diff --git a/orcli b/orcli
index 60ed405..1ca47f3 100755
--- a/orcli
+++ b/orcli
@@ -212,13 +212,6 @@ inspect_args() {
 }
 
 # :command.user_lib
-# src/lib/error.sh
-# log error message to STDERR
-# shellcheck shell=bash
-function error() {
-  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')]: ERROR $*"
-}
-
 # src/lib/get_csrf.sh
 # get CSRF token (introduced in OpenRefine 3.3)
 # shellcheck shell=bash
@@ -227,12 +220,10 @@ function get_csrf() {
   if ! response="$(curl -fs "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-csrf-token")"; then
     if ! response="$(curl -fs "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-version")"; then
       error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
-      exit 1
     fi
   else
     if ! [[ "${response}" == '{"token":"'* ]]; then
       error "getting CSRF token failed!"
-      exit 1
     fi
     echo "?csrf_token=$(echo "$response" | cut -d \" -f 4)"
   fi
@@ -247,21 +238,32 @@ function get_id() {
   local ids
   if ! response="$(curl -fs --get "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-all-project-metadata")"; then
     error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
-    exit 1
   fi
-  if ! projects="$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"' | grep "${args[project]}")"; then
+  if ! projects="$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"' | grep ":${args[project]}$")"; then
     error "project ${args[project]} not found"
-    exit 1
   fi
   ids=$(echo "$projects" | cut -d : -f 1)
   if ! [[ "${#ids}" == 13 ]]; then
-    error "multiple projects found"
-    echo >&2 "$projects"
-    exit 1
+    error "multiple projects found" "$projects"
   fi
   echo "$ids"
 }
 
+# src/lib/logging.sh
+# print messages to STDERR
+# shellcheck shell=bash
+function error() {
+  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')] ERROR: $1"
+  shift
+  for msg in "$@"; do echo >&2 "$msg"; done
+  exit 1
+}
+function log() {
+  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')] $1"
+  shift
+  for msg in "$@"; do echo >&2 "$msg"; done
+}
+
 # :command.command_functions
 # :command.function
 orcli_info_command() {
@@ -285,7 +287,11 @@ orcli_list_command() {
   if ! response="$(curl -fs --get "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-all-project-metadata")"; then
     error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
   else
-    echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"'
+    if [[ "${response}" == '{"projects":{}}' ]]; then
+      log "${OPENREFINE_URL} contains zero projects"
+    else
+      echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"'
+    fi
   fi
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/error.sh b/src/lib/error.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 32780ab..0000000
--- a/src/lib/error.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-# log error message to STDERR
-# shellcheck shell=bash
-function error() {
-  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')]: ERROR $*"
-}
diff --git a/src/lib/get_csrf.sh b/src/lib/get_csrf.sh
index 1f8be05..21fbada 100644
--- a/src/lib/get_csrf.sh
+++ b/src/lib/get_csrf.sh
@@ -5,12 +5,10 @@ function get_csrf() {
   if ! response="$(curl -fs "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-csrf-token")"; then
     if ! response="$(curl -fs "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-version")"; then
       error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
-      exit 1
     fi
   else
     if ! [[ "${response}" == '{"token":"'* ]]; then
       error "getting CSRF token failed!"
-      exit 1
     fi
     echo "?csrf_token=$(echo "$response" | cut -d \" -f 4)"
   fi
diff --git a/src/lib/get_id.sh b/src/lib/get_id.sh
index c61b8ec..5c413b0 100644
--- a/src/lib/get_id.sh
+++ b/src/lib/get_id.sh
@@ -6,17 +6,13 @@ function get_id() {
   local ids
   if ! response="$(curl -fs --get "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-all-project-metadata")"; then
     error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
-    exit 1
   fi
-  if ! projects="$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"' | grep "${args[project]}")"; then
+  if ! projects="$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"' | grep ":${args[project]}$")"; then
     error "project ${args[project]} not found"
-    exit 1
   fi
   ids=$(echo "$projects" | cut -d : -f 1)
   if ! [[ "${#ids}" == 13 ]]; then
-    error "multiple projects found"
-    echo >&2 "$projects"
-    exit 1
+    error "multiple projects found" "$projects"
   fi
   echo "$ids"
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/logging.sh b/src/lib/logging.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a577df0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/logging.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# print messages to STDERR
+# shellcheck shell=bash
+function error() {
+  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')] ERROR: $1"
+  shift
+  for msg in "$@"; do echo >&2 "$msg"; done
+  exit 1
+}
+function log() {
+  echo >&2 "[$(date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')] $1"
+  shift
+  for msg in "$@"; do echo >&2 "$msg"; done
+}
diff --git a/src/list_command.sh b/src/list_command.sh
index 3e31ad0..6b26e36 100644
--- a/src/list_command.sh
+++ b/src/list_command.sh
@@ -3,5 +3,9 @@
 if ! response="$(curl -fs --get "${OPENREFINE_URL}/command/core/get-all-project-metadata")"; then
   error "no OpenRefine reachable/running at ${OPENREFINE_URL}"
 else
-  echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"'
+  if [[ "${response}" == '{"projects":{}}' ]]; then
+    log "${OPENREFINE_URL} contains zero projects"
+  else
+    echo "$response" | jq -r '.projects | keys[] as $k | "\($k):\(.[$k] | .name)"'
+  fi
 fi