diff --git a/.changeset/ninety-laws-exercise.md b/.changeset/ninety-laws-exercise.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..35b513f5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/ninety-laws-exercise.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@graphprotocol/graph-cli': patch
+---
+
+fix confusing "no error" message when pressing Escape on prompts
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/add.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/add.ts
index 63a604025..776280be4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/add.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/add.ts
@@ -103,21 +103,23 @@ export default class AddCommand extends Command {
       } catch (error) {
         // we cannot ask user to do prompt in test environment
         if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test') {
-          const { abi: abiFile } = await prompt.ask<{ abi: string }>([
-            {
-              type: 'input',
-              name: 'abi',
-              message: 'ABI file (path)',
-              validate: async (value: string) => {
-                try {
-                  EthereumABI.load(contractName, value);
-                  return true;
-                } catch (e) {
-                  return `Failed to load ABI from ${value}: ${e.message}`;
-                }
+          const { abi: abiFile } = await prompt
+            .ask<{ abi: string }>([
+              {
+                type: 'input',
+                name: 'abi',
+                message: 'ABI file (path)',
+                validate: async (value: string) => {
+                  try {
+                    EthereumABI.load(contractName, value);
+                    return true;
+                  } catch (e) {
+                    return `Failed to load ABI from ${value}: ${e.message}`;
+                  }
+                },
               },
-            },
-          ]);
+            ])
+            .catch(() => this.exit(1)); // properly handle ESC
           ethabi = EthereumABI.load(contractName, abiFile);
         }
       }
@@ -130,18 +132,20 @@ export default class AddCommand extends Command {
       // we cannot ask user to do prompt in test environment
       if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test') {
         // If we can't get the start block, we'll just leave it out of the manifest
-        const { startBlock: userInputStartBlock } = await prompt.ask<{ startBlock: string }>([
-          {
-            type: 'input',
-            name: 'startBlock',
-            message: 'Start Block',
-            initial: '0',
-            validate: value => parseInt(value) >= 0,
-            result(value) {
-              return value;
+        const { startBlock: userInputStartBlock } = await prompt
+          .ask<{ startBlock: string }>([
+            {
+              type: 'input',
+              name: 'startBlock',
+              message: 'Start Block',
+              initial: '0',
+              validate: value => parseInt(value) >= 0,
+              result(value) {
+                return value;
+              },
             },
-          },
-        ]);
+          ])
+          .catch(() => this.exit(1));
         startBlock = userInputStartBlock;
       }
     }
@@ -155,18 +159,20 @@ export default class AddCommand extends Command {
     } catch (error) {
       // not asking user to do prompt in test environment
       if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test') {
-        const { contractName: userInputContractName } = await prompt.ask<{ contractName: string }>([
-          {
-            type: 'input',
-            name: 'contractName',
-            message: 'Contract Name',
-            initial: 'Contract',
-            validate: value => value && value.length > 0,
-            result(value) {
-              return value;
+        const { contractName: userInputContractName } = await prompt
+          .ask<{ contractName: string }>([
+            {
+              type: 'input',
+              name: 'contractName',
+              message: 'Contract Name',
+              initial: 'Contract',
+              validate: value => value && value.length > 0,
+              result(value) {
+                return value;
+              },
             },
-          },
-        ]);
+          ])
+          .catch(() => this.exit(1));
         contractName = userInputContractName;
       }
     }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/auth.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/auth.ts
index a09a830ca..cc10520c5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/auth.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/auth.ts
@@ -28,18 +28,20 @@ export default class AuthCommand extends Command {
 
     const { node } = chooseNodeUrl({});
 
-    const { deployKey } = await prompt.ask<{ deployKey: string }>([
-      {
-        type: 'input',
-        name: 'deployKey',
-        message: () => 'What is your Subgraph Studio deploy key?',
-        required: true,
-        initial: initialDeployKey,
-        skip: this.validateStudioDeployKey(initialDeployKey),
-        validate: value =>
-          this.validateStudioDeployKey(value) || `Invalid Subgraph Studio deploy key: ${value}`,
-      },
-    ]);
+    const { deployKey } = await prompt
+      .ask<{ deployKey: string }>([
+        {
+          type: 'input',
+          name: 'deployKey',
+          message: () => 'What is your Subgraph Studio deploy key?',
+          required: true,
+          initial: initialDeployKey,
+          skip: this.validateStudioDeployKey(initialDeployKey),
+          validate: value =>
+            this.validateStudioDeployKey(value) || `Invalid Subgraph Studio deploy key: ${value}`,
+        },
+      ])
+      .catch(() => this.exit(1));
 
     try {
       await saveDeployKey(node!, deployKey);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
index 91cd92147..599c80073 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/deploy.ts
@@ -111,16 +111,18 @@ export default class DeployCommand extends Command {
       },
     } = await this.parse(DeployCommand);
 
-    const { subgraphName } = await prompt.ask<{ subgraphName: string }>([
-      {
-        type: 'input',
-        name: 'subgraphName',
-        message: () => 'What is the subgraph name?',
-        skip: () => !!subgraphNameArg,
-        initial: subgraphNameArg,
-        required: true,
-      },
-    ]);
+    const { subgraphName } = await prompt
+      .ask<{ subgraphName: string }>([
+        {
+          type: 'input',
+          name: 'subgraphName',
+          message: () => 'What is the subgraph name?',
+          skip: () => !!subgraphNameArg,
+          initial: subgraphNameArg,
+          required: true,
+        },
+      ])
+      .catch(() => this.exit(1));
 
     const { node } = chooseNodeUrl({
       node: nodeFlag,
@@ -153,16 +155,18 @@ export default class DeployCommand extends Command {
     }
 
     // Ask for label if not on hosted service
-    const { versionLabel } = await prompt.ask<{ versionLabel: string }>([
-      {
-        type: 'input',
-        name: 'versionLabel',
-        message: () => 'Which version label to use? (e.g. "v0.0.1")',
-        initial: versionLabelFlag,
-        skip: () => !!versionLabelFlag,
-        required: true,
-      },
-    ]);
+    const { versionLabel } = await prompt
+      .ask<{ versionLabel: string }>([
+        {
+          type: 'input',
+          name: 'versionLabel',
+          message: () => 'Which version label to use? (e.g. "v0.0.1")',
+          initial: versionLabelFlag,
+          skip: () => !!versionLabelFlag,
+          required: true,
+        },
+      ])
+      .catch(() => this.exit(1));
 
     const deploySubgraph = async (ipfsHash: string) => {
       const spinner = print.spin(`Deploying to Graph node ${requestUrl}`);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts
index d9b9e020b..f50927eb6 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/init.ts
@@ -966,12 +966,13 @@ async function initSubgraphFromExample(
     };
   },
 ) {
-  let overwrite = false;
   if (filesystem.exists(directory)) {
-    overwrite = await prompt.confirm(
-      'Directory already exists, do you want to initialize the subgraph here (files will be overwritten) ?',
-      false,
-    );
+    const overwrite = await prompt
+      .confirm(
+        'Directory already exists, do you want to initialize the subgraph here (files will be overwritten) ?',
+        false,
+      )
+      .catch(() => false);
 
     if (!overwrite) {
       this.exit(1);
@@ -1005,7 +1006,7 @@ async function initSubgraphFromExample(
           return { result: false, error: `Example not found: ${fromExample}` };
         }
 
-        filesystem.copy(exampleSubgraphPath, directory, { overwrite });
+        filesystem.copy(exampleSubgraphPath, directory, { overwrite: true });
         return true;
       } finally {
         filesystem.remove(tmpDir);
@@ -1129,14 +1130,17 @@ async function initSubgraphFromContract(
   },
 ) {
   const isComposedSubgraph = protocolInstance.isComposedSubgraph();
-  if (
-    filesystem.exists(directory) &&
-    !(await prompt.confirm(
-      'Directory already exists, do you want to initialize the subgraph here (files will be overwritten) ?',
-      false,
-    ))
-  ) {
-    this.exit(1);
+  if (filesystem.exists(directory)) {
+    const overwrite = await prompt
+      .confirm(
+        'Directory already exists, do you want to initialize the subgraph here (files will be overwritten) ?',
+        false,
+      )
+      .catch(() => false);
+
+    if (!overwrite) {
+      this.exit(1);
+    }
   }
 
   let entities: string[] | undefined;
@@ -1232,10 +1236,12 @@ async function initSubgraphFromContract(
     }
 
     while (addContract) {
-      addContract = await addAnotherContract.bind(this)({
-        protocolInstance,
-        directory,
-      });
+      addContract = await addAnotherContract
+        .bind(this)({
+          protocolInstance,
+          directory,
+        })
+        .catch(() => false);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish.ts
index 0eb6e509d..aadc7b6ea 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/publish.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/publish.ts
@@ -67,15 +67,17 @@ export default class PublishCommand extends Command {
     protocolNetwork: string | undefined;
     apiKey: string | undefined;
   }) {
-    const { openBrowser } = await prompt.ask<{ openBrowser: boolean }>([
-      {
-        type: 'confirm',
-        name: 'openBrowser',
-        message: () => `Open up the browser to continue publishing ?`,
-        initial: true,
-        required: true,
-      },
-    ]);
+    const { openBrowser } = await prompt
+      .ask<{ openBrowser: boolean }>([
+        {
+          type: 'confirm',
+          name: 'openBrowser',
+          message: () => `Open up the browser to continue publishing ?`,
+          initial: true,
+          required: true,
+        },
+      ])
+      .catch(() => this.exit(1));
 
     if (!openBrowser) {
       this.exit(0);