diff --git a/src/apex/CMakeLists_standalone.cmake b/src/apex/CMakeLists_standalone.cmake
index 805eb8aa..147e2dfc 100644
--- a/src/apex/CMakeLists_standalone.cmake
+++ b/src/apex/CMakeLists_standalone.cmake
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ if(APEX_WITH_PERFETTO)
     include_directories(${APEX_SOURCE_DIR}/src/perfetto_sdk)
 endif()
 
+if(APEX_WITH_TCMALLOC)
+    set(TCMALLOC_SOURCE tcmalloc_hooks.cpp)
+endif(APEX_WITH_TCMALLOC)
+
 # Try to keep this in alphabetical order
 SET(all_SOURCE
 apex_preload.cpp
@@ -92,7 +96,7 @@ random.cpp
 ${SENSOR_SOURCE}
 simulated_annealing.cpp
 task_identifier.cpp
-tcmalloc_hooks.cpp
+${TCMALLOC_SOURCE}
 ${tau_SOURCE}
 thread_instance.cpp
 threadpool.cpp
diff --git a/src/scripts/apex_exec b/src/scripts/apex_exec
index 98998939..8336aee0 100755
--- a/src/scripts/apex_exec
+++ b/src/scripts/apex_exec
@@ -536,6 +536,7 @@ if [ $mpi = yes ]; then
     testme=${BASEDIR}/${LIBDIR}/${APEX_LIBRARY_NAME}_mpi${SHLIBX}
     if [ -f ${testme} ]; then
         export MPI_LIB=:${testme}
+        export MPI_LIB2=${testme}
     fi
 fi
 if [ $cuda = yes ] || [ $monitor_gpu = yes ]; then
@@ -702,6 +703,12 @@ else
     unset DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
     rm -f ./.gdbcmds
     if [ ${retval} != 0 ] ; then
+        echo "Error ${retval}!"
+        count=`ldd ${MPI_LIB2} | grep -c tcmalloc`
+        if [ ${count} -eq 1 ] ; then
+            preloadme=`ldd ${MPI_LIB2} | grep tcmalloc | awk '{ print $3 }'`
+            echo "If you got some kind of tcmalloc error, please preload the dependent tcmalloc shared object library with '--apex:preload ${preloadme}'"
+        fi
         exit ${retval}
     fi
 fi