diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index dc458bb..03bfc17 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ func DefaultConfig() *ConfigV2 {
 	c.WatchInterval = 10
 	c.Port = 9090
 	w := Watcher{
-		WebHookURL:  "abcedf",
+		WebHookURL:  "https://webhook.url.here",
 		Path:        "/your/screenshot/dir/here",
 		Username:    "",
 		NoWatermark: false,
@@ -127,6 +127,28 @@ func (c *ConfigService) Load() error {
 
 func (c *ConfigService) Save() error {
 	daulog.SendLog("saving configuration", daulog.LogTypeInfo)
+	// sanity checks
+	for _, watcher := range c.Config.Watchers {
+
+		// give the sample one a pass? this is kinda gross...
+		if watcher.Path == "/your/screenshot/dir/here" {
+			continue
+		}
+		info, err := os.Stat(watcher.Path)
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("path '%s' does not exist", watcher.Path)
+		}
+		if !info.IsDir() {
+			return fmt.Errorf("path '%s' is not a directory", watcher.Path)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, watcher := range c.Config.Watchers {
+		if strings.Index(watcher.WebHookURL, "https://") != 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("webhook URL '%s' does not look valid", watcher.WebHookURL)
+		}
+	}
+
 	jsonString, _ := json.Marshal(c.Config)
 	err := ioutil.WriteFile(c.ConfigFilename, jsonString, os.ModePerm)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/web/data/config.html b/web/data/config.html
index f95ecee..7c79ccd 100644
--- a/web/data/config.html
+++ b/web/data/config.html
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@
 <main role="main" class="inner DAU" x-data="configuration()" x-init="get_config()">
   <h1 class="DAU-heading">Config</h1>
 
-  </a>
+  <div x-cloak x-show="error" class="alert alert-danger" role="alert" x-text="error">
+  </div>
+  <div x-cloak x-show="success" class="alert alert-success" role="alert" x-text="success">
+  </div>
 
-  <form class="">
+  <form x-cloak class="">
 
     <p>Configuration changes are not made until the Save button is pressed
       at the bottom of this page.
@@ -138,7 +141,7 @@
 
     <div class="my-5">
       <button type="button" class="btn btn-secondary" href="#"
-        @click.prevent="config.Watchers.push({Username: '', WebHookURL: '', Path: '', NoWatermark: false, Exclude: []});">
+        @click.prevent="config.Watchers.push({Username: '', WebHookURL: 'https://webhook.url.here/', Path: '/directory/path/here', NoWatermark: false, Exclude: []});">
         Add a new watcher</button>
     </div>
 
@@ -161,7 +164,7 @@
 <script>
   function configuration() {
     return {
-      config: {},
+      config: {}, error: '', success: '',
       get_config() {
         fetch('/rest/config')
           .then(response => response.json())  // convert to json
@@ -171,11 +174,18 @@
           })
       },
       save_config() {
+        this.error = '';
+        this.success = '';
         fetch('/rest/config', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify(this.config) })
           .then(response => response.json())  // convert to json
           .then(json => {
-            this.config = json;
-            console.log(json);
+            if (json.error) {
+              this.error = json.error
+            } else {
+              this.success = 'Configuration saved';
+              this.config = json;
+            }
+            window.scrollTo(0,0);
           })
       }
 
diff --git a/web/data/dau.css b/web/data/dau.css
index d995976..7c582c7 100644
--- a/web/data/dau.css
+++ b/web/data/dau.css
@@ -108,3 +108,6 @@ pre {
 .mastfoot {
   color: rgba(255, 255, 255, .5);
 }
+
+/* for alpine.js */
+[x-cloak] { display: none !important; }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/web/server.go b/web/server.go
index f2388d2..501ff01 100644
--- a/web/server.go
+++ b/web/server.go
@@ -108,23 +108,36 @@ func (ws *WebService) getLogs(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 
 func (ws *WebService) handleConfig(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	if r.Method == "POST" {
+
+		type ErrorResponse struct {
+			Error string `json:"error"`
+		}
+
 		newConfig := config.ConfigV2{}
 
 		defer r.Body.Close()
 		b, err := ioutil.ReadAll(r.Body)
 		if err != nil {
+			w.WriteHeader(400)
 			w.Write([]byte("bad body"))
 			return
 		}
 		err = json.Unmarshal(b, &newConfig)
 		if err != nil {
-			w.Write([]byte("bad data"))
-			log.Printf("%s", err)
+			w.WriteHeader(400)
+			j, _ := json.Marshal(ErrorResponse{Error: "badly formed JSON"})
+			w.Write(j)
 			return
 		}
 		ws.Config.Config = newConfig
-		ws.Config.Save()
+		err = ws.Config.Save()
+		if err != nil {
+			w.WriteHeader(400)
+			j, _ := json.Marshal(ErrorResponse{Error: err.Error()})
+			w.Write(j)
 
+			return
+		}
 	}
 
 	b, _ := json.Marshal(ws.Config.Config)
diff --git a/web/server_test.go b/web/server_test.go
index 0fa2e8c..2ae0bcd 100644
--- a/web/server_test.go
+++ b/web/server_test.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func TestGetConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("expected error to be nil got %v", err)
 	}
 
-	if string(b) != `{"WatchInterval":10,"Version":2,"Port":9090,"Watchers":[{"WebHookURL":"abcedf","Path":"/your/screenshot/dir/here","Username":"","NoWatermark":false,"Exclude":[]}]}` {
+	if string(b) != `{"WatchInterval":10,"Version":2,"Port":9090,"Watchers":[{"WebHookURL":"https://webhook.url.here","Path":"/your/screenshot/dir/here","Username":"","NoWatermark":false,"Exclude":[]}]}` {
 		t.Errorf("Got unexpected response %v", string(b))
 	}
 }