diff --git a/pkg/backends/alb/client.go b/pkg/backends/alb/client.go
index 3a49513b4..623e22ca1 100644
--- a/pkg/backends/alb/client.go
+++ b/pkg/backends/alb/client.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package alb
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
@@ -29,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/backends/providers"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/backends/providers/registration/types"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/cache"
+	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/proxy/methods"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/proxy/paths/matching"
 	po "github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/proxy/paths/options"
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func (c *Client) ValidatePool(clients backends.Backends) error {
 // validate and map out the pool configuration
 func (c *Client) ValidateAndStartPool(clients backends.Backends, hcs healthcheck.StatusLookup) error {
 	if c.Configuration() == nil || c.Configuration().ALBOptions == nil {
-		return errors.New("invalid options")
+		return errors.ErrInvalidOptions
 	}
 
 	o := c.Configuration().ALBOptions
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ func (c *Client) ValidateAndStartPool(clients backends.Backends, hcs healthcheck
 		if !ok {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid pool member name [%s] in backend [%s]", n, c.Name())
 		}
-		hc, _ := hcs[n]
+		hc := hcs[n]
 		targets = append(targets, pool.NewTarget(tc.Router(), hc))
 	}
 	c.pool = pool.New(m, targets, o.HealthyFloor)
diff --git a/pkg/backends/alb/client_test.go b/pkg/backends/alb/client_test.go
index 97c37209f..61c2ec6b9 100644
--- a/pkg/backends/alb/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/backends/alb/client_test.go
@@ -46,25 +46,25 @@ func TestHandlers(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	a.MechanismName = "fgr"
-	cl, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
 
 	a.MechanismName = "nlm"
-	cl, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
 
 	a.MechanismName = "tsm"
-	cl, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, types.Lookup{"prometheus": prometheus.NewClient})
+	_, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, types.Lookup{"prometheus": prometheus.NewClient})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
 
 	a.MechanismName = "rr"
-	cl, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err = NewClient("test", o, nil, nil, nil, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/backends/irondb/health_test.go b/pkg/backends/irondb/health_test.go
index 2255363f3..56a2656e8 100644
--- a/pkg/backends/irondb/health_test.go
+++ b/pkg/backends/irondb/health_test.go
@@ -29,9 +29,7 @@ func TestDefaultHealthCheckConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	dho := c.DefaultHealthCheckConfig()
 	if dho == nil {
 		t.Error("expected non-nil result")
-	}
-
-	if dho.Path != "" {
+	} else if dho.Path != "" {
 		t.Error("expected / for path", dho.Path)
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/backends/irondb/irondb_test.go b/pkg/backends/irondb/irondb_test.go
index db561f73c..491d07098 100644
--- a/pkg/backends/irondb/irondb_test.go
+++ b/pkg/backends/irondb/irondb_test.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/backends"
-	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/backends/irondb/model"
 	bo "github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/backends/options"
 	cr "github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/cache/registration"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/config"
@@ -48,8 +47,6 @@ func TestIRONdbClientInterfacing(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-var testModeler = model.NewModeler()
-
 func TestNewClient(t *testing.T) {
 	conf, _, err := config.Load("trickster", "test",
 		[]string{"-origin-url", "http://example.com", "-provider", "TEST_CLIENT"})
diff --git a/pkg/backends/irondb/url.go b/pkg/backends/irondb/url.go
index 81edd1fc9..04f403237 100644
--- a/pkg/backends/irondb/url.go
+++ b/pkg/backends/irondb/url.go
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@
 package irondb
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 
+	tkerr "github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/errors"
 	terr "github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/proxy/errors"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/proxy/request"
 	"github.com/trickstercache/trickster/v2/pkg/timeseries"
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func (c *Client) FastForwardRequest(r *http.Request) (*http.Request, error) {
 
 	rsc := request.GetResources(r)
 	if rsc == nil || rsc.PathConfig == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("missing path config")
+		return nil, tkerr.ErrMissingPathconfig
 	}
 
 	switch rsc.PathConfig.HandlerName {
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (c *Client) ParseTimeRangeQuery(
 
 	rsc := request.GetResources(r)
 	if rsc == nil || rsc.PathConfig == nil {
-		return nil, nil, false, errors.New("missing path config")
+		return nil, nil, false, tkerr.ErrMissingPathconfig
 	}
 
 	var trq *timeseries.TimeRangeQuery
diff --git a/pkg/errors/errors.go b/pkg/errors/errors.go
index 35fa03671..fafc47b8a 100644
--- a/pkg/errors/errors.go
+++ b/pkg/errors/errors.go
@@ -20,3 +20,9 @@ import "errors"
 
 // ErrNilWriter is an error for a nil writer when a non-nil writer was expected
 var ErrNilWriter = errors.New("nil writer")
+
+// ErrInvalidOptions is an error for when a configuration is invalid
+var ErrInvalidOptions = errors.New("invalid options")
+
+// ErrMissingPathconfig is an error for when a configuration is missing a path value
+var ErrMissingPathconfig = errors.New("missing path config")