diff --git a/cmd/cloud-init-server/metadata_handlers.go b/cmd/cloud-init-server/metadata_handlers.go
index 90f3086d..559ae698 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-init-server/metadata_handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-init-server/metadata_handlers.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 
@@ -51,29 +52,54 @@ func MetaDataHandler(smd smdclient.SMDClientInterface, store cistore.Store) http
 		var err error
 		// If this request includes an id, it can be interrpreted as an impersonation request
 		if urlId == "" {
+			log.Debug().Msg("no id specified in request, attempting to identify based on requesting IP")
 			ip := getActualRequestIP(r)
+			log.Debug().Msgf("requesting IP is: %s", ip)
 			// Get the component information from the SMD client
 			id, err = smd.IDfromIP(ip)
 			if err != nil {
-				log.Print(err)
-				http.Error(w, "Failed to retrieve node ID from IP address", http.StatusUnprocessableEntity)
+				log.Printf("did not find id from ip %s: %v", ip, err)
+				w.WriteHeader(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity)
 				return
 			} else {
 				log.Printf("xname %s with ip %s found\n", id, ip)
 			}
+		} else {
+			id = urlId
 		}
 		log.Debug().Msgf("Getting metadata for id: %s", id)
 		smdComponent, err := smd.ComponentInformation(id)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Debug().Msgf("Failed to get component information for %s: %s", id, err)
-			// If the component information is not available, return a 404
-			http.Error(w, "Node not found in SMD. Instance-data not available", http.StatusNotFound)
+			if esr, ok := err.(smdclient.ErrSMDResponse); ok {
+				var msg string
+				var status int
+				switch esr.HTTPResponse.StatusCode {
+				case http.StatusNotFound:
+					msg = fmt.Sprintf("node %s not found in SMD", id)
+					status = http.StatusNotFound
+				default:
+					msg = fmt.Sprintf("failed to get component information for node %s: %v", id, err)
+					status = http.StatusInternalServerError
+				}
+				http.Error(w, msg, status)
+			} else {
+				log.Debug().Msgf("failed to get component information for node %s: %s", id, err)
+				http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("internal error occurred fetching component information for node %s", id), http.StatusInternalServerError)
+			}
 			return
 		}
 		groups, err := smd.GroupMembership(id)
 		if err != nil {
-			// If the group information is not available, return an empty list
-			groups = []string{}
+			if esr, ok := err.(smdclient.ErrSMDResponse); ok {
+				switch esr.HTTPResponse.StatusCode {
+				case http.StatusBadRequest:
+					http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("%s is not a valid xname for SMD", id), http.StatusBadRequest)
+					return
+				default:
+					// If the group information is not available, return an empty list
+					groups = []string{}
+				}
+			}
 		}
 		bootIP, err := smd.IPfromID(id)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/cloud-init-server/userdata_handlers.go b/cmd/cloud-init-server/userdata_handlers.go
index 354b4a0a..9549c042 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-init-server/userdata_handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-init-server/userdata_handlers.go
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ func GroupUserDataHandler(smd smdclient.SMDClientInterface, store cistore.Store)
 		}
 
 		if !isUserInGroup(id, group, smd) {
-			http.Error(w, "Group not found", http.StatusNotFound)
+			http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("node %s is not a member of group %s (node and/or group may not exist in SMD)", id, group), http.StatusNotFound)
 			return
 		}
 
diff --git a/cmd/cloud-init-server/vendordata_handlers.go b/cmd/cloud-init-server/vendordata_handlers.go
index 9b9e0f3b..4aa4aa69 100644
--- a/cmd/cloud-init-server/vendordata_handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/cloud-init-server/vendordata_handlers.go
@@ -32,11 +32,13 @@ func VendorDataHandler(smd smdclient.SMDClientInterface, store cistore.Store) ht
 		var err error
 		// If this request includes an id, it can be interrpreted as an impersonation request
 		if urlId == "" {
+			log.Debug().Msg("no id specified in request, attempting to identify based on requesting IP")
 			ip := getActualRequestIP(r)
+			log.Debug().Msgf("requesting IP is: %s", ip)
 			// Get the component information from the SMD client
 			id, err = smd.IDfromIP(ip)
 			if err != nil {
-				log.Print(err)
+				log.Printf("did not find id from ip %s: %v", ip, err)
 				w.WriteHeader(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity)
 				return
 			} else {
@@ -45,7 +47,18 @@ func VendorDataHandler(smd smdclient.SMDClientInterface, store cistore.Store) ht
 		}
 		groups, err := smd.GroupMembership(id)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Debug().Msgf("Error getting group membership: %s", err)
+			if esr, ok := err.(smdclient.ErrSMDResponse); ok {
+				switch esr.HTTPResponse.StatusCode {
+				case http.StatusNotFound:
+					log.Warn().Msgf("node %s not found in SMD, include list will be empty", id)
+				case http.StatusBadRequest:
+					log.Warn().Msgf("node %s is an invalid xname in SMD, include list will be empty", id)
+				default:
+					log.Error().Err(err).Msg("unhandled HTTP response from SMD, include list will be empty")
+				}
+			} else {
+				log.Error().Err(err).Msgf("failed to get group membership for id %s, include list will be empty", id)
+			}
 		}
 
 		clusterDefaults, err := store.GetClusterDefaults()
@@ -57,7 +70,7 @@ func VendorDataHandler(smd smdclient.SMDClientInterface, store cistore.Store) ht
 		}
 		extendedInstanceData, err := store.GetInstanceInfo(id)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Err(err).Msg("Error getting instance info")
+			log.Err(err).Msgf("Error getting instance info for id %s", id)
 		}
 		if extendedInstanceData.CloudInitBaseURL != "" {
 			baseUrl = extendedInstanceData.CloudInitBaseURL
diff --git a/internal/smdclient/SMDclient.go b/internal/smdclient/SMDclient.go
index 7c466677..3e0e65ff 100644
--- a/internal/smdclient/SMDclient.go
+++ b/internal/smdclient/SMDclient.go
@@ -38,10 +38,6 @@ type SMDClientInterface interface {
 // golang lint
 // Expand this client to handle more of the SMD API and work more directly with the resources it manages
 
-var (
-	ErrUnmarshal = errors.New("cannot unmarshal JSON")
-)
-
 // SMDClient is a client for SMD
 type SMDClient struct {
 	clusterName       string
@@ -206,6 +202,10 @@ func (s *SMDClient) getSMD(ep string, smd interface{}) error {
 	defer func() {
 		_ = resp.Body.Close() // ignoring error on deferred Close
 	}()
+	if resp.StatusCode >= 400 {
+		log.Error().Msgf("SMD GET request went through, but returned unsuccessful HTTP response (HTTP %d)", resp.StatusCode)
+		return ErrSMDResponse{HTTPResponse: resp}
+	}
 	body, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error().Err(err).Msg("failed to read response body")
@@ -339,7 +339,9 @@ func (s *SMDClient) MACfromID(id string) (string, error) {
 // GroupMembership returns the group labels for the xname with the given ID
 func (s *SMDClient) GroupMembership(id string) ([]string, error) {
 	if id == "" {
-		log.Err(errors.New("ID is empty")).Msg("ID is empty")
+		err := errors.New("ID is empty")
+		log.Err(err).Msg("failed to get group membership")
+		return []string{}, err
 	}
 	ml := new(sm.Membership)
 	ep := "/hsm/v2/memberships/" + id
@@ -352,6 +354,9 @@ func (s *SMDClient) GroupMembership(id string) ([]string, error) {
 
 func (s *SMDClient) ComponentInformation(id string) (base.Component, error) {
 	var node base.Component
+	if strings.Trim(id, " \t") == "" {
+		return node, ErrEmptyID
+	}
 	ep := "/hsm/v2/State/Components/" + id
 	err := s.getSMD(ep, &node)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/smdclient/errors.go b/internal/smdclient/errors.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c52e054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/smdclient/errors.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package smdclient
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+)
+
+var (
+	ErrUnmarshal = errors.New("cannot unmarshal JSON")
+	ErrEmptyID   = errors.New("empty id")
+)
+
+// ErrSMDResponse contains the HTTP response of a REST API request to SMD.
+type ErrSMDResponse struct {
+	HTTPResponse *http.Response
+}
+
+func (esr ErrSMDResponse) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("SMD response returned %s", esr.HTTPResponse.Status)
+}