diff --git a/iowrite.cpp b/iowrite.cpp
index 583e6ab7a..f25e38534 100644
--- a/iowrite.cpp
+++ b/iowrite.cpp
@@ -1522,7 +1522,7 @@ bool writeRestart(
    const std::string& versionInfo,
    const std::string& configInfo,
    DataReducer& dataReducer,
-   const string& name,
+   string& name,
    const uint& fileIndex,
    const int& stripe) 
 {
@@ -1557,6 +1557,7 @@ bool writeRestart(
    fname.width(7);
    fname.fill('0');
    fname << fileIndex << "." << currentDate << ".vlsv";
+   name = fname.str();
 
    phiprof::Timer openTimer {"open"};
    //Open the file with vlsvWriter:
@@ -1588,7 +1589,9 @@ bool writeRestart(
       MPI_Info_set(MPIinfo, factor, stripeChar);
    }
    
-   if( vlsvWriter.open( fname.str(), MPI_COMM_WORLD, masterProcessId, MPIinfo ) == false) return false;
+   if (vlsvWriter.open( fname.str(), MPI_COMM_WORLD, masterProcessId, MPIinfo ) == false) {
+      return false;
+   }
 
    if( MPIinfo != MPI_INFO_NULL ) {
       MPI_Info_free(&MPIinfo);
diff --git a/iowrite.h b/iowrite.h
index e0d23885c..dfe9b45e1 100644
--- a/iowrite.h
+++ b/iowrite.h
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ bool writeRestart(
    const std::string& versionInfo,
    const std::string& configInfo,
    DataReducer& dataReducer,
-   const std::string& name,
+   std::string& name,
    const uint& fileIndex,
    const int& stripe
 );
diff --git a/vlasiator.cpp b/vlasiator.cpp
index d8175d691..e9bf8cfa0 100644
--- a/vlasiator.cpp
+++ b/vlasiator.cpp
@@ -590,7 +590,8 @@ int main(int argn,char* args[]) {
             writeGhosts
          ) == false
       ) {
-         cerr << "FAILED TO WRITE GRID AT " << __FILE__ << " " << __LINE__ << endl;
+         // TODO make this std::format when we get C++20
+         abort_mpi(std::string(__FILE__) + ":" + std::to_string(__LINE__) + ": FAILED TO WRITE GRID", 1);
       }
 
       phiprof::stop("Initialization");
@@ -729,7 +730,8 @@ int main(int argn,char* args[]) {
             writeGhosts
          ) == false
       ) {
-         cerr << "FAILED TO WRITE GRID AT " << __FILE__ << " " << __LINE__ << endl;
+         // TODO make this std::format when we get C++20
+         abort_mpi(std::string(__FILE__) + ":" + std::to_string(__LINE__) + ": FAILED TO WRITE GRID", 1);
       }
 
       P::systemWriteDistributionWriteStride.pop_back();
@@ -946,7 +948,8 @@ int main(int argn,char* args[]) {
                writeGhosts
                ) == false
             ) {
-               cerr << "FAILED TO WRITE GRID AT" << __FILE__ << " " << __LINE__ << endl;
+               // TODO make this std::format when we get C++20
+               abort_mpi(std::string(__FILE__) + ":" + std::to_string(__LINE__) + ": FAILED TO WRITE GRID", 1);
             }
             P::systemWrites[i]++;
             // Special case for large timesteps
@@ -1015,25 +1018,22 @@ int main(int argn,char* args[]) {
          if (myRank == MASTER_RANK)
             logFile << "(IO): Writing restart data to disk, tstep = " << P::tstep << " t = " << P::t << endl << writeVerbose;
          //Write the restart:
-         if( writeRestart(mpiGrid,
-                  perBGrid, // TODO: Merge all the fsgrids passed here into one meta-object
-                  EGrid,
-                  EHallGrid,
-                  EGradPeGrid,
-                  momentsGrid,
-                  dPerBGrid,
-                  dMomentsGrid,
-                  BgBGrid,
-                  volGrid,
-                  technicalGrid,
-                  version,
-                  config,
-                  outputReducer,"restart",(uint)P::t,P::restartStripeFactor) == false ) {
-            logFile << "(IO): ERROR Failed to write restart!" << endl << writeVerbose;
-            cerr << "FAILED TO WRITE RESTART" << endl;
-         }
+         // TODO: Merge all the fsgrids passed here into one meta-object
+         std::string restartFilename {"restart"};
+         bool restartSuccess {writeRestart(mpiGrid, perBGrid, EGrid, EHallGrid, EGradPeGrid, momentsGrid, dPerBGrid, dMomentsGrid, BgBGrid, volGrid, technicalGrid, version, config, outputReducer, restartFilename, (uint)P::t,P::restartStripeFactor)};
+         MPI_Reduce(myRank == MASTER_RANK ? MPI_IN_PLACE : &restartSuccess, &restartSuccess, 1, MPI_CXX_BOOL, MPI_LAND, MASTER_RANK, MPI_COMM_WORLD);
          if (myRank == MASTER_RANK) {
-            logFile << "(IO): .... done!"<< endl << writeVerbose;
+            if(!restartSuccess) {
+               // If restart write fails, remove the malformed file and hope a human clears space soon
+               // Sanity check, this should be set before writeRestart returns
+               if (restartFilename != "restart") {
+                  std::remove(restartFilename.c_str());
+               }
+               logFile << "(IO): ERROR Failed to write restart!" << endl << writeVerbose;
+               cerr << "FAILED TO WRITE RESTART" << endl;
+            } else {
+               logFile << "(IO): .... done!"<< endl << writeVerbose;
+            }
          }
          timer.stop();
       }