diff --git a/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go b/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
index c52e2526..df8b15bc 100644
--- a/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
+++ b/cmd/evaluate_all_command.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Note that it consumes more memory than eval.
 	}
 	return cmdEvalAll
 }
-func evaluateAll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func evaluateAll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) (cmdError error) {
 	// 0 args, read std in
 	// 1 arg, null input, process expression
 	// 1 arg, read file in sequence
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ func evaluateAll(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		}
 		// need to indirectly call the function so  that completedSuccessfully is
 		// passed when we finish execution as opposed to now
-		defer func() { writeInPlaceHandler.FinishWriteInPlace(completedSuccessfully) }()
+		defer func() {
+			if cmdError == nil {
+				cmdError = writeInPlaceHandler.FinishWriteInPlace(completedSuccessfully)
+			}
+		}()
 	}
 
 	format, err := yqlib.OutputFormatFromString(outputFormat)
diff --git a/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go b/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
index 2a371ed4..e0e14d27 100644
--- a/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
+++ b/cmd/evalute_sequence_command.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func processExpression(expression string) string {
 	return expression
 }
 
-func evaluateSequence(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func evaluateSequence(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) (cmdError error) {
 	// 0 args, read std in
 	// 1 arg, null input, process expression
 	// 1 arg, read file in sequence
@@ -80,7 +80,11 @@ func evaluateSequence(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		}
 		// need to indirectly call the function so  that completedSuccessfully is
 		// passed when we finish execution as opposed to now
-		defer func() { writeInPlaceHandler.FinishWriteInPlace(completedSuccessfully) }()
+		defer func() {
+			if cmdError == nil {
+				cmdError = writeInPlaceHandler.FinishWriteInPlace(completedSuccessfully)
+			}
+		}()
 	}
 
 	format, err := yqlib.OutputFormatFromString(outputFormat)
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/file_utils.go b/pkg/yqlib/file_utils.go
index 9e252c01..c9a7014e 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/file_utils.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/file_utils.go
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 )
 
-func tryRenameFile(from string, to string) {
+func tryRenameFile(from string, to string) error {
 	if renameError := os.Rename(from, to); renameError != nil {
 		log.Debugf("Error renaming from %v to %v, attempting to copy contents", from, to)
 		log.Debug(renameError.Error())
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ func tryRenameFile(from string, to string) {
 		// can't do this rename when running in docker to a file targeted in a mounted volume,
 		// so gracefully degrade to copying the entire contents.
 		if copyError := copyFileContents(from, to); copyError != nil {
-			panic(fmt.Errorf("failed copying from %v to %v: %w", from, to, copyError))
-		} else {
-			tryRemoveTempFile(from)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed copying from %v to %v: %w", from, to, copyError)
 		}
+		tryRemoveTempFile(from)
 	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func tryRemoveTempFile(filename string) {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/write_in_place_handler.go b/pkg/yqlib/write_in_place_handler.go
index 5460e338..d3bbb487 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/write_in_place_handler.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/write_in_place_handler.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 type writeInPlaceHandler interface {
 	CreateTempFile() (*os.File, error)
-	FinishWriteInPlace(evaluatedSuccessfully bool)
+	FinishWriteInPlace(evaluatedSuccessfully bool) error
 }
 
 type writeInPlaceHandlerImpl struct {
@@ -39,13 +39,14 @@ func (w *writeInPlaceHandlerImpl) CreateTempFile() (*os.File, error) {
 	return file, err
 }
 
-func (w *writeInPlaceHandlerImpl) FinishWriteInPlace(evaluatedSuccessfully bool) {
+func (w *writeInPlaceHandlerImpl) FinishWriteInPlace(evaluatedSuccessfully bool) error {
 	log.Debug("Going to write-inplace, evaluatedSuccessfully=%v, target=%v", evaluatedSuccessfully, w.inputFilename)
 	safelyCloseFile(w.tempFile)
 	if evaluatedSuccessfully {
 		log.Debug("Moving temp file to target")
-		tryRenameFile(w.tempFile.Name(), w.inputFilename)
-	} else {
-		tryRemoveTempFile(w.tempFile.Name())
+		return tryRenameFile(w.tempFile.Name(), w.inputFilename)
 	}
+	tryRemoveTempFile(w.tempFile.Name())
+
+	return nil
 }