diff --git a/compiler/msgs.nim b/compiler/msgs.nim
index aecaaf405..a5953237e 100644
--- a/compiler/msgs.nim
+++ b/compiler/msgs.nim
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import
 import std/private/miscdollars
 import strutils2
 
-type InstantiationInfo = typeof(instantiationInfo())
+type InstantiationInfo* = typeof(instantiationInfo())
 template instLoc(): InstantiationInfo = instantiationInfo(-2, fullPaths = true)
 
 template flushDot(conf, stdorr) =
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ proc getMessageStr(msg: TMsgKind, arg: string): string =
   result = msgKindToString(msg) % [arg]
 
 type
-  TErrorHandling = enum doNothing, doAbort, doRaise
+  TErrorHandling* = enum doNothing, doAbort, doRaise
 
 proc log*(s: string) =
   var f: File
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ proc formatMsg*(conf: ConfigRef; info: TLineInfo, msg: TMsgKind, arg: string): s
               else: ErrorTitle
   conf.toFileLineCol(info) & " " & title & getMessageStr(msg, arg)
 
-proc liMessage(conf: ConfigRef; info: TLineInfo, msg: TMsgKind, arg: string,
+proc liMessage*(conf: ConfigRef; info: TLineInfo, msg: TMsgKind, arg: string,
                eh: TErrorHandling, info2: InstantiationInfo, isRaw = false) {.noinline.} =
   var
     title: string
diff --git a/compiler/vm.nim b/compiler/vm.nim
index c15f9e268..9b76d7986 100644
--- a/compiler/vm.nim
+++ b/compiler/vm.nim
@@ -72,20 +72,18 @@ proc stackTraceAux(c: PCtx; x: PStackFrame; pc: int; recursionLimit=100) =
     msgWriteln(c.config, s)
 
 proc stackTraceImpl(c: PCtx, tos: PStackFrame, pc: int,
-                msg: string, lineInfo: TLineInfo) =
+  msg: string, lineInfo: TLineInfo, infoOrigin: InstantiationInfo) {.noinline.} =
+  # noinline to avoid code bloat
   msgWriteln(c.config, "stack trace: (most recent call last)")
   stackTraceAux(c, tos, pc)
-  # XXX test if we want 'globalError' for every mode
-  if c.mode == emRepl: globalError(c.config, lineInfo, msg)
-  else: localError(c.config, lineInfo, msg)
+  let action = if c.mode == emRepl: doRaise else: doNothing
+    # XXX test if we want 'globalError' for every mode
+  let lineInfo = if lineInfo == TLineInfo.default: c.debug[pc] else: lineInfo
+  liMessage(c.config, lineInfo, errGenerated, msg, action, infoOrigin)
 
 template stackTrace(c: PCtx, tos: PStackFrame, pc: int,
-                    msg: string, lineInfo: TLineInfo) =
-  stackTraceImpl(c, tos, pc, msg, lineInfo)
-  return
-
-template stackTrace(c: PCtx, tos: PStackFrame, pc: int, msg: string) =
-  stackTraceImpl(c, tos, pc, msg, c.debug[pc])
+                    msg: string, lineInfo: TLineInfo = TLineInfo.default) =
+  stackTraceImpl(c, tos, pc, msg, lineInfo, instantiationInfo(-2, fullPaths = true))
   return
 
 proc bailOut(c: PCtx; tos: PStackFrame) =