diff --git a/include/silo/common/panic.h b/include/silo/common/panic.h
index 302422529..f96a7341e 100644
--- a/include/silo/common/panic.h
+++ b/include/silo/common/panic.h
@@ -4,19 +4,55 @@
 
 namespace silo::common {
 
-void panic(const std::string& msg, const char* file, int line);
+/// ** This is the basic building block for the various panicking
+/// features offered in this file. You probably want to use the
+/// `PANIC` macro instead of `panic` directly, to get format
+/// functionality and file/line number information! **
+///
+/// `panic` stops execution because of a situation that the author of
+/// the program expected to never happen, i.e. that is against
+/// expectations of internal consistency, and means that there is
+/// either a bug, or a misunderstanding of the consistency rules on
+/// behalf of the programmer.
+///
+/// By default, `panic` throws a `std::runtime_error` exception, so
+/// that the program can continue by e.g. abandoning the current http
+/// connection but continue servicing other and future
+/// connections. OTOH, to make debugging via gdb or core dumps
+/// possible even when the code that captures exceptions can't be
+/// disabled, `panic` can be instructed at runtime to call `abort`
+/// instead by setting the `SILO_PANIC` environment variable to the
+/// string `abort` (with any other value, or when unset, panic
+/// silently throws the mentioned exception instead).
+[[noreturn]] void panic(const std::string& msg, const char* file, int line);
 
 /// Passes arguments to `fmt::format` (at least a format string
-/// argument is required), then if the `DEBUG` environment variable is
-/// set to anything else than the string "0", the resulting string is
-/// printed to stderr and `abort` is called, otherwise a
-/// `std::runtime_error` is thrown (details subject to
-/// change). `PANIC` should only be used in situations that can never
-/// occur unless there is a bug; the aim, besides allowing the
-/// programmer to declare clearly what constitutes buggy behaviour, is
-/// to allow these situations to be debugged via a debugger like gdb
-/// without needing contortions like setting breakpoints, or also to
-/// allow the collection of core dumps of these situations.
+/// argument is required) and adds file and line information, then
+/// calls `panic`.
 #define PANIC(...) silo::common::panic(fmt::format(__VA_ARGS__), __FILE__, __LINE__)
 
+/// Denotes a place that theoretically can't be reached. Follows the
+/// same path as `PANIC` when reached.
+#define UNREACHABLE() silo::common::unreachable(__FILE__, __LINE__)
+
+[[noreturn]] void unreachable(const char* file, int line);
+
+/// Denotes a missing implementation. Follows the same path as `PANIC`
+/// when reached.
+#define UNIMPLEMENTED() silo::common::unimplemented(__FILE__, __LINE__)
+
+[[noreturn]] void unimplemented(const char* file, int line);
+
+/// Asserts that the expression `e` evaluates to true. On failure
+/// calls `panic` with the stringification of the code `e` and
+/// file/line information.
+#define ASSERT(e)                                             \
+   do {                                                       \
+      if (!(e)) {                                             \
+         silo::common::assertFailure(#e, __FILE__, __LINE__); \
+      }                                                       \
+   } while (0)
+
+[[noreturn]] void assertFailure(const char* msg, const char* file, int line);
+
 }  // namespace silo::common
diff --git a/src/silo/common/panic.cpp b/src/silo/common/panic.cpp
index 47412b9d7..ff0da94ea 100644
--- a/src/silo/common/panic.cpp
+++ b/src/silo/common/panic.cpp
@@ -1,26 +1,28 @@
 #include "silo/common/panic.h"
 
 #include <cstdlib>
+#include <cstring>
 #include <iostream>
 
 namespace silo::common {
 
 namespace {
-bool is0(const char* str) {
-   return str[0] == '0' && str[1] == '\0';
-}
-}  // namespace
 
-void panic(const std::string& msg, const char* file, int line) {
-   const char* env = getenv("DEBUG");
-   bool debug;
+[[noreturn]] void panic(
+   const std::string& prefix,
+   const std::string& msg,
+   const char* file,
+   int line
+) {
+   const char* env = getenv("SILO_PANIC");
+   bool do_abort;
    if (env) {
-      debug = !is0(env);
+      do_abort = strcmp(env, "abort") == 0;
    } else {
-      debug = false;
+      do_abort = false;
    }
-   auto full_msg = fmt::format("PANIC: {} at {}:{}", msg, file, line);
-   if (debug) {
+   auto full_msg = fmt::format("{}{} at {}:{}", prefix, msg, file, line);
+   if (do_abort) {
       std::cerr << full_msg << "\n" << std::flush;
       abort();
    } else {
@@ -28,4 +30,27 @@ void panic(const std::string& msg, const char* file, int line) {
    }
 }
 
+}  // namespace
+
+[[noreturn]] void panic(const std::string& msg, const char* file, int line) {
+   panic("PANIC: ", msg, file, line);
+}
+
+[[noreturn]] void unreachable(const char* file, int line) {
+   panic(
+      "UNREACHABLE: ",
+      "Please report this as a bug in SILO: this code should never be reachable",
+      file,
+      line
+   );
+}
+
+[[noreturn]] void unimplemented(const char* file, int line) {
+   panic("UNIMPLEMENTED: ", "This execution path is not implemented yet", file, line);
+}
+
+[[noreturn]] void assertFailure(const char* msg, const char* file, int line) {
+   panic("ASSERT failure: ", msg, file, line);
+}
+
 }  // namespace silo::common