce, topic_conf);
+		if (!k->producer.topic)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
 		n->logger->info("Connected producer to bootstrap server {}", k->server);
 	}
 
@@ -354,10 +371,14 @@ int kafka_start(struct vnode *n)
 		rd_kafka_topic_partition_list_t *partitions = rd_kafka_topic_partition_list_new(0);
 		rd_kafka_topic_partition_list_add(partitions, k->consume, 0);
 
-		if (rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "group.id", k->consumer.group_id, errstr, sizeof(errstr)) != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
-			ret = 1;
+		ret = rd_kafka_conf_set(rdkconf, "group.id", k->consumer.group_id, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (ret != RD_KAFKA_CONF_OK)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
 
 		k->consumer.client = rd_kafka_new(RD_KAFKA_CONSUMER, rdkconf, errstr, sizeof(errstr));
+		if (!k->consumer.client)
+			goto kafka_config_error;
+
 		rd_kafka_subscribe(k->consumer.client, partitions);
 
 		n->logger->info("Subscribed consumer from bootstrap server {}", k->server);