diff --git a/lib/GitHub.js b/lib/GitHub.js
index cd4a01cc..d51295ca 100644
--- a/lib/GitHub.js
+++ b/lib/GitHub.js
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ class GitHub extends GitService {
     try {
       return await super.readFile(filePath, getFullResponse)
     } catch (err) {
-      return errorHandler('GITHUB_READING_FILE', {err})
+      throw errorHandler('GITHUB_READING_FILE', {err})
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/GitService.js b/lib/GitService.js
index 2add1c12..6aa0cd18 100644
--- a/lib/GitService.js
+++ b/lib/GitService.js
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ class GitService {
         errorData.data = err.message
       }
 
-      return errorHandler('PARSING_ERROR', errorData)
+      throw errorHandler('PARSING_ERROR', errorData)
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/helpers/sampleData.js b/test/helpers/sampleData.js
index 35aab01f..b8e87e56 100644
--- a/test/helpers/sampleData.js
+++ b/test/helpers/sampleData.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ comments:
     clientId: "L4M3LIshioHbe3j+vMxEbGlCGDhyIcQF2jhmVOUp8DqC+RqNgvZSQp7qYYmjPPoyjFCVOsu5aHwcD1FkMlEaxLTqYOYUeq49Wb6uxePTBycmW14JI6fiM/PYTm6nqKH5fB/7wnohVgK+/1IVAF6DA7UAs0Ju+srlnqEbn30f84sySOeR+V6t9aF7OiF9DsGedsTfVrfj8opptwQe7nycsxQaTxvmwgQgP9FrDYH+PGy/3ThpQsPj+/Mnvbnn7PMJEJlZFtGZsMWWcE2anJlJ7fbHKNPNNg6l2qosh6/kMTrloCU6wA67ouai0OFiNR+gyQaqUiL3NMgN4k39nZuwOg=="
     clientSecret: "0anSY5FBW+YF8BuFRRYxKX0yjDGU8/HhdirQMh+xFOEIvBQ8n/PdYi3qv2p4ngpFo5gb3PY2W6oWvHYLGgbFFse3YvzP5cbKRG0BN90hanlpVwmtAsapC7UepvOOUmNCRKHJ/pYICYcleUX/xGRiTugl9rcVw1MLg7kxcCuEMWcsBc9qCA9YHRcN3ucP+rT9x/2hLMiUmv3glYYZNgyQ3x1iqpOuTAIMeIkxMQo83vxGR57fpAx4+Yn1+hALhSl3sGaesUZhY9Py/OEZDFVWiN9RvrM4ND0IcfqyaQ4DuRPu2g8Es5fbmgSQoqkNPOcHT2+40pDbz3FPgz6QJou+pQ=="
     redirectUri: "https://my-test-site.com"
-    
+  
   gitlabAuth:
     clientId: "Rr9d1XmVVMe8ogldH6rBtdGhf49c29ldwcBVsiMn6DLRAiYWmHY08eKC6xLnP6mXwMe/qCHJ6JMKURDODL8Yjm+nQf09zynkIRCr4J7tRHh4bPAYXPG+W1+TK7l8QD4gC+WXamxJiggwGCaDtNylI1QQhbKtevv7n/T+Iq98rBj8SLxxpi3qR0oZeN/zsoQsDYgzZ+HgvA3hY+5H897ijx1oBjoTsfI1Sfx8Qqix/QLZoXorOUJyEo+83WWvTEgo8X3OyFbXGZ758Kw6A7fcHxu8oVAjDvtFJFiwrDb4iBz9rffx7llZXjkcjzYzfwFcjG7mzZnfYgn9WcCwO7zlsA=="
     clientSecret: "1zzjCrOZQ9dVs1p/WLgT8Lvwez3EKd1tp3D+7P5uGlEdqP1RN7kQvcaqOmOpm5SIY6g+yKJQGZq9G/IqUoKdsZDhA2VGYGXVzETU6eB48AL0OXlFumhjzJoGAXpnqDWzfevglkVuAkivBv6o9S1r/FL1GydwlRwWcYU6NNJjjkB04A00B4s0J7FRR3VFRxpJqDznHgXgT32E2+F3s6enh9/aErqi9uqn+iVtw7gvbd9PN1ejlo95R3BVNKUxNi2Dn4BbsH3MjQG4DyuzX8BiS9Nb+Xt+CwLygTT/i4C5Aj+KkMjAEiYOyttFbk3jkvYVXJ1XtW+taloBVPYCHgDzmg=="
@@ -150,6 +150,13 @@ module.exports.config3 = `comments:
     siteKey: "123456789"
     secret: "@reCaptchaSecret@"`
 
+module.exports.configInvalid = `invalid:
+ - x
+ y
+       foo
+bar
+`
+
 module.exports.prBody1 = `Dear human,
 
 Here's a new entry for your approval. :tada:
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/GitHub.test.js b/test/unit/lib/GitHub.test.js
index eb7d51ef..7612c42d 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/GitHub.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/lib/GitHub.test.js
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ describe('GitHub interface', () => {
       expect(scope.isDone()).toBe(true)
     })
 
-    test('returns an error if parsing fails for the given file', async () => {
+    test('returns an error if the config file cannot be read', async () => {
       const filePath = 'path/to/file.yml'
       const githubInstance = await new GitHub(req.params)
 
@@ -119,6 +119,33 @@ describe('GitHub interface', () => {
       try {
         await githubInstance.readFile(filePath)
         exception = 'not thrown'
+      } catch (err) {
+        expect(err._smErrorCode).toEqual('GITHUB_READING_FILE')
+        expect(err.message).toBeDefined()
+      }
+
+      expect(exception).toBe('thrown')
+    })
+
+    test('returns an error if the config file cannot be parsed', async () => {
+      const filePath = 'path/to/file.yml'
+      const githubInstance = await new GitHub(req.params)
+
+      const scope = nock((/api\.github\.com/), {
+        reqheaders: {
+          authorization: 'token '.concat('1q2w3e4r')
+        }
+      })
+        .get('/repos/johndoe/foobar/contents/path/to/file.yml?ref=master')
+        .reply(200, {
+          content: btoa(sampleData.configInvalid)
+        })
+
+      let exception = 'thrown'
+      try {
+        let content = await githubInstance.readFile(filePath)
+        console.log('content %o', content)
+        exception = 'not thrown'
       } catch (err) {
         expect(err._smErrorCode).toEqual('PARSING_ERROR')
         expect(err.message).toBeDefined()
@@ -290,15 +317,13 @@ describe('GitHub interface', () => {
         }
       })
         .put('/repos/johndoe/foobar/contents/path/to/file.txt')
-        .reply(200, {
-          number: 123
-        })
+        .replyWithError('{ message: "an error" }')
 
       const githubInstance = await new GitHub(req.params)
 
       let exception = 'thrown'
       try {
-        await githubInstance.writeFile(
+        let ret = await githubInstance.writeFile(
           options.path,
           options.content,
           options.branch,
@@ -306,9 +331,7 @@ describe('GitHub interface', () => {
         )
         exception = 'not thrown'
       } catch (err) {
-        expect(err).toEqual({
-          _smErrorCode: 'GITHUB_WRITING_FILE'
-        })
+        expect(err._smErrorCode).toEqual('GITHUB_WRITING_FILE')
       }
       expect(exception).toBe('thrown')
       expect(scope.isDone()).toBe(true)