diff --git a/services/config-validator.js b/services/config-validator.js
index b56c4d35..48c1e827 100644
--- a/services/config-validator.js
+++ b/services/config-validator.js
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
-/* eslint-disable no-console */
-/* Script that validates the conf.yml file against Dashy's schema, and outputs any issues */
-const Ajv = require('ajv');
-const yaml = require('js-yaml');
-const fs = require('fs');
+/**
+ * Checks that conf.yml is present + parsable, then validates it against the schema
+ * Prints detailed info about any errors or warnings to help the user fix the issue
+ */
+
+const fs = require('fs'); // For opening + reading files
+const yaml = require('js-yaml'); // For parsing YAML
+const Ajv = require('ajv'); // For validating with schema
 
 const schema = require('../src/utils/ConfigSchema.json');
 
@@ -17,32 +20,29 @@ const validatorOptions = {
 const ajv = new Ajv(validatorOptions);
 
 /* Message printed when validation was successful */
-const successMsg = () => '\x1b[1m\x1b[32mNo issues found, your configuration is valid :)\x1b[0m\n';
+const successMsg = () => '\x1b[1m\x1b[32m✔️ Config file is valid, no issues found\x1b[0m\n';
 
 /* Just a wrapper to system's console.log */
-const logToConsole = (msg) => { console.log(msg); };
+const logToConsole = (msg) => { console.log(msg || '\n'); }; // eslint-disable-line no-console
 
 /* Formats error message. ready for printing to the console */
 const errorMsg = (output) => {
   const warningFont = '\x1b[103m\x1b[34m';
   const line = `${warningFont}${new Array(42).fill('━').join('')}\x1b[0m`;
+  const formatParams = (params) => {
+    if (params.additionalProperty) return `(${params.additionalProperty})`;
+    return '';
+  };
   let msg = `\n${line}\n${warningFont}  Warning: ${output.length} `
     + `issue${output.length > 1 ? 's' : ''} found in config file  \x1b[0m\n${line}\n`;
   output.forEach((details, index) => {
-    msg += `${'\x1b[36m'}${index + 1}. ${details.keyword} ${details.message} `
-      + `in ${details.instancePath}\x1b[0m\n`;
+    msg += `${'\x1b[36m'}${index + 1}. \x1b[4m${details.instancePath}\x1b[0m\x1b[36m `
+      + `${details.message} ${formatParams(details.params)}\x1b[0m\n`;
   });
   return msg;
 };
 
-/* Error message printed when the file could not be opened */
-const bigError = () => {
-  const formatting = '\x1b[30m\x1b[43m';
-  const line = `${formatting}${new Array(38).fill('━').join('')}\x1b[0m\n`;
-  const msg = `${formatting} Error, unable to validate 'conf.yml' \x1b[0m\n`;
-  return `\n${line}${msg}${line}\n`;
-};
-
+/* Sets valid status as environmental variable */
 const setIsValidVariable = (isValid) => {
   process.env.VUE_APP_CONFIG_VALID = isValid;
 };
@@ -60,16 +60,49 @@ const validate = (config) => {
   }
 };
 
-try {
+/* Error message printed when the file could not be opened */
+const bigError = () => {
+  const formatting = '\x1b[30m\x1b[43m';
+  const line = `${formatting}${new Array(38).fill('━').join('')}\x1b[0m\n`;
+  const msg = `${formatting} Error, unable to validate 'conf.yml' \x1b[0m\n`;
+  return `\n${line}${msg}${line}`;
+};
+
+/* Given an error object, prints helpful info to the user */
+const printFileReadError = (e) => {
+  let customError = '';
+  if (e.mark) { // YAML syntax error
+    customError = `\x1b[33m\x1b[4m⚠️ Error on line ${e.mark.line}, column ${e.mark.column}: `
+      + `${e.reason}\x1b[0m\n\n${e.mark.snippet}\n\x1b[0m`
+      + '\n\x1b[36m ℹ️ You might find it helpful to use a YAML validator'
+      + ', like: \x1b[4mhttps://yamlchecker.com/\x1b[0m\n';
+  }
+  if (e.code === 'ENOENT') { // File not found error
+    customError = `\x1b[33m⚠️ Config file could not be found at ${e.path}\x1b[0m\n`;
+  }
+  if (e.code === 'EISDIR') { // Not a file
+    customError = '\x1b[33m⚠️ Config needs to be a file, but found a directory instead \x1b[0m\n';
+  }
+  if (e.code === 'EACCES' || e.code === 'EPERM') { // File permissions error
+    customError = '\x1b[33m⚠️ Permission denied \x1b[0m\n';
+  }
+  logToConsole(customError);
+  if (customError === '') { // Unknown error, print stack trace
+    const moreInfo = 'Ensure that your config file is present, readable, and valid YAML. '
+      + 'If this issue persists, you can get support by raising a ticket on GitHub. '
+      + 'Please include the following stack trace';
+    logToConsole(moreInfo);
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+    console.warn('\x1b[33mStack Trace for config-validator.js:\x1b[0m\n', e);
+    logToConsole();
+  }
+};
+
+try { // Try to open and parse the YAML file
   const config = yaml.load(fs.readFileSync('./public/conf.yml', 'utf8'));
   validate(config);
 } catch (e) { // Something went very wrong...
   setIsValidVariable(false);
   logToConsole(bigError());
-  logToConsole('Please ensure that your config file is present, '
-    + 'has the correct access rights and is parsable. '
-    + 'If this warning persists, it may be an issue with the '
-    + 'validator function. Please raise an issue, and include the following stack trace:\n');
-  console.warn('\x1b[33mStack Trace for config-validator.js:\x1b[0m\n', e);
-  logToConsole('\n\n');
+  printFileReadError(e);
 }