diff --git a/api.js b/api.js
index dc5f72d26..0702340c7 100644
--- a/api.js
+++ b/api.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ var resolveCwd = require('resolve-cwd');
 var uniqueTempDir = require('unique-temp-dir');
 var findCacheDir = require('find-cache-dir');
 var slash = require('slash');
+var isObj = require('is-obj');
 var AvaError = require('./lib/ava-error');
 var fork = require('./lib/fork');
 var formatter = require('./lib/enhance-assert').formatter();
@@ -81,10 +82,22 @@ Api.prototype._handleOutput = function (channel, data) {
 	this.emit(channel, data);
 };
 
+function normalizeError(err) {
+	if (!isObj(err)) {
+		err = {
+			message: err,
+			stack: err
+		};
+	}
+
+	return err;
+}
+
 Api.prototype._handleRejections = function (data) {
 	this.rejectionCount += data.rejections.length;
 
 	data.rejections.forEach(function (err) {
+		err = normalizeError(err);
 		err.type = 'rejection';
 		err.file = data.file;
 		this.emit('error', err);
@@ -94,7 +107,7 @@ Api.prototype._handleRejections = function (data) {
 
 Api.prototype._handleExceptions = function (data) {
 	this.exceptionCount++;
-	var err = data.exception;
+	var err = normalizeError(data.exception);
 	err.type = 'exception';
 	err.file = data.file;
 	this.emit('error', err);
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index eaaa105b1..e73a0e87a 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 var path = require('path');
 var chalk = require('chalk');
-var serializeError = require('serialize-error');
-var beautifyStack = require('./lib/beautify-stack');
+var serializeError = require('./lib/serialize-error');
 var globals = require('./lib/globals');
 var Runner = require('./lib/runner');
 var send = require('./lib/send');
@@ -49,9 +48,6 @@ function test(props) {
 
 	if (hasError) {
 		props.error = serializeError(props.error);
-		if (props.error.stack) {
-			props.error.stack = beautifyStack(props.error.stack);
-		}
 	} else {
 		props.error = null;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/serialize-error.js b/lib/serialize-error.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..64cbea6d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/serialize-error.js
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+'use strict';
+var cleanYamlObject = require('clean-yaml-object');
+var beautifyStack = require('./beautify-stack');
+
+function filter(propertyName, isRoot, source, target) {
+	if (!isRoot) {
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	if (propertyName === 'stack') {
+		target.stack = beautifyStack(source.stack);
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}
+
+module.exports = function (error) {
+	return cleanYamlObject(error, filter);
+};
diff --git a/lib/test-worker.js b/lib/test-worker.js
index d1f92e7c5..388943a41 100644
--- a/lib/test-worker.js
+++ b/lib/test-worker.js
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ sourceMapSupport.install({
 });
 
 var loudRejection = require('loud-rejection/api')(process);
-var serializeError = require('serialize-error');
-var beautifyStack = require('./beautify-stack');
+var serializeError = require('./serialize-error');
 var send = require('./send');
 var installPrecompiler = require('require-precompiled');
 var cacheDir = opts.cacheDir;
@@ -94,11 +93,7 @@ Object.keys(require.extensions).forEach(function (ext) {
 require(testPath);
 
 process.on('uncaughtException', function (exception) {
-	var serialized = serializeError(exception);
-	if (serialized.stack) {
-		serialized.stack = beautifyStack(serialized.stack);
-	}
-	send('uncaughtException', {exception: serialized});
+	send('uncaughtException', {exception: serializeError(exception)});
 });
 
 // if ava was not required, show an error
@@ -140,11 +135,7 @@ process.on('ava-teardown', function () {
 	}
 
 	rejections = rejections.map(function (rejection) {
-		var error = serializeError(rejection.reason);
-		if (error.stack) {
-			error.stack = beautifyStack(error.stack);
-		}
-		return error;
+		return serializeError(rejection.reason);
 	});
 
 	send('unhandledRejections', {rejections: rejections});
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5f08342d9..c25626824 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
     "bluebird": "^3.0.0",
     "caching-transform": "^1.0.0",
     "chalk": "^1.0.0",
+    "clean-yaml-object": "^0.1.0",
     "cli-cursor": "^1.0.2",
     "cli-spinners": "^0.1.2",
     "cli-truncate": "^0.2.0",
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@
     "ignore-by-default": "^1.0.0",
     "is-ci": "^1.0.7",
     "is-generator-fn": "^1.0.0",
+    "is-obj": "^1.0.0",
     "is-observable": "^0.1.0",
     "is-promise": "^2.1.0",
     "last-line-stream": "^1.0.0",
@@ -124,7 +126,6 @@
     "pretty-ms": "^2.0.0",
     "require-precompiled": "^0.1.0",
     "resolve-cwd": "^1.0.0",
-    "serialize-error": "^1.1.0",
     "set-immediate-shim": "^1.0.1",
     "slash": "^1.0.0",
     "source-map-support": "^0.4.0",
diff --git a/test/cli.js b/test/cli.js
index 799fe5aef..af72358ab 100644
--- a/test/cli.js
+++ b/test/cli.js
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ test('disallow invalid babel config shortcuts', function (t) {
 	});
 });
 
-test('throwing a named function will report the to the console', function (t) {
+test('throwing a named function will report the function to the console', function (t) {
 	execCli('fixture/throw-named-function.js', function (err, stdout, stderr) {
 		t.ok(err);
-		t.match(stderr, /\[Function: fooFn]/);
+		t.match(stderr, /function fooFn\(\) \{\}/);
 		// TODO(jamestalmage)
 		// t.ok(/1 uncaught exception[^s]/.test(stdout));
 		t.end();
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ test('babel require hook only applies to the test file', function (t) {
 test('throwing a anonymous function will report the function to the console', function (t) {
 	execCli('fixture/throw-anonymous-function.js', function (err, stdout, stderr) {
 		t.ok(err);
-		t.match(stderr, /\[Function: anonymous]/);
+		t.match(stderr, /function \(\) \{\}/);
 		// TODO(jamestalmage)
 		// t.ok(/1 uncaught exception[^s]/.test(stdout));
 		t.end();
diff --git a/test/fixture/throw-anonymous-function.js b/test/fixture/throw-anonymous-function.js
index a553e5ae3..365b6bb07 100644
--- a/test/fixture/throw-anonymous-function.js
+++ b/test/fixture/throw-anonymous-function.js
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ import test from '../../';
 
 test('throw an uncaught exception', () => {
 	setImmediate(() => {
-		throw () => {};
+		throw function () {};
 	});
 });